Halifax smoking ban: How it’s going 3 years later – Halifax
It’s been three years since Halifax’s smoking ban went into impact, which prohibits folks from smoking or vaping on municipal property exterior the 91 designated smoking areas scattered all through the municipality.
However are folks really following the principles?
“I wouldn’t say it’s been efficient,” mentioned Paul MacKinnon, the CEO of the Downtown Halifax Enterprise Fee. “Individuals nonetheless smoke — whether or not it’s cigarettes or marijuana — form of anyplace.”
Whereas folks do use the receptacles supplied on the designated smoking areas in downtown Halifax, MacKinnon mentioned folks smoke exterior of them too.
“Individuals do use them at instances, however folks actually aren’t gathered round them and solely smoking there,” he mentioned. “I wouldn’t say it’s any totally different than earlier than the ban.”
Each summer season, the enterprise fee employs a crew to choose up litter within the downtown space. Final summer season, they picked up greater than half one million cigarette butts, MacKinnon mentioned.
“If individuals are nonetheless selecting to smoke, that’s effective, however the extra that folks can take that private accountability and use the receptacles which might be nonetheless on the market, that may be significantly better,” he mentioned.
“That’s by far our primary piece of litter that we choose up.”
‘It doesn’t make an entire lot of sense’
The modification to the Nuisance and Smoking bylaw coincided with the legalization of hashish again in 2018, to stop folks from lighting up in inappropriate locations.
Sam Austin, the councillor for Dartmouth Centre, voted in favour of the ban again in 2018.
“After which I promptly rotated and led the resistance to overturn it,” he mentioned with amusing.
Austin mentioned he was “by no means actually all that eager” on the smoking ban, however he supported efforts to curb public use of hashish and, maybe, get extra folks away from dangerous smoking habits.
However as extra particulars in regards to the rollout of the designated smoking areas got here out, and upon listening to issues from the general public in regards to the potential impression the ban may have on marginalized communities, Austin modified his thoughts.
He launched an modification to the bylaw to remove tobacco from the equation and solely concentrate on hashish, however that was voted down.
Three years later, Austin doesn’t assume the ban has had a lot of an impression.
“So far as I’ve seen, life has gone on precisely because it did earlier than,” he mentioned.
“I don’t assume anybody modified their behaviour on smoking, actually. I believe any type of use of the smoking stations, to me, has been happenstance. If there’s a station proper the place somebody was going to smoke anyway, they’re utilizing it.”
Enforcement of the bylaw is complaint-driven, however he mentioned the very nature of smoking makes it tough to implement.
“Somebody lights a cigarette, they’ve their smoke, after which they’re achieved, proper? It’s not precisely one thing that’s simple to catch somebody doing,” mentioned Austin, including that bylaw officers are “actually busy of us.”
In response to HRM spokesperson Brynn Budden, bylaw officers haven’t issued any tickets for the reason that ban got here into impact. “Compliance officers proceed to concentrate on schooling and compliance,” she mentioned in an e-mail.
Halifax Regional Police spokesperson John MacLeod confirmed that their officers have issued 13 abstract offence tickets for $399.91 since Oct. 15, 2018, all within the central division.
“It actually has been a bylaw that exists on paper,” mentioned Austin. “I’m not pro-smoking, however I believe from a sensible lens it doesn’t make an entire lot of sense.”
By way of price, the town spent round $120,000 to buy 600 receptacles and in 2019 the town budgeted $60,000 to service them. The municipality was unable to supply up to date figures to International Information by story deadline.
Nevertheless, Austin mentioned it’s good to have extra locations for folks to place their cigarette butts.
“Even when the bylaw’s a little bit of a bust, having a few ashtrays, that now we have a bit of bit much less litter on the road, there could be some worth to that piece,” he mentioned.
Compliance, not punishment
Coun. Waye Mason, who represents the downtown Halifax space, mentioned the purpose of the smoking ban was to curb public use of hashish as soon as it was legalized, and to maintain folks from smoking in locations the place secondhand smoke could cause hurt to others.
This was achieved via the implementation of the designated smoking areas, “which I believe was partially profitable and partially not,” mentioned Mason.
He mentioned whereas the bylaw could also be tough to implement, the purpose was to coach.
“The aim of a bylaw is often compliance, not punishment. We’re not really making an attempt to ticket folks, we’re not making an attempt to threaten folks with going to jail,” he mentioned.
“I don’t assume it was both the colossal failure or the rigorous authorized straightjacket that folks on either side of the argument needed.”
The preliminary rollout of the designated smoking areas was muddled, with smoking receptacles arriving late attributable to provide chain points and only some in place when it started.
Learn extra:
Halifax councillor apologizes after smokers left frustrated over lack of designated smoking areas
Mason mentioned whereas there have been some points to iron out early on, he’s obtained constructive suggestions from his constituents since.
“What I seize onto as a hit is that I’ve had residents say, ‘I’ve been smoking medical marijuana for years and now there’s a spot close to my workplace downtown the place I can go and smoke and nobody’s allowed to bug me,’” he mentioned.
“It legitimizes one thing that individuals are allowed to do and creates a spot the place they’re allowed to do it.”
A ‘restricted success’
Lisa Blackburn, the councillor for Center/Higher Sackville, Beaver Financial institution and Lucasville, mentioned her major concern when she voted in favour of the ban was to determine a information for hashish use.
“It was the wild west when it got here to hashish, and the truth that it had simply been legalized, and what did that imply for Halifax,” she mentioned.
By way of attaining that aim, Blackburn mentioned she would name it a “restricted success.”
“It actually didn’t remedy all of our ills that we had, nevertheless it actually established an excellent framework that we may proceed to work with,” she mentioned.
Blackburn mentioned she typically sees folks congregating round smoking areas within the Sackville area.
Being a principally suburban group exterior of the town centre, the realm has very restricted municipal smoking areas. There are solely six within the Decrease Sackville area, and none within the Center and Higher Sackville areas.
Nevertheless, Blackburn mentioned that native companies and group hubs have created their very own locations for folks to smoke.
By way of the price of the designated smoking space program, Blackburn mentioned she was disenchanted that the municipality didn’t get extra assist with funding.
“(Throughout hashish legalization) the federal authorities supplied cash to the provinces for this very factor, enforcement,” she mentioned. “And sadly, final I checked, that cash has not trickled down from the province to the municipality.”
Whereas the smoking ban garnered numerous dialogue three years in the past, there’s been little or no messaging or promotion about it since.
Blackburn mentioned a lot of these efforts during the last 18 months have been sidelined by COVID-19.
“I believe now, as extra individuals are getting out, we’re getting again to a extra regular life-style, it’s time to circle again and promote that once more as, if nothing else, a reminder that, ‘Hey, that is the place smoking is appropriate right here in HRM,’” she mentioned.
“Definitely, it hasn’t been excellent, however I believe that with a bit of little bit of promotion we will get again on observe.”
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