Cities weigh drinking in parks

As all corners of the country prepare for a seismic shift in how and where people consume marijuana, several cities are considering whether it would make sense to legalize drinking alcohol in parks as well — a move an expert said would bring antiquated laws in line with the way people already behave.

“I think a lot of people who want to have a bottle of wine in a public park on a Sunday are probably going to be doing that anyway,” said Mitchell Kosny, interim director of Ryerson University’s School of Urban and Regional Planning.

The idea of legalizing alcohol in parks and on beaches has come up in Toronto and Vancouver, both of which are in the midst of municipal elections and both of which are in provinces that will allow people to toke in public come Oct. 17.

Kosny said he suspects the idea is floating around now because election candidates and front runners may want to appear “open-minded.”

Toronto Mayor John Tory floated the idea at an event Thursday, pointing out it would seem counterintuitive to allow people to smoke pot in parks but not drink a beer — especially since people are already bringing wine and beer to their picnics.

“I know from being in the parks now that it’s quite a widespread practice of people having a glass of wine, and it doesn’t seem the world has come to an end as a result of that,” Tory told reporters following a graduation ceremony for police recruits.

But the issue isn’t up to him alone.

“Anything that has to do with drinking in the province is immensely complicated,” Tory noted.

A spokesman for Toronto’s Municipal Licensing and Standards department said the question of drinking in public spaces isn’t up to the city — it’s governed by the Ontario Liquor Licence Act.

Premier Doug Ford has said he plans to sit down with Tory, whom he described as being “all for drinking in the parks now,” to consult on the issue.

“The laws here in Canada on this field are much more conservative,” said Kosny, adding that in parts of Europe as well as Australia, drinking in public is accepted and common.

“There’s much more openness to drinking in public parks than we see in Canada.”

In Vancouver, a proposal to sell beer and wine through concession stands at two beaches next summer will be discussed at a meeting today.