Saskatchewan removes May long weekend alcohol ban in provincial parks

Some campers in Saskatchewan will be saying “Cheers!” this long weekend.

The provincial government announced Thursday that it’s lifting the Victoria Day weekend alcohol ban that has been in place for 17 years at provincial parks.

“We’ll be working very closely, obviously, with our park enforcement team to monitor the situation (and) assess it,” Robin Campese of Saskatchewan Parks told the Greg Morgan Morning Show. “Obviously if something goes wrong in a big way, we would have to re-evaluate what we’re doing.

“Other jurisdictions around the country have actually removed their bans as well, so we’re following suit and testing that out this May long weekend.”

There are conditions, however.

“(The alcohol must be) contained to your site; that’s the key piece of it,” Campese said. “It’s not allowed in public areas, but alcohol and cannabis can be consumed in your campsite.”

Campers may be able to drink and consume cannabis in their campsites, but they won’t be able to light fires in many of the province’s provincial parks. There’s a fire ban for much of the province due to the threat of wildfires.

Campese noted it’s at the park manager’s discretion to allow campers to bring in things like contained portable gas heating units, firepits, barbecues and propane stoves, but that’s the extent of it.

“Nothing with wood and open flame,” Campese said. “Obviously that’s just to tamp down on the risk of human-caused wildfire. It’s very dry out there and we need everyone to do their part.”

A full schedule of events and programming at the parks is to start Thursday.

Staff will offer guided hikes, educational programs and other activities, while campers can borrow self-guided Park Discovery Packs in most parks starting this weekend. The packs contain everything needed to complete a craft, explore the park or conduct a science experiment.

“We’re looking to be that one-stop shop for fun,” Campese said.

Sites are still available for the May long weekend, and Campese urged anyone interested in getting out to a park to click the “Camping this Weekend” button on the Sask Parks reservation website.

Camp-Easy yurts have been added at Pike Lake, Good Spirit Lake and Greenwater Lake provincial parks with a new yurt replacing the old Camp-Easy tent in Crooked Lake.

For more information or to book a campsite, visit the Sask Parks website.