HAVN Spa Barge Keeps Trying — But Heritage Harbour Is Not the Place
Good morning, Vancouver friends,
The HAVN spa barge proposal is back. After being rejected in False Creek, the company is now targeting Heritage Harbour. But this is not just a design or location problem. This is a safety, environmental, and climate reality problem.
A three-storey, 150-foot barge in Heritage Harbour would create a 5,000 sq ft wall of steel between the beach and the mountains. That’s a massive structure in an exposed, wind-prone, wave-active shoreline—and it’s a risk we already know too well.
We’ve Seen This Before
We don’t have to imagine what could go wrong. Vancouver has a history:
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In the 1962 Hurricane Freda, strong winds swept through the Pacific Northwest, damaging coastal infrastructure, knocking down trees, and proving how powerful storms can be here. I was a baby, but the records and stories show the destruction clearly.
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More recently, in November 2021, southern BC experienced an atmospheric river so intense it broke rainfall records, caused flooding, landslides, and highway collapses. What made it unusual was that it was powered by elements of a Pacific cyclone, carried thousands of kilometers across the ocean by the jet stream, and combined with local winds to create historically strong gusts.
This wasn’t a typical storm. Winds came from unusual directions, waves surged higher, and flooding was extreme. Many locals said:
“I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
That’s because it was new to our experience—but not new to the physics of the planet. And with climate change, storms like this are only going to get stronger, wetter, and more unpredictable.
The Science You Need to Know
🌬 Jet Streams
High above, the jet stream guides storm paths. Because the Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the planet, the jet stream is slowing and wobbling, allowing unusual weather to reach Vancouver and stall over the coast. That’s why atmospheric rivers can linger, dumping record rainfall.
🌊 King Tides & Waves
Add in king tides, stronger winter waves, and rising sea levels. Everything is amplified. Wind pushes water higher. Waves crash harder. Flooding reaches farther.
🌡 Climate Change
These aren’t abstract predictions. We are living them. Extreme storms, unusual wind directions, heavy rainfall, and coastal flooding are all becoming more frequent. And scientists warn this trend will continue.
Why the Barge Is a Bad Idea
Now imagine placing a massive floating spa in that environment.
- One broken mooring line, and the barge could drift into historic wooden boats, the Burrard Bridge, Granville Island, or Cambie Bridge.
- The 2021 storm showed how powerful Pacific cyclone remnants can be—this barge would increase the risk exponentially.
- Beyond safety, the environmental footprint is enormous: electricity, water, maintenance, and constant supply. And it’s for a luxury experience, not the public good.
We already paid for mistakes in the past. English Bay barges have drifted, one ended up costing tens of thousands of dollars to dismantle, money that could have helped communities instead of floating infrastructure.
Walk the Shoreline, See the Risk
Take a walk or bike along Kitsilano or Heritage Harbour on a cold, windy, stormy day. Feel the gusts. Watch the waves. Imagine a steel wall three stories high sitting right there.
The city can’t control the ocean—and pretending it can is dangerous hubris.
Call to Action
We need to protect our waterfront, our boats, and our safety.
- Share this post with friends, neighbors, and Vancouver Mayor and Council
- Sign the petition to keep barges out of Heritage Harbour:
👉 https://c.org/QXmHbmSDkn - Walk the shorelines yourself and see why this isn’t a safe or responsible idea
The ocean, storms, and climate don’t wait for permissions, permits, or luxury projects. Let’s not gamble with Heritage Harbour.
The jet stream is shifting, atmospheric rivers are intensifying, and our oceans are rising. Climate change isn’t a future problem—it’s already reshaping our coast. We can’t control the ocean—but we CAN control the decisions we make.
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