Premier David Eby
West Annex
Parliament Buildings
Victoria, BC V8V 1X4
Dear Premier Eby,
As Members of the Legislative Assembly representing the residents of Kelowna, we are writing to express our support for the City of Kelowna Mayor, Tom Dyas’, request to exclude parks from the drug decriminalization three-year pilot program that your government implemented earlier this year.
Kelowna boasts many parks within its boundaries that offer beautiful beaches, baseball fields, volleyball courts, playground structure, and more. These parks provide countless hours of safe fun for families, young and old, as well as for visiting tourists. However, your government’s decriminalization policy has put them at risk.
That your government plunged B.C. into decriminalization without the proper guardrails in place does not absolve your government of its responsibility to regulate that public consumption of illicit drugs in our public spaces, including parks, playgrounds and beaches. Recognizing this, and to address the gaps that exist today, we urge you to support Mayor Dyas and other mayors who have made similar appeals to regulate the public consumption of illicit drugs through local bylaws.
We thank you for your consideration and look forward to your response which we will share with the Mayor and Council of Kelowna.
Sincerely,
Norm Letnick, MLA
Kelowna – Lake Country
Renee Merrifield, MLA
Kelowna – Mission
Ben Stewar, MLA
Kelowna West
cc:
Minister Adrian Dix, Room 337
Minister Mike Farnworth, Room 128
Minister Jennifer Whiteside, Room 306
