drinking bellwoods park toronto

Will booze crackdown kill the buzz in Bellwoods?

Trinity Bellwoods Park is a pretty good place to party. Copious amounts of beer are consumed there during the sweltering heat waves, and groups meet up, hang out, and mingle. It's like a regular old Cheers under the open city skies. And there's not even any litter, because friendly elderly people wander around from group to group collecting empties.

But the gloriousness that is Bellwoods may be about to change, at least to a certain degree. Residents in the area have been making complaints about the apparent wildness going down in the park, so now you can expect more cops on the prowl, prosecuting fun-havers everywhere and making it rain $125 fines.

The crappy crackdown is part of "Project Green Glasses," which is an incredibly nice euphemism, and the name for an initiative police are taking to enforce public drinking laws in a number of public parks (Bellevue Square Park in Kensington is also on the party chopping block).

"We want the regular folks of the neighbourhood to be able to use these parks," Sgt. Ralph Brookes of 14 Division told the Star. "Making the park a favourite destination for children and families is a huge issue. There are summer camp programs in the park. There's a wading pool in there." He said complaints about revelers have been "pouring in" since May.

So, what gives? Young people who want to enjoy a beer in what amounts to their back yard are no longer "regular folks"? People should be ticketed for displays of public drunkenness that put others in danger, that destroy the environment, or that truly disrupt the neighbourhood with excessive noise. But it's individuals who should be punished for making these screwups, not the group as a whole. Let's not be heavy handed here and kill off one of the most vibrant parts of the neighbourhood.

Photo courtesy of suesthegrl via Flickr.


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in City

People keep thinking they've seen deadly 'murder hornets' in Ontario

Tunnelling is now complete for Toronto's next huge transit project

People spotting Toronto's fancy Roombas for cutting grass in parks are enthralled

Ontario just got hit with an earthquake and officials blame this mine

TTC workers are gearing up to go on strike and here's what you need to know

Here are the highest and lowest paying gig jobs at the City of Toronto right now

Yonge-Dundas Square renaming to Sankofa Square is about to become more official

A 7-kilometre stretch of the TTC subway will be closed for this entire weekend