Vancouver Park Board postpones decision on drinking in parks
Posted July 6, 2020 9:57 pm.
Last Updated July 7, 2020 12:31 am.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — After a spirited debate, the park board has postponed voting on a plan to allow drinking in Vancouver parks until July 20.
At Monday’s meeting, the board postponed deciding on whether to go ahead with a three-month pilot project that would allow socially-distanced sipping in 10 city parks.
Members asked staff “for further work to expand and improve the program” to designate a site for drinking in each of Vancouver’s 23 neighbourhoods,” according to a social media post.
Further, they asked “that consideration be given to the by-law revision to provide that liquor in parks only be consumed with a meal; and to ensure all pilot sites provide adequate space for physical distancing.”
We'll have to wait even longer before we learn whether or not drinking will be allowed in public parks.Vancouver Park Board referred a report detailing a pilot project back to staff. Some of the suggestions made include only allowing liquor to be consumed with a meal. @NEWS1130
— Tarnjit Kaur Parmar (@Tarnjitkparmar) July 7, 2020
The plan the board passed on would have seen drinking allowed in designated areas of some parks between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. through Thanksgiving.
The City of North Vancouver and Port Coquitlam have already passed similar plans. The City of Vancouver passed a motion last month to direct staff to come up with a report, looking into where drinking could be allowed on city property, such as plazas.
