Banff, an Alberta Mountain tow will from February 2023 make it illegal for residents to vape or smoke in public places. This follows the passage of a bylaw this week which prohibits vaping and smoking on pathways, trails and municipal parks, outdoor markets and green spaces around the town.
This bylaw will go into effect from February next year. This means that from February residents will not be allowed to either vape or smoke at public bus stops, on sidewalks or anywhere near children’s facilities such as schools.
The Banff vaping ban will limit tobacco vaping or smoking in the town to private properties, alleys and parking lots. While this is a win for those seeking to put an end to smoking in the town, it may inconvenience some residents.
However, Corrie Dimanno, the Banff mayor was quick to defend the vaping ban by saying that the bylaw seeks to make trails and sidewalks in the town safe for everyone including kids. She further said that providing smoke-free public places around the town will set the tone that the residents want clean mountain air in their community. Further, she says that it is important to help promote healthy lifestyles and thus model better behaviour for the children and youth in the area.
According to the mayor, the town will now start educating the public about the new bylaw. She says this will take place before the law comes into effect. The mayor also says the town will create visual guides for local businesses and hotels to help indicate places that are smoke-free zone to make it easy for both guests and residents to follow the new bylaw.
She believes that enforcement should online come after the locals have been educated on the changes. This means that the local government is working on a raft of measures to ensure that promote and communicate the changes to enable residents to adjust their lifestyles accordingly.
This new bylaw provides an exemption for tobacco product use in traditional indigenous ceremonies. This bylaw also carries a fine ranging from $250 to $500 for those who violate it.
The ban has received a lot of support from many activists working to limit smoking in public spaces. Action on Smoking & Health executive director Les Hagen has praised the Banff city council for taking the action to pass the smoke-free bylaw. He says that this will protect the over 4 million people who visit the town yearly. He hopes this will push other cities across Canada to take similar action.
The Action on Smoking & Health has been working to reduce tobacco consumption across Alberta. According to Hagen, his organization is working to have tobacco use banned in parks across the province and also across national parks countrywide. He says that these are social places where families come with children and youth. These places should therefore keep safe for such innocent people. Not just parks but public places such as bus stops and side walks should also be made smoke free as kids also frequent these place.
