The City of New Westminster is having a hard time quitting smoking in parks.
Fraser Health has renewed its call for the city to adopt tougher legislation regarding smoking in public places. It’s asked the city to adopt bylaw amendments that would prohibit smoking within 7.5 metres of doors, windows and air intakes for public and workplace buildings, on restaurant and pub patios and in outdoor places where people gather, such as parks, trails, beaches, playgrounds, playing fields and outdoor sports venues.
Keith Coueffin, the city’s manager of licensing and integrated services, said the health authority would be responsible for enforcement and responding to complaints, primarily those related to smoking on patios. He said there would be minimal enforcement in parks and other recreational areas.
City council continues to be split about the proposed changes, with councillors Betty McIntosh, Jonathan Cote and Jaimie McEvoy supporting changes that would impose further restrictions on public areas where people could smoke.
Coun. Chuck Puchmayr firmly believes smoking regulations should be implemented provincewide, so there is a level playing field and no ambiguity about the bylaws existing in various municipalities. He thinks it’s a “cop-out” by the province to leave health authorities to deal with the issue.
Cote said British Columbia has made some “tremendous gains” with respect to smoking, and he believes some of the restrictions already implemented have contributed to that progress. He said a number of municipalities have already shown leadership by adopting the bylaw changes being suggested by Fraser Health.
“There already is an inconsistency whether we go one way or the other,” he said.
Coun. Bill Harper expressed concern about prohibiting smoking in parks, noting that Queen’s Park is of such a size that people can easily smoke without impacting others with secondhand smoke. By forcing people to leave the park to smoke, he said they would likely end up on sidewalks – where they would expose passersby to smoke.
At its Feb. 3 meeting, council contemplated an amendment to the proposed bylaw that would still allow smoking in parks. McIntosh said she couldn’t support that change because children play in parks.
Puchmayr pointed out that smokers who attend New Westminster Salmonbellies’ games rush outside between periods to have a cigarette at intermission. He said the city wouldn’t enforce the restrictions, so it would make a mockery of the bylaw.
“Every single one of those people would be in violation,” he said.
Coun. Lorrie Williams suggested the city could allow smoking in designated areas at the side of the arena, or in parking lots next to facilities such as Queen’s Park Arena, the arenex or Centennial Lodge.
Puchmayr said he’s puzzled that the city would approve a bylaw and then knowingly allow people to break it. While it’s great that the city wants to take steps to minimize people’s exposure to second-hand smoke, he said the bylaw should be more than symbolic.
“We are going to get blamed at every different angle,” he said. “We are going to create enemies in the smoking community and the nonsmoking community by trying to do something symbolic.”
In a four to three vote, council tabled the report. Mayor Wayne Wright, and councillors Williams, Harper and Puchmayr supported tabling.
“What is the timeline on the tabling?” Cote asked. “We have already tabled this for 14 months.”
Staff will contact other municipalities to find out what they’ve done with the issue and will consider council’s feedback and report back on the issue.
