The City is set to begin a two-month public input process to get feedback on a potentially heightened outdoor smoking bylaw.
The proposed bylaw is stricter than current federal and provincial legislation, and would ban smoking and vaping within nine metres of transit shelters, public building doors, windows, and air intake vents.
“I’ve noticed that since we’ve removed many of the sitting spaces around downtown Prince George, some of the only places to sit are in the bus shelters,” says Councillor Jillian Merrick, “It inevitably attracts people who want to have a cigarette break, which makes it unbearable to people waiting to catch the bus.”
The required distance would increase to twenty-five metres for playgrounds, open areas, and outdoor sport facilities.
Smoking inside wouldn’t even be an option if the building is owned or leased by the City, other than rented homes.
The bylaw is building on the ‘Smoke-Free Winter Games’ initiative, which Council deemed quite successful.
City Bylaw Manager Fred Crittenden noted that the City has 5 or 6 Bylaw Officers working during the week, with limited weekend and evening coverage, which could make enforcement a challenge.
Councillor Merrick acknowledged that it could be difficult to execute the bylaw, but it also puts the onus on residents.
“It’s much more difficult to say ‘Can you please not smoke in the park? It bothers me,’ than to say ‘Can you please not smoke in the park? It’s actually not permitted,” says Merrick, “I think that empowers our residents to protect their spaces more, and quite frankly, if Bylaw happens to wander through the Canada Day celebrations or something, they have the tools to hand out warnings.”
The bylaw would see a fine of $100 for the first offence, but it could rise to a maximun of $2,000.
“This draft bylaw is about promoting healthy lifestyle choices and improving the health of residents —78 percent of whom are non-smokers,” says Mayor Lyn Hall. “We want to ensure we get feedback on how the draft bylaw might best meet the needs of the community.”
6-year-old Zephyr and 9-year-old Piper came out in hopes of sharing their opinions of the proposed bylaw.
“I feel like holding my breath,” says Piper, “I just wish they would quit.”
“When I walk by a smoker, I want to tell them not to smoke,” added Zephyr, “I don’t want people to get sick and die.”
Starting on September 15th, local businesses and residents will be able to review the bylaw draft and provide feedback.
The community engagement process will run until mid-November, with Council hoping to have a final draft for the December 14th meeting.
The bylaw likely wouldn’t be implemented until January.