Barbecuing in city parks is permitted again.
On Monday evening, council passed a bylaw to amend Chapter 785 of its Municipal Code, which previously prohibited the use of any portable or fixed cooking device, including barbecues, smokers, and camp stoves, in city parks.
The ban was introduced as a single-year measure in 2021. With council’s decision this week, people are once again free to barbecue in city parks, effective immediately.
“This particular bylaw … is housekeeping because the decision of council last year was actually just for 2021. Consequently, what we’re doing is a bit of a housekeeping amendment to the actual bylaw,” said CAO Gayle Jackson.
Coun. Ralph Cipolla, however, voiced a concern about the use of charcoal barbecues in city parks.
“I’m concerned that taking this away will allow … charcoal barbecues in the park, where people were dumping the charcoal on the ground, and kids were picking it up thinking they were stones,” he said.
Jackson said issues with hot charcoal were reported one to three times per year prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that an inquiry motion could be brought forth by a councillor should one desire to look further into the issue.
“If there is a desire for council to consider some kind of other prohibition, then we certainly could encourage that member of council to do an inquiry motion and we can do a report,” responded Jackson. “I will suggest that bylaw (staff) will be certainly active in our parks, and if there seems to be an ongoing concern … I’m sure they’ll be reporting that back.”
Coun. Mason Ainsworth said he would be “happy to become part of that conversation as well.”
“I think investing in some infrastructure in our parks — you know, places to dump charcoal and that sort of thing — we can definitely figure those things out and make sure we have safer parks because I think that’s what everybody wants,” he said.
