Collingwood council has ordered a ban on all cooking at Sunset Point Park.
During tonight's meeting the director of parks, recreation and culture, Mel Milanovic, told council staff was recommending the ban for the rest of the summer because staff and members of the public have observed excessive use of barbecues and portable cooking devices at the park.
"There are safety concerns from overcrowding ... safety and environmental concerns related to increased cooking devices as well as disposing of hot coals," noted Milanovic.
Sunset Point resident George Powell told council on Monday he's seen people dumping coals into Georgian Bay when they were done using them to cook food.
"We're recommending all barbecues and cooking devices be temporarily banned until the end of summer," said Milanovic. "Last week there were plumes of smoke drifting across the parking lot from all the barbecuing."
Town staff proposed using a prohibition by sign method, meaning they will put up signs indicating cooking in the park, parking lot, or parking zones around Sunset Point is prohibited. The town's bylaw department can then issue fines if people ignore the signs.
The fine, which would fall under the town's public nuisance bylaw would be $150.
There are existing built-in charcoal barbecues at Sunset Point. Milanovic said staff will look at removing them or at least covering them up so they cannot be used.
"You can imagine if there were only the barbecues at the park to be used, the lineups ... people getting angry waiting for other people to finish barbecuing," added Milanovic.
Councillor Tina Comi noted since council was only banning cooking at Sunset Point families could bring a barbecue to a different town park and still cook there. She voted against the barbecue ban. The rest of council voted in favour.
Councillor Bob Madigan did not attend the meeting.
Deputy Mayor Keith Hull suggested the ban should include parking lots and streets in the area to prevent "tailgating in Dodge Caravans."
Council also recently added parking restrictions to the Sunset Point park area, prohibiting parking on side streets and adding parking attendants on weekends to control entry to a residents-only parking lot at the park's east end.
