Pubdate: Fri, 26 Jan 2018
Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB)
Copyright: 2018 Winnipeg Free Press
Contact: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/send_a_letter
Website: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502
Author: Jessica Botelho-Urbanski
Page: B1

COUNCIL BANS TOBACCO, MARIJUANA SMOKING ON PATIOS

CITY council voted overwhelmingly Thursday in favour of a ban on
smoking tobacco and marijuana around restaurant patios.

Two councillors - Ross Eadie (Mynarski) and Jason Schreyer
(Elmwood-East Kildonan) - voted against the bylaw. Eadie said a ban
would further stigmatize smokers.

Smoking in any form - cigarettes, cigars, pipes, e-cigarettes, water
pipes, hookahs or other devices - won't be permitted on outdoor patios
where food and drink are served. Council made an exception for smoking
within Indigenous-led ceremonies.

The bylaw will come into effect on April 1, though the amount of the
fine is not yet clear.

Murray Gibson, director of the Manitoba Tobacco Reduction Alliance,
spoke as a delegate in support of the smoking ban early Thursday. He
suggested mentioning marijuana in the bylaw. The drug will be legal
this summer. After studying the issue at length and doing community
consultations by phone, online and in person, city administration
recommended banning smoking on public patios where food and drink are
served at a protection committee meeting. A report posted online says
that public health is the primary factor for supporting a ban.

The city then held stakeholder sessions with local BIZ groups and the
Canadian Cancer Society, among others, discussing the issue in August.

It followed with an online survey that drew nearly 8,000 responses in
September.

Then, "street team" members raised the issue with Winnipeggers on
their lunch breaks in September, logging 289 interactions in the
Exchange District, at The Forks, in Osborne Village and in the Corydon
area.

The city also enlisted Probe Research to conduct a telephone survey,
where a random and representative sample of 600 Winnipeg adults
weighed in during September and October.

More than 76 per cent of those surveyed supported a public patio
smoking ban and 22 per cent opposed the idea. Most (58 per cent) said
the ban should apply to all public areas, while 34 per cent thought
bars and clubs should be exempt. Eight per cent were unsure.
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MAP posted-by: Matt