Complaints about Vancouver’s 4/20 gathering were due to new location: organizer

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – It seems changing the location of this year’s 4/20 pot rally led to lots of complaints, which organizers are simply shrugging off.

Eighty-six complaints came in, according to numbers that came through an independent reporter’s Freedom of Information request. That’s more complaints than on Halloween, the Celebration of Light finale, and Pride Parade combined.

Noise and the fact that the neighbourhood pool was closed for the occasion were some of the gripes that came up.

4/20 organizer Jodie Emery chalks up the criticisms to the event’s new location in the heart of the West End.

“There are a lot of people who are still unsure and uncomfortable about it,” she admits. “So, naturally, the move to the Sunset Beach area might have disturbed a few people in the neighbourhood who are unfamiliar with it.”

“I’m sorry if some of them didn’t enjoy it, but quite a few people did show up and had a good time. And many businesses and local residents enjoyed the afternoon,” she argues.

The event was moved to Sunset Beach from the downtown core — a move that wasn’t embraced by the Vancouver Park Board.

Emery calls the gathering one of the city’s biggest cultural events, which will be staged again next year. She stresses they work together with the city every year to make the event a success.

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