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Langford toughens up on alcohol in parks

Bylaw enforcement help added for summer in Langford

There is no blind eye to public drinking in Langford.

“The parks bylaw has never allowed the consumption of liquor,” said Lorne Fletcher, Langford’s manager of community safety and municipal bylaw enforcement.

“Under the Liquor Licensing Act, you can’t consume it in public, period.”

Previously, he says, people who were found drinking alcohol in a park may have been told to pour it out. This summer, those caught imbibing in a public park will have to dump it and be handed a $100 fine.

“There is a right time and a right place and our parks are not the right place,” Fletcher said.

The enforcement stems from residents’ concerns.

“We don’t want any glass or alcohol on our beaches,” said Mayor Stew Young. “We want to make our parks as safe as possible. Our parks are family friendly.”

Two additional bylaw officers are patrolling Langford this summer, with a range of duties that includes monitoring parks.

charla@goldstreamgazette.com