Resort supports booze on beach

Hotelier David Prystay has added his voice to the chorus of business people advocating for licencing beaches and some public parks in Penticton.

Today, city council in Penticton will vote on a motion by Coun. Campbell Watt to conduct a one-month pilot that would allow for drinking on public beaches in the northend of the city. (See above story.)

“I’ve been pushing for this for years,” said Prystay, the general manager of the Penticton Lakeside Resort in an interview with The Herald.

“Let’s not call it ‘drinking on the beach.’ Let’s instead call it ‘a nice picnic’ where families can enjoy a day at the beach, Dad can have a beer in his cooler, mother a spitzer or glass of wine.

“Everyone’s doing it now, but they’re hiding it and they feel guilty. They worry about getting busted. Let’s take that away so they can enjoy themselves.”

Prystay said alcohol is allowed on beaches in many other tourist meccas, mainly Europe, but is frowned on in British Columbia.

“The biggest complaint we get from our international visitors is they are not allowed to walk down the street at the car show holding a drink,” he said.

“This would be a huge boost for tourism. If someone gets out-of-hand, then we deal with it, just like it would be dealt with if they were out-of-hand at any other place."

Last week, the Penticton & Wine Country Chamber of Commerce gave its support to the project which will be studied and re-evaluated at its 30-day conclusion.

Watt is promoting the idea on getting take-out food and then eating it at a park or beach, along with take-out beer or wine from one of the local establishments.

Prystay disagrees with Watt on that point only. The Lakeside manager said for those who enjoy restaurant food and want to support local establishments, by eating at the venue, it protects jobs of serving staff. Restaurants, he said, also make very little profit on take-out orders.

Meanwhile, the Barking Parrot pub at the resort was opened Monday for the first time since March. Although licenced for 500 under regular circumstances, 90 customers will now be allowed indoors with an additional 90 on the outdoor patio.

All patrons must sit six feet apart.