Here’s where you will be able to legally drink alcohol in Ottawa parks, including at Lansdowne

Residents will be legally allowed to drink alcohol in seven Ottawa parks this summer. CTV’s Camille Wilson has the details.

You will be allowed to enjoy an alcoholic beverage on the Great Lawn at Lansdowne Park, in Minto Park in Centretown and at Strathcona Park this summer, but legal drinking will not be permitted in many suburban neighbourhoods.

Starting July 1, alcohol consumption will be allowed in designated areas of Ottawa parks. Under the plan, councillors will work with the general manager of Recreation, Cultural and Facility Services and their constituents to select parks for alcohol consumption.

• Community reacts to alcohol consumption in Ottawa parks this summer

The alcohol in parks pilot project will have the following rules:

• No alcohol consumption before 11 a.m. and after 9 p.m. or hours designated by the general manager.
• No person shall possess or consume alcohol within a five-metre radius of a playground or playground equipment, wading pools or splash pads or outdoor pools, beaches, parking lots, natural or artificial ice rinks, and at sports fields, sports courts and ball diamonds.

The City of Ottawa announced Friday afternoon that alcohol will be permitted in seven parks, in four Ottawa wards, between July 1 and Oct. 31.

• Minto Park, 102 Lewis Street
• McNabb Park, 180 Percy Street
• Queenswood Ridge Park, 346 Kennedy Lane East
• Lansdowne Park Great Lawn, 1525 Princess Patricia Way
• Riverain Park, 400 North River Road
• Strathcona Park, 25 Range Road
• Brewer Park, 100 Brewer Way

Signs will be installed in selected parks before July 1 with information on:

• Details about when and where alcohol can be consumed
• Public health messaging
• A reminder to take empty alcohol containers home

Alcohol will continue to be prohibited in federal parks in Ottawa, including Major’s Hill Park and Kìwekì Point, along the Rideau Canal and on Parliament Hill.

CTVNewsOttawa.ca reached out to Ottawa councillors on Friday to ask if they will designate a park in their ward for legal alcohol consumption.

Fifteen councillors have said their wards will not be participating in the alcohol in parks pilot project.

Here is a look at where alcohol consumption will be allowed in parks this summer.

Great Lawn at Lansdowne, Brewer Park

Capital Ward Coun. Shawn Menard says the Great Lawn at Lansdowne is the “main” park in his ward for legal alcohol consumption under the pilot project.

Menard says he would also like to include the Brewer Park open sports fields for the pilot project.

Minto Park, McNabb Park

Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster says two parks have been selected for legal alcohol consumption in parks – Minto Park on Elgin Street and McNabb Park at Bronson Avenue and Gladstone Avenue.

Riverain Park, Strathcona Park

Two parks along the Rideau River in Coun. Stephanie Plante’s ward will allow alcohol consumption in parks this summer.

Riverrain Park on North River Road and Strathcona Park on Range Road.

Queenswood Ridge Park

Orléans East-Cumberland Coun. Matthew Luloff says Queenswood Ridge Park has been selected for the alcohol in parks pilot project.

Champlain Park

Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper said in a letter to constituents that Champlain Park will be recommended for the pilot project, but the park was not on the initial list of parks released by the City of Ottawa.

“Champlain Park strikes me as a low-stakes way to see how this will work. I’ll say that I’m reasonably confident that permitting the consumption of alcohol in the park is unlikely to increase its occurrence. I’m quite certain that nearby residents are already enjoying alcoholic beverages responsibly in the park today,” Leiper said.

“I’m not particularly concerned that the park will become a destination for drinking. I’ve tried to imagine a scenario in which people make drinking the focus of an excursion to Champlain Park and simply can’t.”

No alcohol in parks

Fifteen councillors told CTV News Ottawa on Friday they would not be recommending a park for the alcohol in parks pilot project.

The wards are Barrhaven West, Kanata North, Stittsville, College, Bay, Beacon Hill-Cyrville, Gloucester-Southgate, River, Alta Vista, Knoxdale-Merivale, Barrhaven East, Kanata South, Riverside South-Findlay Creek, Orléans West and Orléans South-Navan.

“River Ward will not be participating in the pilot. I will yield to my colleagues who wanted the pilot and will learn from it before any local park is proposed,” River Coun. Riley Brockington said in an email.

Stittsville Coun. Glen Gower said there was “not much interest” from residents for a park to be selected for the pilot project.

Gloucester-Southgate Coun. Jessica Bradley said she would wait to see how it goes with the pilot project this summer before making any future decisions.

Barrhaven West Coun. David Hill said, “based on the recommendation/advice from my community associations and residents, I opted not to participate in the pilot.”

Knoxdale-Merivale Coun. Sean Devine told CTV News Ottawa, “For the time being, and until we see what comes of this pilot project, I’ve decided not to add any parks in Ward 9 to the project. There’s been absolutely no requests from Ward 9 residents in support of seeing local parks added.”

College Coun. Laine Johnson says parks staff have been told the west end ward will not have alcohol in any parks this summer.

“I asked residents through social media if they supported a local park being chosen for this. While there was some general support for the idea of alcohol in parks, no one picked a specific park to allow it,” Johnson said in an email to CTV News Ottawa. “I also consulted with the community associations in my ward and again, no one requested allowing this in one of their neighbourhood parks.”

Coun. Laura Dudas said she did not receive any requests for park inclusion in Orléans West.

“Many of the proponents of this pilot program pointedly spoke about residents who do not have access to private outdoor space. For residents living in suburban or rural parts of the city, they have the ability to enjoy a glass of wine, or a cold beer, outside with friends and family in their backyard. However, for those in denser, more urban neighbourhoods, especially those living in condos or apartments who do not even have a balcony, local parks are their only option to spend time outside,” said a statement from Dudas’ office.

“As Chair of the Community Services Committee, Laura has heard from residents across the city who lack access to private outdoor space and are eager to see their local park included in the pilot. However, as the Councillor for a suburban ward, our community does not face the same pressures, and to date, we have not received similar requests for park inclusion from residents in her ward.”