Williams Lake Council has asked staff to provide a draft bylaw to prohibit drug use in parks.
The request to follow the province’s pilot program decriminalizing possession of up to 2.5 grams of illicit drugs in public spaces.
“I think the goal is just to add more tools to the tool box for bylaw staff and RCMP, just to allow us to move people along with a little more authority, when they’re doing stuff that we don’t want to see in the park. It’s not going to correct itself.” says Gary Muraca, Chief Administrative Officer.
Council doesn’t expect this to be a long term solution, but to put pressure on the province to help municipalities dealing with issues of homelessness, mental health and addiction.
Muraca adds that there’s still some work to be done before the bylaw is put in, such as consulting with health agencies and RCMP.