Now you don’t have to hide your wine or beer at select Delta parks this summer.
Council on Monday approved the city moving ahead with a pilot program to allow responsible drinking at Diefenbaker Park in Tsawwassen, Memorial Park in Ladner and at North Delta Community Park from June 1 to Sept. 30.
Drinking will be permitted seven days a week, from 11 a.m. to dusk, but there will also be no drinking zones at the sites.
During the pilot, the public can provide comments through a Delta online survey.
Staff also proposed allowing drinking at Sunstone Park in North Delta but council decided not to allow drinking there.
A report to council notes staff contacted the cities of Port Coquitlam and North Vancouver that launched similar projects during the summer of 2020.
Both cities identified park sites that had onsite amenities such as washrooms, picnic tables and/or picnic shelters, and that are routinely inspected by city staff.
“During the pilot program, Parks, Recreation & Culture staff will work closely with Delta's Bylaw Enforcement Officers and the Delta Police Department to manage the project onsite. Routine patrols will be required to attend each park on a daily basis and at varying times. In order to keep the parks free of excess litter, additional waste receptacles and recycling bins will be placed within each park's designated area,” the report notes.
Coun. Bruce McDonald said the move will simply permit many to do something they’ve been secretly doing all along, but until now they’ve been hiding their beverages in cups and coolers.
Coun. Dylan Kruger agreed, suggesting that within 10 years almost all parks across Metro Vancouver will permit the responsible drinking of alcohol.
Although she also voted in favour of seeing how things go, Coun. Lois Jackson expressed concern about neighbouring residents, especially if the program is eventually expanded.
