If the rules stay as suggested in Sechelt’s new smoking control bylaw and it’s adopted, the municipality will have the toughest anti-smoking laws on the Sunshine Coast.
Four members of council had a look at the proposed bylaw during the Oct. 26 planning and community development meeting, where some inconsistencies were flagged for staff to deal with before the bylaw comes to a regular council meeting for a vote.
The bylaw would increase the distance smokers could light up outside doorways and public places like bus stops, from three metres to 9.5 metres.
That’s two metres farther than the Town of Gibsons took its new smoking bylaw last month.
Other than the increased distance, the new bylaw as it stands now would be very similar to Gibsons’ new bylaw, banning smoking of cigarettes, cigars, vaporizers and marijuana in parks, on beaches, on municipally maintained recreational trails, on school grounds, at sporting events, and on all municipal property.
The proposed bylaw was created after the District of Sechelt compiled responses received through a smoking survey.
“Between Aug. 15 and Sept. 15 of this year we received a really high volume of responses, probably over double what Gibsons received,” bylaw officer Anne Nikodem said at the Oct. 26 meeting.
Six questions were asked, and a total of 240 responses were received. The majority were in favour of more prohibitive restrictions on smoking in public places.
On the question of whether current provincial smoking regulations for public areas were strict enough, 61 per cent of respondents said no.
When asked if the radius of smoke-free zones should be increased from three metres, 72 per cent were in favour. And when asked if vape products and e-cigarettes should be included in a smoking ban, 77 per cent said yes.
When asked if smoking should be allowed on outdoor patios of bars and restaurants, 74 per cent said no. When asked if it should be banned in parks, on trails and beaches, 71 per cent said yes.
On the final question of whether all playing fields and sporting events should be smoke free, 81 per cent were in favour.
Councillors who sit on the committee – Darnelda Siegers, Noel Muller, Mike Shanks and Alice Lutes – were generally pleased with the new bylaw, though some raised questions.
Muller was worried about the cost of signage that would be needed if a new smoking bylaw is passed. Staff said Vancouver Coastal Health would be willing to help with signage.
Siegers asked if the new bylaw would result in more enforcement costs. Nikodem said no, that it would be complaint driven and the bylaw officers didn’t anticipate much extra work.
Siegers pointed out inconsistencies in the bylaw that required some more tweaking from staff, including a section that, if left unchanged, would grandfather all existing businesses in and not require them to follow the new guidelines.
