A long-gestating plan to introduce stricter rules about where people can smoke in public will be put under public scrutiny this fall.
On Monday, city council will be asked to approve a draft smoke and vape-free places bylaw that would ban all forms of smoking and use of vaporizers (such as electronic cigarettes or pipes and hookahs) from bus shelters, outdoor sports facilities, vehicles for hire, city-owned or leased facilities, parks and opens spaces and customer service areas, including bar and restaurant patios.
The proposed bylaw would also ban smoking and vaping within nine metres of enclosed or partially enclosed transit shelters, signs or sign posts indicating where people wait for vehicles for hire or buses, and any building's door, windows or air intake. Smoking within 25 metres of any outdoor sport facility or playground would also be prohibited.
Any proposed bans would not apply to incense or other smoking equipment used for ceremonial or religious purposes.
The province already regulates smoking and other tobacco use, but municipalities can add their own rules. Currently, the city's 65 playgrounds and the skateboard park are designated as tobacco-free zones, but there is no official bylaw to back that up.
If approved by council, a two-month public consultation process on that draft legislation would begin in mid September.
By mid December, an updated bylaw and summary of the feedback collected would be returned to council, with a completed bylaw ready for the new year.
The idea to bump up the city's smoking-related bylaws was first endorsed back in 2013, following a presentation to city council by representatives of the Canadian Cancer Society. The presenters made their case for the city introduce a bylaw banning smoking in outdoor spaces, partially to reduce the exposure of children to second-hand smoke, and council directed staff to come back with a report on the idea.
That report materialized a year later in 2014, noting smoking regulations were imposed by 31 other B.C. municipalities.
