City to begin talks regarding updated public smoking bylaw

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on November 16, 2022.

https://www.medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews

Consultations on updating the city’s public smoking bylaw are moving to final stages, and a final draft to add vaping and review restricted spaces could move to council soon, a city committee heard Monday.

Reviewing the nine-year-old bylaw has been on the public service division’s radar since 2019 when health advocates petitioned city council to add vaping as a behaviour that should be deterred in public alongside tobacco products.

On Monday, division head Brian Mastel told councillors that administration is finalizing its review.

“There will be another round of community engagement which is underway, and that (online survey) on the Shape My City (website),” said Mastel, adding a final in-person public feedback session will be held at the Medicine Hat public library on Nov. 21, from 10 a.m. to noon.

The 2013 update to the Smoking bylaw added restrictions on use of cigarettes, pipes and cigars within 10 metres of a city park, beach, pool or playground, as well as the city’s trail network, but not golf courses, campgrounds, or park-adjacent roadways or parking lots.

A move to update it again in 2018 to address cannabis legalization was shelved until more was known about potential problems, councillors stated at the time.

Mastel said this week it is time for a general update.

“We’ve had the introduction of cannabis and the growth of vaping, particularly among youth,” he said.

We’ve been revisiting the tobacco-use bylaw, and the provincial government has made a significant review as well and made changes.”

Community associations

The city’s community vibrancy board may take up a council priority to encourage more community associations to form in the city.

The board was created in 2019 to focus the work of several city council advisory boards, and has a wide mandate along with the ability to set some of its own priorities.

New this week, the group began filing its minutes to the public services committee, and along with grant deliberations and other business, the body that meets monthly will also look at helping residents create their own community associations.

“They may be able to assist and provide some guidance on how that may occur,” said Mastel.

Coun. Allison Knodel said, “I think it’s the nail right on the head” of the hammer.”

Currently only the North Flats and Southeast Hill communities have officially operating community associations.