Mothers given space to breastfeed at Taste of Edmonton

Mothers had a space to breastfeed their babies at a Taste of Edmonton on Saturday thanks to an initiative from the Breastfeeding Action Committee of Edmonton (BACE).

A breastfeeding tent, complete with Adirondack-style chairs, was set up in front of the Winspear Centre.

Parent Stephanie Wheeler says the concept is great because it gives people a quiet and comfortable place to feed their babies.

"I think it’s too often that you see first-time parents, especially, scared to leave the house because they don’t want to breastfeed their baby in public or they feel that somebody will tell them to stop or they’ll make somebody uncomfortable," she said.

"I think it’s really important to have something like this to normalize it."

BACE plans to set up the tent at as many Edmonton festivals as possible this summer.

Even though human rights legislation makes it illegal to tell a woman to move or cover-up while breastfeeding in public, BACE has learned of more than a dozen incidents in Alberta over the past year and a half.