Petition to allow alcohol in Collingwood parks
With summer around the corner, Collingwood resident Jonathan Hillis wants to loosen alcohol restrictions in local parks.
"Seeing that Toronto had a successful pilot and are now looking to make it a permanent fixture in their parks, it made me think, why can't we do it here in Collingwood," says Hillis.
Hillis started a petition to get the town to consider allowing open alcohol in its public parks, and so far, it's received over 320 signatures.
"I think it's going to also allow us to get out and be more active as well. Getting friends together and go to a Park, have some fun, play some volleyball or soccer and then maybe sit down and have a drink," he says.
Hillis recommends that the pilot take place at the town's major parks, including Sunset Point Park, Millennium Park and Fisher Fields.
Mayor Yvonne Hamlin says it would be a big decision for the community but is open to discussion.
"If there's interest in moving it forward, we would have to and want to get input from two main sources for us. One is our staff and also our community," says Hamlin.
While the mayor says she understands why it would be a fun initiative, she must consider the pros and cons.
"I guess I'm always looking at what are the problems that could come and how do we prevent them and I'm so thinking about safety," she adds.
Still, Hillis believes that Collingwood could set an excellent example for other municipalities considering the same thing.
"We just have some responsible folks that will know how to really show the youth what responsible drinking looks like and just really be able to come together as a community out at these parks, support one another and have some fun," he says.
Hillis notes that once he gets a few more signatures on the petition, his next step is to meet with council members. He will either submit a written proposal in May or attend an in-person deputation in June.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus survives vote calling for his ouster
Greg Fergus survived a vote to oust him as House of Commons Speaker on Tuesday, but with close to half of MPs expressing a loss of confidence in him, he faces a precarious path forward in maintaining order in Parliament.
'It was hell': Israeli mother held hostage with her children describes 51 days in captivity
Hagar Brodutch, her three children and four-year-old neighbour were kidnapped by Hamas-led militants from their home in Kfar Aza, Israel on Oct. 7 and held for 51 days. They were released in November, but Brodutch says her thoughts are never far from those still being held in Gaza.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
Teen dies after being hit by train in N.W. Calgary
A teenager has died after being hit by a train in northwest Calgary on Tuesday afternoon.
Black bear kebabs make family sick with parasitic worms
It was supposed to be a celebration, but one family’s unique meal of black bear meat sent several members to the hospital instead.
'It's his vacation too': Jimmy the baby goat joins 2-week road trip across Canada
After Jimmy the baby goat was shunned by his mother, a New Brunswick man took the kid on a two-week road trip across Canada.
The double-level airplane seat is back. This time, there’s a first-class version
It’s the airplane seat design that launched a thousand memes and kickstarted a media storm. And now the double-level seat is back – only this time, with a twist.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.