Lung association lauds city’s decision to expand restrictions on smoking
Following city council’s vote to approve the expanded smoking bylaw, which will ban smoking and vaping on restaurant and bar patios and in all city-owned public spaces, Jennifer May with the Saskatchewan Lung Association was all smiles.
“It is what the public wanted,” she said following Monday’s vote. “They asked the public for their opinion and (council) listened.”
After much debate, council approved the bylaw that will also prohibit smoking and vaping in playgrounds, within 10-metres of entrances and windows of public buildings and in any enclosed public spaces. It goes into effect on July 15. At this point, Winnipeg remains the only city in Canada where patio smoking is still allowed.
“We have been telling the City of Regina that it is long overdue for years now,” May said. “At the end of the day, they listened to the public and now we have the bylaw.”
Originally, city administration had recommended not prohibiting smoking in areas such as parks, pathways and publicly owned golf courses, but the city’s executive committee decided to expand the bylaw proposal. Privately owned golf courses, such as Wascana Golf and Country Club, are exempt from the bylaw on the course but not on patios.
“We didn’t support excluding smoking on golf courses. Saskatoon has done it and others have done it. It is just better for consistency,” said May. “Everybody understands what the bylaw says and we just get more compliance that way.”
Doug Warne, general manager of the Joanne Goulet Golf Course, isn’t worried about any bylaw changes as smoking is already banned on its patio.
“We don’t seem to have any issues,” he said. “We have a small patio here and they have to be a certain distance from the door. Anyone we have smoking goes down a ramp and away from the patio. As for causing any issues, (the bylaw) shouldn’t.”
Warne added that the club does not have many smokers as it is.
“It is not very common. We have a few smokers but the garbage cans have no smoking signs on them,” he said. “If we see anyone smoking on the deck, we inform them they can’t smoke in that area.”
Mayor Michael Fougere was happy with the discussion among councillors over the bylaw, which stretched for over an hour.
“As with any change of bylaws of this significance, you are going to have a lot of discussion,” he said. “It was a healthy discussion.”
Fougere also stated that the bylaw, when it starts, will primarily be self-policing unless an area has a high number of violators.
“Other communities have found that people comply quite readily. Saskatoon has had two infractions over the last few years,” Fougere said. “The experience around the country is that people accept this is the norm. We will have bylaw officers if there are consistent complaints. We do expect to see (self-policing) on restaurants and patios. People will not be smoking in playgrounds and parks, people will not be smoking in the new stadium. It is more of a self-policing activity.”