Delta residents will have more options of where they can legally enjoy an adult beverage in the sun this summer.
On Monday (May 29), council unanimously gave third reading to a bylaw increasing the number of city parks where people can legally consume liquor from three to 21, and making the program year-round.
The move expands on council’s decision in April 2022 to make permanent a pilot project that allowed alcohol consumption in designated areas of North Delta Community Park, Memorial Park in Ladner and Diefenbaker Park in Tsawwassen from 11 a.m. to dusk, June 1 through Sept. 30.
Coun. Dylan Kruger, whose motion in 2021 led to the creation of the pilot program and who moved on April 3 of this year that staff look into expanding the now-permanent program to additional parks, said the initiative is about “legalizing fun in our parks and treating responsible adults like adults,” noting it has been running since 2021 without a significant increase in bylaw or police incidents.
“For me, the program from the beginning, first and foremost, has been about equity,” Kruger said at council Monday. “It’s about ensuring that the large number of residents in our community that don’t have access to private outdoor space are able to gather together at local parks on the weekend and enjoy a picnic with their family and friends with a cold glass of beer or a glass of wine.
“It’s also about de-stigmatizing responsible consumption of alcohol in public spaces. And of course it’s also about supporting some of fantastic local businesses in the City of Delta, including local breweries.”
Under the new Liquor Consumption in Delta Public Places Bylaw, 18 of Delta’s “significant parks” will be added to the program, including Delview, Annieville, Sunbury, Sunstone, Mackie, Chalmers, Gunderson, Westview and Wade parks in North Delta.
Other parks to be added include John Oliver Park in East Delta; Holly, Hawthorne, Ladner Harbour, Dugald Morrison and Cromie parks in Ladner; and Brandrith, Winskill and Pebble Hill parks in Tsawwassen.
A report by city staff notes that liquor consumption will be restricted at Memorial Park during Ladner May Days, at Winskill Park during the Tsawwassen Sun Festival, and at North Delta Community Park during North Delta Family Day — unless under permit — in order to support the host not-for-profit groups’ fundraising efforts.
The 21 approved locations represent about a third of Delta’s 65 “developed” parks, and were chosen because the majority have on-site amenities that will support the program, including picnic areas (tables, benches and gazebos), passive space, waste receptacles and public washrooms.
The only one without a public washroom is North Delta’s Sunstone Park. In 2021, the council of the day opted not to include Sunstone in the original pilot program due in large part to the lack of on-site facilities.
Speaking at council Monday afternoon, Delta parks general manager Trent Reid noted the park is “more of a community gathering space” that is surrounded by homes, and that Sunstone residents have access to washroom facilities in the development’s adjacent clubhouse.
“We saw that as a decent compromise on that one park for providing facilities,” he said.
Reid added that additional portable toilets could also be brought in if needed, or inclusion of the site could be reviewed “depending on what the public consultation process reveals throughout the 2023 program.”
In addition to making it legal for adults to consume alcoholic beverages in all 21 parks year-round, the bylaw also expands the area where liquor is to everywhere except playgrounds, splash parks, sport fields and courts, parking lots, and areas of dense vegetation.
In his comments Monday, Reid said that the earlier pilot project was “generally very well received,” resulting in only a few complaints relating to noise and/or increased garbage — problems addressed by increasing patrols by police and bylaw officers and by placing additional waste receptacles onsite.
The staff report to council notes both the City of Port Coquitlam and the City of North Vancouver recently expanded their pilot programs to year-round “with minimal concerns.”
“Staff also reached out to the Delta Police Department and [City of Delta Bylaw Enforcement] for comment on expanding Delta’s program to year-round and to the additional locations. Neither expressed concerns with expanding the program to year-round.”
The estimated set-up cost of creating and installing the necessary signage and additional waste receptacles at the parks is $50,000, which will come out of council’s contingency fund. Ongoing operating costs will be covered under “base budget funding in 2023 and beyond,” the report states.
SEE ALSO: B.C. MLA calls for provincewide ban on drug use in parks, playgrounds
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