The city is getting a step closer to being smoke free.

Last night, council passed a motion basically eliminating designated smoking areas owned by an employer.

The motion brought forward was authored by Coun. Marcus Tignanelli.

“Where you choose to smoke is not going to be in a public place or a workplace anymore. Now it’s about education and enforcement,” he says.

Tignanelli says the idea is for North Bay to be smoke free in public places.

“In consultation with the health unit we have drafted a motion and made it more stringent so we can become a smoke free city,” he says.

Medical Officer of Health Dr. Jim Chirico is not a fan of smoking designated areas and wants them gone.

“Having designated smoking areas prolongs smoking and makes it easier to continue smoking,” he says.

Stephanie LaChapelle is with the health unit.

She says under the Smoke Free Ontario act there have been some changes in the past year on how close you have to be to some buildings to be allowed to smoke.

“You must be 20 metres from the grounds at recreational centres to smoke, 9 from restaurant and bar patio grounds and 20 metres from the school grounds,” she says.

She says if a patio is on a street smoking is not allowed but anywhere else on the sidewalk it’s okay.

This isn’t official yet as council still must pass a bylaw but council’s approval was the first step.

Last night, council amended the smoking bylaw to include vaping and cannabis essentially meaning anywhere smoking isn’t permitted vaping and using cannabis is applied as well.

(photo by station staff)

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