Pints on patios, but not in parks — why drinking alcohol in public spaces is still such a big deal

You can enjoy a cocktail at home, savour sangria on a restaurant patio, down a drink on an airplane and even sip champagne while getting a pedicure in some licensed locations. So why is it such a battle to consume alcohol in a city park?

Several Canadian cities have recently dipped their toes into allowing it, under certain conditions, but not without pushback from some politicians, public health experts and concerned citizens.

Those opposed to drinking in public spaces have cited the health impacts of normalizing alcohol consumption and worries about drunk driving and dangerous and disorderly behaviour, among other concerns. 

"We have this weird relationship with alcohol where it's part of our lives, but as soon as it goes into public we look at it as potentially problematic," said Dan Malleck, the chair of Health Sciences at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont., and a medical historian specializing in drug and alcohol regulation and policy.

"In my view, a lot of the general associations we have with drinking in public are negative, like drunkenness in public, drinking and driving, like drunken hoodlums, all of these things — which make the news, but aren't necessarily the only way people consume alcohol in public."

Regina was recently poised to become the next Canadian city to allow drinking in a limited number of parks. But on Wednesday, its council voted to table the debate until their next meeting in August.

This comes after Saskatchewan gave municipal governments the power to designate outdoor public places for alcohol consumption, and Regina's executive committee voted 6-4 to approve the policy changes, despite concerns from multiple city councillors. 

"There's nothing wrong with a little bit of responsible fun," Ward 2 Coun. Bob Hawkins previously told CBC Saskatchewan. 

Other major cities such as Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary have recently expanded similar programs to allow drinking in certain public parks. In Vancouver, drinking is allowed at 31 parks throughout the year, at 16 additional parks in July and August, at seven beaches between June and September, and at select city plazas.

In Calgary, people are allowed to drink at some parks, where they can book a public picnic table or use one on a first-come, first-serve basis. You can also drink at select large picnic sites, a few open areas within city parks and some fire pits. Earlier this year, Edmonton council voted to allow drinking in designated city parks on a permanent basis.

Montreal has a so-called picnic law that allows drinking while having a meal in a picnic area.

A Toronto pilot program is up for a vote on July 19, and if it goes forward, people might be allowed to drink in 20 city-owned parks over the summer. A city survey released in April found 44 per cent of Toronto residents supported the idea, and a third expressed "some degree of opposition."

Coun. Chris Moise, who represents Toronto Centre and supports the program, recently told CBC's Ontario Today that pilots in other Canadian cities have gone "really successfully." He recalled his own experiences while travelling abroad, including a trip to Amsterdam, where he enjoyed a drink with friends on a park bench overlooking the water.

"We are demonizing the situation, and I think it's really unnecessary," Moise said, noting people are already drinking in parks.