“A place like this, it's not so bad, where people smoke on breaks from the buildings around here,” she said. “I don't think there should be a problem with smoking here.”
The couple aren't far off the questions raised last week when some councillors balked at the scope of outdoor public properties subject to the ban. Only cemeteries and golf courses are excluded, prompting Councillor Tom Jackson to question whether the proposal is being handled sensibly.
Councillor Brenda Johnson wondered whether a veteran could get fined for smoking near a war memorial and Councillor Terry Whitehead questioned how the city could enforce the bylaw in places like Gore Park, often crowded with smokers on break.
The ban is to be enforced only when someone complains, triggering a bylaw officer to travel to the location, find the smoker and begin the process of enforcement. Council has delayed final approval of the 13-page list of parks, public sites and open spaces where smoking would be banned until a later date.
The tricky mechanics of how to extend smoking bans into the outdoors is on the agenda of many communities this spring. Toronto has served notice it will come up with stricter options, out of concern that city might have fallen behind other municipalities.
Toronto was a leader in banning smoking in workplaces, restaurants and bars and has since expanded the prohibition to within nine metres of city playgrounds, splash pads and wading pools. But more than 50 other Ontario municipalities, including Hamilton, are currently designing or applying more comprehensive bans.
Years of experience with butt-out bylaws and support from the public have made it possible for municipalities to extend smoking bans significantly.
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