Parks bylaw; No smoking in parks, pathways

Times Reporter  

 

During the April 16 regular town council meeting, administration brought forward a Parks bylaw, which stemmed out of the Community Standards Bylaw. 

“It is imperative that council ensures there are regulations in place to protect our parks and pathways and to maintain integrity and quality of the systems,” said Municipal Clerk Jennifer Sawatzky. 

“It also important that the town provide a safe, aesthetic and comfortable environment for all of our citizens. The bylaw attached is a tool to ensure the protection of these facilities.”

The bylaw includes regulations against burning items in the parks, camping, operating a vehicle, and entering, jumping, wading, or swimming in a body of water, which flows through, is adjacent to or is located within a park unless specifically allowed by the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO).

One regulation that will make many happy is that, according to the new bylaw, no person shall smoke within a park. This includes pathways, sports fields and playgrounds. 

Section B of the smoking regulation states; ‘Notwithstanding Section 29 (a), and subject to the Tobacco Reduction Act (Alberta) and regulations thereunder, smoking is permitted on a roadway, sidewalk, parking lot, campground, golf course, or private residential property.

Under the Pathways and trail section it states that no person shall ride a bicycle except on a pathway, trail, or park roadway, or use any wheeled conveyance. 

All parks within town will also be closed from 12 a.m. to 5 a.m. Councillor Bob Sobol said he essentially thinks there are a few issues that have to be considered with that time frame, and one of them is the amount of damage that the parks suffer from vandalism, often during that time. The parks are also being used as gathering places and afterwards there is an incredible amount of litter left in the parking lots. 

“Nothing against any of the bylaws coming in front of us, but I am just about getting concerned that we’re getting bylaw’d to death here. I was kind of looking and hoping for a more lenient leisure bylaw for our bylaw officers to enforce it,” said Councillor Rocky Blokland.

Blokland said he can only speak for himself but he is at Kinsmen Park every morning, and can see the mess that happens, but he thinks it is a group of citizens during the day and the early evening hours that are causing grief in the parking lot. 

“I believe a simpler bylaw just for noise and littering would suffice instead of the one … that’s in front of now, but really this bylaw is mostly duplicating 13-05 (Community Standards Bylaw),” said Blokland. 

He said he is not a smoker but understands that some people may want to take a walk in the park with a cigarette; he also questioned whether that means it is okay to smoke walking down the street downtown, but not in the park? 

The fines for the offences mainly range in the $100 to $200 mark, with a few exceptions. Litter remains as the highest fine, followed by failure to comply with an order.