Come July, e-cigarette users in Calgary could be required to practice their vapourized vices away from workplaces, LRTs, sports fields or playgrounds — all the same places that tobacco sticks are banned.
City bylaw staff will ask a council committee Tuesday to support a bylaw that treats e-cigarettes and traditional smoking the same, despite the reduced health risks of “vaping.”
It would give Calgary one of the toughest prohibitions on electronic cigarette usage in Canada. Red Deer and Vancouver are among the few cities that have rules as far-reaching as what Calgary has proposed, though several other places have enacted or proposed various bans.
The rapid proliferation of the liquid-based devices as an alternative to cigarettes — a cessation aid, vendors say — has prompted governments throughout North America to reconsider anti-smoking policies and health regulations that had never contemplated this new smoking tool.
A 561-person online poll the city commissioned says more than half of Calgarians feel uncomfortable when somebody close by is puffing on an e-cigarette.
“Research has identified compounds of concern in e-cigarette vapour which can be both an irritant and a potential health issue,” a committee report says. “Citizen survey results further indicate that many Calgarians consider vapour produced by e-cigarettes to be a nuisance, which can impact the enjoyment and comfort for people in public places.”
Coun. Diane Colley-Urquhart, chair of the community services committee, said she’s “delighted” by the report. A registered nurse, she first proposed council investigate an e-cigarette crackdown last year. Coun. Jim Stevenson, who earlier opposed a ban on smoking near sports fields, is skeptical they pose any health risk, and that it’s a matter for the city.
“This is the kind of thing that should be done federally,” he said. While Health Canada continues to study how to regulate the devices, Calgary bylaw staff are also urging the mayor to lobby for provincial policy.
At Foggy Gorilla Vaping Co. on Macleod Trail, manager Nikko Casem said he sees the rationale for banning e-cigarettes in mall food courts or restaurants. But a city ban would also prohibit vaping in stores like his.
“We couldn’t really demonstrate what we’re trying to sell,” Casem said of the devices they offer to help get smokers off burning tobacco.
If councillors adopt the change, this would be the second major crackdown on smoking in Alberta in as many weeks. NDP Health Minister Sarah Hoffman announced Sunday that menthol cigarette sales would be banned province-wide by this fall, joining other types of flavoured cigarettes which became illegal to sell June 1.
To the group Action on Health and Smoking, the hazard of e-cigarettes isn’t as much about second-hand smoke as it is about “re-normalizing” the habit for children.
“Five-year-olds think the Muppets are real. You can’t expect a five-year-old to distinguish between a cigarette and an e-cigarette,” said Les Hagen, the advocacy group’s executive director.
The proposed bylaw would prohibit “lighting” an e-cigarette in or directly outside of:
— indoor workplaces
— restaurants, bars and their patios
— playgrounds
— sports fields
— skateboard parks
— skating rinks
— Olympic Plaza
— public transit vehicles and platforms
The fine for an electronic smoking device would be $100, same as for a lit cigarette, cigar or pipe. If councillors in committee endorse the bylaw, it would have to pass through full council later in June to take effect.
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Ban e-cigarettes wherever smoking is banned, officials urge Calgary council
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Originally Posted by Yolobimmer
