Pilot Projects for Legalizing Alcohol in Parks: Summer & Fall 2023

At the May 2023 City Council meeting, a motion to initiate pilot projects to legalize drinking alcohol in City parks was approved.

The proposed pilot is set to run from Saturday, August 5 to Monday, October 9^th, 2023. The motion directs staff to work with City Councillors interested in hosting a pilot in their ward. Staff will consult with Councillors, provide a list of parks most suited for the pilot, and report back with a recommended approach to the Economic and Community Development Committee this July.

Council also requested that the report include advice from the Medical Officer of Health on any harm reduction, treatment or education programs to be in place prior to the approval and implementation of the pilots.

Too often, this discussion gets lost in personal mores about alcohol. We need an approach which centres evidence and health. There are some indisputable facts:

People will use alcohol.
Alcohol use causes more health and social harms than all other drugs combined
Those harms are best dealt with by smart policies: treatment, education, and keeping areas of alcohol use safe.

I will be speaking with City staff in the coming days to better understand the impacts of this pilot project on our community. Your input and feedback is much appreciated on what parameters or considerations you think the City needs to take - please send your thoughts by email to [email protected]. I will continue to keep you updated as this work continues.