Valley Journal Advertiser

Windsor smoking bylaw update extends ban to sidewalks, streets

- BY COLIN CHISHOLM WWW.HANTSJOURN­AL.CA

Windsor council has approved amending its smoking bylaw, expanding non-smoking areas to encompass essentiall­y all public spaces in town, including sidewalks and streets.

Council passed the amendment unanimousl­y following a public hearing Nov. 27.

The existing bylaw, Protection from Second Hand Smoke, was originally enacted in 2009, which banned smoking on public parks, outdoor recreation­al property or along a parade route.

Council directed staff to amend the bylaw to apply to any town property, public street or sidewalk in July of this year.

The amendment also includes the prohibitio­n of cannabis and vaping as part of the updated bylaw.

The town received two written submission­s in favour of the amended bylaw from Smoke Free Kings, a community organizati­on, and from the Nova Scotia Health Authority.

Doctor Jessica Jasmine, a public health physician, spoke in favour of the amended bylaw during the public hearing.

“We want to encourage and support smoking cessation and shift societal attitudes, such that the acceptabil­ity of smoking is reduced,” Jasmine said. “Smoking is a threat to public health, tobacco use is a leading cause of disease and death in Canada.”

Jasmine said smoking rates have declined significan­tly since 1999, however, Nova Scotia maintains the second-highest rate of smoking in the country.

She also said that e-cigarette, or vaping use, among young people in Nova Scotia, is on the rise.

“E-cigarettes have the potential to re-normalize cigarette smoking, delay or prevent smoking cessation and increase youth initiation,” she said.

There no written or in-person presentati­ons opposed to the bylaw.

Council agreed that enforcemen­t should initially focus on educating the public on the new bylaws – with fines to come in the new year.

The fine is $250 for the first offence and $500 for the second.

Mayor Anna Allen said the bylaw officer and RCMP will likely use discretion for first-time offenders, but leniency will not be given to repeat offenders.

“I’m not concerned about enforcemen­t,” Allan said. “I remember when they stopped it in bars and restaurant­s, and business owners initially were worried, saying they’d have to close their doors, but people got used to that.”

“The health issues around smoking are so evident today, that it’s pretty hard to debate or argue against doing this,” she said. “Nobody came out in opposition to it today.”

Allen said council may consider establishi­ng designated smoking areas in the future, but there are no plans as of yet.

“Some businesses in town allow people to use their parking lots because they own that land,” she said. “If we run into great challenges with this, we’ll have to look at other solutions.”

Town staff will return with a report on how signage should be applied around town to educate people on the new rules.

New pawnbroker­s bylaw

Council also unanimousl­y passed a new pawnbroker­s bylaw, bylaw 45.

Chief administra­tive officer Louis Coutinho said the need for the bylaw was identified by the RCMP earlier this year in their latest business plan.

The bylaw requires pawnbroker­s to record all transactio­ns by pawn or purchase and gives members of the RCMP access to all pawn purchases via a register of pledges.

“These changes protect both the pawnbroker as well as those dealing with the pawnbroker,” Coutinho said. “The public has an interest in knowing that when they purchase items from these businesses that they’ve been obtained legally.”

There were no oral or written submission­s in favour or opposed to the bylaw, although Kamile Chater, the sole pawnbroker in town, was in attendance and commented that he was in favour of this new measure, adding that the language of the bylaw had been simplified and streamline­d.

The new bylaw will take effect once it’s advertised publicly and receives approval from the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

Jurisdicti­ons across Canada are enacting similar bylaws on pawnbroker­s.

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