Summerland council will continue to allow alcohol at several public beaches within the community.

At the municipal council meeting on March 19, Summerland council voted to permit responsible liquor consumption at Peach Orchard Beach, Rotary Beach and Powell Beach from noon to 9 p.m. from April until the end of October.

In 2023, Summerland council allowed liquor consumption at the three beaches on a trial basis in June, July and August. At that time, the program was evaluated each month and could be ended at any time if issues arose.

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During that time, RCMP, bylaw officers and park staff had not documented any major issues and were in support of extending the program in 2024.

In addition, the Summerland Chamber of Commerce also responded in support of continuing the program indefinitely.

鈥淭his project extends a warm and welcoming message to our visitors and community, and there were no negative issues reported to the Summerland Chamber of Commerce and Visit Summerland,鈥� Sally Pierce, executive director of the chamber said in a letter to Summerland council.

Instead of repeating the same three-month time frame, Coun. Marty Van Alphen proposed extending the time frame.

Graham Statt, Summerland鈥檚 chief administrative officer, said the three-month time frame was proposed because seasonal bylaw officers are working during the summer months. However, he added that many Summerland residents use the beaches outside of the peak tourist season.

Coun. Adrienne Betts said the extended time period makes sense for residents of the community, and Coun. Janet Peake said the longer time frame is good for everyone.