Quebec town plans ban on smoking in public

IF SOMEBODY WANTS A CIGARETTE, THEY CAN SMOKE IT ON THEIR PROPERTY.

MONTREAL • A Montreal suburb’s plan to ban all smoking in public places is drawing mixed reactions, with one anti-tobacco advocate saying it will do more harm than good when it comes to second-hand smoke.

Hampstead city council adopted a draft bylaw this week that would prohibit tobacco or marijuana smoking on municipal property, including sidewalks and streets.

If the bylaw is enacted, Hampstead would become the first municipality in the country to ban smoking in the street, according to the Canadian Cancer Society.

The bylaw, which could come into effect following a second vote in April, does not prohibit electronic cigarettes or smoking in cars.

Mayor William Steinberg says the law would protect people’s health and send a strong anti-smoking message. He said the city was prompted to act by upcoming legislation to legalize recreational marijuana, which is worrisome to some of the town’s 7,000 residents.

“Both tobacco and pot, we don’t want it happening in public,” Steinberg told The Canadian Press. “One of the reasons is second-hand smoke, which is harmful, especially for the elderly, for people with lung diseases and for young people.

“The second reason is example ... Young kids are still taking it (smoking) up.”

But Steinberg denies the bylaw is too draconian for the upscale residential town, which has no stores or office buildings.

“If somebody wants to smoke a cigarette, they can smoke it on their property,” he told The Canadian Press. “If somebody is working in one of our municipal buildings ... you can walk a block and you’re out of Hampstead and you can smoke to your heart’s content.”

But Francois Damphousse, a spokesman for a non-smokers’ rights group, says the law will force more people to smoke indoors, which is much more damaging to the health of those around them.

“We have been working for decades to try to control smoking indoors, and we want people to go smoke outdoors, and now they can’t even go smoke outdoors,” he said in an interview.

Michael Bryant of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association believes the bylaw discriminates against low-income people, who are more likely to be smokers and less likely to own private residences.