The Grey Bruce Health Unit wants Grey County to pass a bylaw restricting the use of tobacco in outdoor spaces.
Medical Officer of Health Doctor Hazel Lynn and Tobacco Program manager Angela Newman made a deputation to county council on Tuesday.
They asked Councillors to consider a new bylaw which would prohibit smoking or the use of tobacco within reasonable distances of recreation properties, bus stops, entrances and exits from county or municipal buildings, and any other place where the public is known to gather — like workplaces or patios.
The submission will now be considered by the County’s Corporate Services committee, which will give staff direction on how to proceed.
Doctor Lynn says they will approach Bruce County council in March with the same presentation.
She says ideally the counties would pass identical bylaws to ensure they are easily enforced, and also to make it easier for residents to understand.
Doctor Lynn says there are a number of jurisdictions in Ontario that already have similar bylaws in place, notably Woodstock.
She says that one year after that bylaw was enacted, it received 92 per cent support from non-smokers and 73 per cent support from smokers — many of whom said it had made it easier for them to reduce their tobacco use.
It also had no impact on how people used public facilities in Woodstock.
Doctor Lynn says she knows there are concerns as to how such a wide-ranging bylaw would be enforced — but she points out that in 2002, when the existing smoke-free bylaw was passed, almost total compliance had been achieved within three months.
She says self-enforcement caught on very quickly, and she notes a survey from 2009 that showed overwhelming support from local residents for smoke-free outdoor spaces like playgrounds, sports fields, beaches, patios and workplaces.
Doctor Lynn says she is also aware there are people who will feel this measure is going too far — but she has yet to hear from smokers who say they want their children to also smoke.
