File photo (Image credit: CFJC Today)

By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: Support for legal consumption of alcohol in parks is growing

Jun 7, 2023 | 5:00 AM

ALCOHOL IN PARKS? The concept continues to gain momentum and it’s inevitable there will be a new push for it in the Tournament Capital.

Burnaby this week approved a pilot program that will start June 23 and run through to the end of October. Vancouver completed a pilot and has approved alcohol consumption in a long list of parks permanently.

After a three-year trial period, Penticton approved a permanent so-called “booze in the beaches” policy. Kelowna will start a pilot program this summer, too.

So what about Kamloops, where it continues to be illegal?

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When the idea was broached a couple of years ago, it went nowhere, but attitudes are changing.

Some attitudes, anyway — health authorities still don’t like the idea for the usual reasons. And there’s the issue of possible disturbances by those who overdo it.

But Kamloops has already experimented with booze in parks to a limited extent. People enjoy the beer garden on Canada Day, and this year’s Ribfest has been approved for consumption over a broad area of the event.

Cities that have tried it on a wider scale haven’t been hit with drunken brawls or general social disorder. The idea isn’t to encourage mass drinking in public parks. It’s to give folks enjoying a family picnic or whatever the opportunity to indulge in a civilized libation in a nice outdoor setting.

Don’t confuse this with the issue of drug consumption in parks. One is the use of illicit drugs under what amounts to a temporary moratorium and the other is a legal substance.

Certainly, restrictions on alcohol are necessary. No drinking near children’s activities, such as the splash park in Riverside. Limit the legal hours to between late morning and evening, but not overnight.

Make it a pilot program and keep it to Riverside Park until people prove they can handle it responsibly. After a year or two, only then consider it on a permanent basis.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired newspaper editor. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.