Could Waterloo be next to allow drinking in parks?

The short answer is no.

But, Waterloo Mayor Dave Jaworsky hasn't completely ruled out the idea of allowing alcohol in public parks.

“I think it's something worth exploring at the right point in time,” he said.

At the same time, though the activity is technically illegal, it's no secret many people do it anyway—just visit a park on a warm summer day.

That's because bylaw enforcement is generally on a complaints basis.

“So, if you are going to have a picnic in any of our parks and to go there, and do it quietly and responsibly, bylaw officers are not going to be running up to you and say, 'what's in your picnic basket?'” said Jaworksy.

Still, the Waterloo mayor cited concerns about loosening public drinking laws in a city with tens of thousands of university students.

He also said his focus was on supporting local restaurants as they recover from the pandemic.

Callers to the Mike Farwell Show on Wednesday expressed mixed opinions.

Joe doesn't think it should be allowed.

“In a park environment like this, there are going to be some people that ruin it for all the good people. The kids, unfortunately will see the bad actors acting out. And that's the only reason I say it shouldn't be in the parks,” he said.

Jerry questioned how it makes sense that marijuana is legal in parks, while alcohol isn't.

“We make a big deal about alcohol—alcohol it's taboo. Soon as you do that, that does tend to draw an attraction to it,” he said. 

Craig said, “Everybody drinks at provincial parks on a long weekend, but it's banned so if people get out of hand, we can kick them out.”

Jaworsky said if Waterloo were to consider making plans, it would first look to see experiences of other Canadian cities that made the change, like Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver.