Celebrities Smokers

Should smoking be banned in public spaces like parks? The possibility of introducing bylaws to restrict outdoor smoking in some rural areas of the Comox Valley will be considered in the New Year.

The idea is being pressed by the B.C. Heart and Stroke Foundation, and had already won some support from municipalities elsewhere in the province.

But regional district chair and rural Area C director Edwin Grieve said while the issue should be discussed, directors needed to be cautious about how far they took the idea.

While a lot of initiatives were well meaning, some also had ramifications – and subsequent bylaws were not easy to enforce.

He added: “Some of the most righteous non-smokers are the same people who used to blow cheap Virginia cigarettes smoke in my face in restaurants.”

Comox Mayor Paul Ives said other jurisdictions were talking about the possibilities, and outdoor smoking was growing as an issue of concern for many people.

And Courtenay Coun. Ronna-Rae Leonard said it might not be just a health issue, but also a wider safety concern.

In some parks, she recalled, smoking or discarded cigarettes had been shown to be the cause of serious fires in the past.

Staff advised directors that current regional district policies banned smoking inside and in the immediate surroundings of CVRD buildings as well as in its vehicles. The only exception was the Farmers’ Institute Building.

While there were no bylaws affecting outdoor sites, such as regional district parks, since 2008 B.C. law had allowed local governments to prohibit smoking “in places available to the general public or in any enclosed areas.”

No decisions have yet been taken, other than to agree to discuss the issue in more detail next year.