Cannabis users will not be able to consume in public spaces if the MD approves its proposed bylaw. MD of Foothills council gave first reading to a bylaw on Oct. 3 that would prohibit smoking, vaping or consuming cannabis in any public place. “It basically includes publicly or privately owned or leased property, which the public reasonably has, or is permitted to have, access to,” said Ryan Payne, community services director for the MD. The MD’s public spaces include parks and recreation spaces and schools, as well as functions to which the public has been invited, such as an event put on by a community association or agricultural society, he said. There would be a $250 fine for contravening the bylaw. Payne said the bylaw is similar to other municipalities in the area and fits with what the MD has heard from its residents through public open houses, where 70 per cent of 150 respondents to questions surrounding cannabis indicated they were mainly concerned with public consumption. “It’s following the same philosophy as many other municipalities, including Calgary and Okotoks,” he said. “This specific bylaw comes from a template the County of Parkland used.” A public meeting will be held Oct. 17 – the same day as marijuana legalization in Canada – to give the public the chance to voice any questions or concerns, he said. Following the meeting, council will decide whether to give final approval to the bylaw, he said. Though legalization is uncharted territory, he said the proposed bylaw should be a good place to start. “It may be a bylaw that will have to evolve over time as we learn about the provincial and federal regulations that are built around it, but it’s a starting point for sure,” said Payne. MD councillors agreed with the direction of the proposed bylaw. “As I read it I thought this one fit very well with what we are,” said Coun. Rob Siewert. “We don’t need designated places like the city does, we can just keep it simple like this is and nothing in public.” Reeve Larry Spilak said the bylaw may be tweaked over time because legalization is a large unknown, but it’s important to have something in place for the immediate future. “We don’t know how this is going to come out,” said Spilak. “But a good starting point is no public places. In the future, a few may be put in there, we don’t know.”
