Smoking bylaws a hot topic on the Sunshine Coast this summer!

Smoking in public is a hot issue on the Coast. That is the first lesson VCH’s Tobacco Reduction Team has learned from our smoking bylaw survey – before even reading the feedback! The response has been tremendous – including weekly phone calls with complaints, gratitude, stories and suggestions. Now that the data is almost all in we’re looking for Coast residents to join a Tobacco Task Force that will look at next steps.

There are two main reasons to push for more restrictive smoking bylaws. The first is second-hand smoke, which is unsafe at any level. The second is a shift in culture so it is easier to quit and more unlikely that young people will start. The end goal of both is to saves lives, the lives of mothers, fathers, children and grandparents. Smoking remains the number one preventable cause of disability and death – stronger bylaws are one of the most effective things we can do to stop it.

Provincial law already bans smoking within three meters of any public building. Many B.C. communities now have “enhanced bylaws” that extend this ban to six meters and/or include all restaurant patios, beaches, parks and trails. The survey is intended to better understand how Coast residents would feel about similar enhancements.  It is available at the libraries, recreation centers and town halls in Gibsons and Sechlet, The Gumboot Café in Roberts Creek and the health center in Pender Harbor.

Make sure you fill yours out before the end of September! For more information about the survey, or if you are interested in joining the Tobacco Task Force, please contact Caitlin Etherington, VCH Regional Tobacco Reduction Coordinator at 604 885 8708 or caitlin.etherington@vch.ca