New Smoking Regulations

City of Duncan ‘Smoking Regulation Bylaw No. 3064’ now prohibits smoking in the following areas of the City:

• Within substantially enclosed public place or workplace;
• Within three (3) meters of most public or workplace doorways, open-windows, or air-intakes (i.e. a “buffer zone”);
• In substantially enclosed transit shelters;
• In common areas of apartment buildings, condominiums and dormitories;
• On any public and private K-12 school grounds;
• In motor vehicles when youth under 16 years of age are present;
• In any public facility (any outdoor gathering place, buildings and land owned or operated by the City of Duncan, including but not limited to parks, playgrounds, sports fields, and City Square).

This Bylaw came into force on December 17, 2012.

The objectives of this Bylaw are to protect infants, toddlers, children, persons with disabilities, people suffering illness, people of advanced age and others who are incapable of removing themselves from being exposed to hazardous cigarette chemicals. Each year in Canada, second-hand smoke causes the death of at least 800 non-smokers, due to lung cancer and heart disease.

Second hand smoke chemicals have been proven to cause chronic lung disease, coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer of the lungs, nasal, larynx, esophagus, mouth and bladder. Health Canada estimates that approximately 100 children die each year as a result of maternal smoking and exposure to smoke in the home.

In 2010, it was estimated that approximately 16.7% of the Canadian population, or 4.7 million persons, smoked. Approximately half of those smokers are expected to become ill or die from their tobacco use.

Smoking accounts for 85% of all new cases of lung cancer in Canada, and 37,000 deaths each year are attributable to smoking. The economic burden of tobacco use in Canada is also great, with an estimated social cost of $17 billion a year and direct health care costs of $4.4 billion.

For help to quit smoking, go to British Columbia Lung Association.

The City’s Bylaw Enforcement Officers will begin an awareness campaign advising smokers of the new regulations. Tickets will only be issued if warnings are disregarded.

It is hoped that through this awareness campaign that ticketing will not be necessary.

Lynn Ketch
Director of Corporate Services
lynn@duncan.ca
250-746-6126