Dharm Makwana

Summer’s hottest ticket lost its sizzle Sunday when tailgaters were forced to pack up their beers and barbecues before the BC Lions game.

Among a group of 30 to 40 die-hard tailgaters, life-long Lions fanatic Brian Wawryshyn was approached by PNE grounds staff and told he couldn’t fire up his grill because of safety concerns.

Minutes later, according to Wawryshyn, he received an e-mail sent from B.C. Lions stating tailgating would not be permitted at the parking lots that surround Empire Field this season.

“They have a chance to do something that happens all over North America that they don’t have a chance to do when the Lions are at B.C. Place,” said the unhappy blogger behind www.bclionsden.ca. “I can walk 100 yards and have a beer as long as I put money in the Lions pockets.”

But the stadium is licensed for alcohol, confirmed PNE spokeswoman Laura Ballance.

“This is a legal issue,” she said. “Under Canadian law you can’t have open containers of alcohol in public spaces.”

Ballance added insurance and liability concerns around the use of propane burners prevented the PNE from giving the green light to tailgate parties.

Wawryshyn, who paid $270 for a season parking pass, scoffed at Ballance’s suggestion.

“Insurance for what?” the 42-year-old asked. “We’re not just out here drinking. It’s not about that. There’s kids here, they’re throwing the football around, it a culture, tailgating is a culture.

“We’ve got guys out here cooking cedar planked salmon and pork tenderloin and they’re telling us to go in and have a boiled hotdog for $8. No thanks.”