Kamloops could be next BC city to allow booze in a public park
Music fans and park-goers in Kamloops may be allowed to bring their own booze this summer.
Kamloops city council will debate on June 10 whether or not to mirror recent policies in other BC cities which allow alcohol in select parks.
The new bylaw as proposed would allow alcohol only in specific areas of Riverside Park, particularly around the bandshell where musicians perform for Music in the Park nightly through the summer.
Cities across the Lower Mainland, along with Penticton and Kelowna have passed bylaws allowing booze. They steadily began allowing alcohol at certain parks and beaches in the past five years, making the changes permanent after successful pilot projects.
In Kamloops, the idea was first floated at a council committee last June and now returns for officials to decide whether to run a one-season trial. If approved, it would continue to Oct. 1, meaning liquor would be allowed in the park even after Music in the Park concludes at the end of August.
According to a report to council, a fenced perimeter would be built where park-goers can drink, and additional security would be hired for Music in the Park.
If approved, Vernon would remain the last of the Thompson-Okanagan’s largest cities not to allow alcohol in public parks. It was considered early during the COVID-19 pandemic, but quickly rejected in a unanimous vote.
