The new BC Place is a fine upgrade indeed. Its giant 'crown' atop the building is at once ugly and beautiful. Inside, the new seats, the windows around the upper part, the retractable roof, the giant video screen are all awe-inspiring.
Outside is another story. Hovering over Terry Fox Plaza, a behemoth of a video screen blares light into the eyes not only of those fans flocking to Lions and Whitecaps games but dwarfing the homage to Fox.
It's bad enough the screen dwarfs the statues, diminishing their stature, but the sole purpose is to display advertisements. What so bad about these commercials? They spray light into the windows of the apartments and condos for blocks. Residents complain that closing drapes or blinds does little to assuage the assault from the video images.
To give you an eye-opening view of the strength of this light, the following graph illustrates the area affected by the offensive light.
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| Click to embiggen |
The problem is that getting some action on the screen is complicated.
B.C. Place Stadium is beyond the reach of Vancouver city hall, meaning a resident who lives nearby may have to sue to get the Terry Fox Plaza advertising screen turned off.
The B.C. Enterprise Corporation Act exempts the stadium from civic bylaws. B.C. Pavilion Corporation holds the land fee-simple, which would make it subject to local government bylaws, if not for the Act that governs PavCo, according to Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations spokeswoman Cheekwan Ho.snip
The screen displays a loop of advertisements, mainly for Telus, and may contravene the city’s sign bylaw, which states: “The illumination for any sign shall not create a direct glare upon any surrounding site, street or lane.”
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Residents who are being visually assaulted by the screen in their homes have called, emailed and written complaints to:
- Premier Christy Clark (provincial, highest urgency)
http://www.bcliberals.com/contact/
- MLA Mary McNeil (provincial, highest urgency)
http://www.leg.bc.ca/mla/39thParl/mcneilm.htm
- BC Ombudsperson Office (provincial, highest urgency)
http://www.ombudsman.bc.ca/home/contact-us
- Minister Pat Bell (provincial, highest urgency)
http://www.gov.bc.ca/jti/contacts.html
- Mayor Gregor Robertson (municipal, medium urgency)
http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/mayorcouncil/mayorrobertson.htm
- Councillor Geoff Meggs (municipal, medium urgency)
http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/mayorcouncil/councillor/meggs.htm
- Chief Building Official Will Johnston (municipal, medium urgency)
http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/cbofficial/aboutus/index.htm
- ‘311’ City Complaint Telephone Line (municipal, medium urgency)
call 3-1-1 or 604-873-7000
Please take 20 minutes: It is important that all concerned residents take time to write at least one letter of complaint (if you can, also send copies to all those others listed above). Our collective message is that they must Take the Giant Screen Down Now (along with an explanation of how it’s negatively affecting your life at home, or that of other residents). Emails and phone calls are also good, but when contacting provincial agencies, mailed letters are provided the highest level of attention. Thanks for working together and doing your part. You are a member of this community, you have right to a peaceful and enjoyable life (even downtown!), and taking individual action as part of this collective group is a very powerful thing.
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