Desperate to melt the ice? Don't use beach sand, says Vancouver Park Board

As ice continues to plague parts of Metro Vancouver, some beach-goerswerespotted scooping up sand fromKitsilanoBeach on Thursday.

One group of people used old Starbuckscups and planks of wood to shovel the sand into plastic bins.

Icy streets and sidewalks caused bya record-breaking cold spellhave led toa salt shortagein Vancouver.

People desperate for a solution snatched up free saltoffered at fire halls withinminutes.

Some linedup for hours for the supplies, andchaos broke outwhen the salt appeared.

Despite the high demand for a fix, Howard Normann Vancouver's director of parks said people shouldn't look to the beach for a solution.

"I know some people are desperate to get something down onto their sidewalksto prevent people from slipping and falling ... but we do not want people to start coming down there and start loading up truckloads of beach sand," he said.

"That's an integral part of our ecosystem and our beachscape."

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City bylaws state that no one can remove soil or turf from park grounds, including beaches. Doing so can lead to a fine of up to $2,000.

The rules don't explicitly mention sand, but Normann said the mineral falls under the soil category.

The director said he's never heard of people taking sand from beaches thus far, but saidpark rangers will be on the lookout as the cold weathercontinues.

"If things were to get out of hand, we'd have to bring some fines and enforcement into place," he said.