Floating Saunas, Beached Barges, and Our Housing Priorities

Vancouver knows how to move money when it wants to.

A few years ago, a massive industrial barge broke loose in a windstorm and ended up smashed against the rocks at English Bay. It couldn’t be refloated. It had to be cut apart on site. The removal cost ran into the millions.

Now, we’re being asked to welcome a floating sauna barge in Kitsilano — a luxury, fee-based waterfront amenity. Early estimates for projects of this type elsewhere put them anywhere from the low millions to tens of millions of dollars.

And here’s the uncomfortable question we’re not supposed to ask:

Why is money always available for leisure, spectacle, and damage control — but somehow never available for housing?

---

What that money could do instead

Even conservative numbers tell a stark story:

• $20 million could fund dozens of modular or tiny homes
• It could help purchase land and build permanent supportive housing
• It could retrofit existing buildings faster than new luxury projects get approved

Meanwhile, people sleep in tents within walking distance of these proposed amenities.

---

It’s not about saunas — it’s about priorities

This isn’t an argument against wellness, cold plunges, or enjoying the ocean. It’s about who our city is being designed for.

When a barge crashes into a beach, we find the engineers, permits, and contractors. When a spa wants to float on public water, approvals move forward.

But when people need shelter?

Suddenly it’s complicated. Suddenly it’s expensive. Suddenly it takes years.

---

Public space should serve the public

Waterfront land and water access are public assets. Using them primarily for high-end experiences — while basic needs go unmet — sends a clear message about whose comfort matters most.

We should be asking:

• What problem does this project solve?
• Who benefits?
• And what opportunities are being lost?

Because we already know one thing for sure:

If we can afford floating saunas and million-dollar barge removals, we can afford housing.