Last week I wrote a piece that focused on Vancouver's North Shore Tourism Association's new brand identity, and specifically a video they released.
In it, a man was shown leaving a craft brewery with a growler in hand. He was then pictured arriving at a friendly barbecue taking place at Ambleside beach, where I had assumed he then drank what I had assumed was beer.
I expressed my delight that they were encouraging drinking booze on the beach, despite it being at odds with the Municipal Alcohol Policy of the District of West Vancouver and the alcohol policy of the park itself.
I had actually hoped to visit Ambleside with a six-pack to test out how well that would go, with the hopes that the West Van PD wouldn't crack down the way the Vancouver PD do at Habitat Island (aka Beer Island).
You can imagine my disappointment when I received an email from the VNSTA's Acting Executive Director, Mun Bagri, letting me know I had made a terrible mistake.
Bagri informed me via e-mail that "The growler in this instance is from Green Leaf Brewing and was chosen specifically as they also brew Kamboocha [sic]. We are very sensitive and careful to ensure we respect the bylaws of our 3 municipalities accurately."
She went on to explain that "The growler swap is a transitional scene which allows the video flow from one vignette to another."
And "Just to be safe we are editing the scene out of the video."
So, to be clear, you are not encouraged to drink beer in public at Ambleside beach in West Vancouver.
And if you see me there with a six-pack of what looks to be beer, I assure you it is kombucha. You need not alert the authorities.
