HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2017-04-05, Page 1010 Huron Expositor • Wednesday. April 5. 2017
Smoke -Free By -Law for the County of Huron
Public Health Inspector presents
Alr information for a smoking ban on
all County -owned properties
Kathleen Smith
Postmedia Network
Public Health Inspector
Patrick Landry, accompa-
nied by Public Health
Nurse Maryanne Hayter,
presented a report and pro-
posal for the Council of
County of Huron to adopt a
Smoke -Free By-law.
According to reports
presented by Landry, there
were nine meter setbacks
made in the the Smoking
Act of 2006. These provi-
sions stated that smokers
must be nine meters away
from health care facilities,
but not general public
areas.
This is a concern for
those working to quit the
habit, especially if it is a
probability that they will
walk through second-hand
smoke outside the
entrances of buildings,
most likely leading to a
relapse.
"Huron County has a
smoking rate of 20 percent,
which means one in five
smoke. A By-law would
certainly help our resi-
dents in Huron County
who are trying to quit
smoking, to do so", stated
Landry' on 1,Vednesday
morning.
To further the argument
that Huron County should
adopt a Smoke -Free By-law,
prohibiting smokers from
lighting up in entrance or
door ways, but rather in
designated smoking areas,
Public Health Nurse Mary-
anne Hayter presented a
different aspect on the
topic.
"I see people everyday
for counselling to quit
smoking. Recently I
received a complaint from
a client who had to walk
through second hand
smoke at the doors to our
health facility, and simple
stated, 'You don't really
practice what you preach";
Hayter said.
I layter added that "By-
laws increase quit -attempts
by providing a more sup-
portive environment':
As strong of a report as it
was, stating that "no person
shall smoke on a job -site
owned by the County of
Huron whether the job site
is permanent or tempo-
rary'; several members of
Council believed the pro-
posal was too vague, leav-
ing an opening for harass-
ment situations.
There was a strong agree-
ment amongst all Council
members that the Province
of Ontario is slowly winning
the battle against tobacco
and tobacco related ill-
nesses or deaths.
A few members of Coun-
cil made suggestions in the
battle against tobacco
related deaths, such as lob-
bying to the Province of
Ontario.
Another suggestion was
to raise the legal age of
smoking by one year, every
year, so anyone who is
already smoking would not
he prevented from that
right, but also to prevent
younger generations from
smoking in the first place,
while continuing education
on health and why tobacco
products are deadly.
The Council members
found concern that the
wording of the By-law was
too vague, as people of the
community would have
license to name anywhere
in Huron County a job -site,
creating harassment
situations with other mem-
bers of their community.
In the Committee of the
Whole meeting on Wednes-
day, March 22, this proposal
for a By-law which involves
a smoking ban on all
County -owned properties,
with designated smoking
areas, was met with a stand-
still vote on whether or not
to accept the report and the
By-law.
Members of Council sug-
gested to take this matter to
the Board of Health.
The result on this report,
presentation and vote by
Council members was one
of acceptance of the
report, but a motion to not
adopt the Smoke -Free By-
law at this time was
decided upon.
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