Council split on smoking by-law proposal

A joint proposal from the Downtown BIA and Porcupine Health Unit (PHU) is getting plenty of attention from smokers and non-smokers alike.

The proposal states that no person would be able to smoke within nine metres of an entrance to any public place.

Council is seemingly split on the issue.

Mayor Steve Black says it may turn a significant part of the downtown into a smoke-free area, and would like to get input from business owners before anything is pushed through.

A smoke-free downtown.

Those words have a good ring to it, according to Councillor Andrew Marks.

“There are areas in Downtown Timmins, laneways, that are accessible for this if someone does have this bad habit,” Marks added.

Councillor Rick Dubeau countered, saying it would be unfair to business owners in the city.

“We have to respect the owners of these businesses downtown, they pay a lot of money in taxation here,” he said, “Some of them smoke, and they literally can’t smoke on their street.”

“This is going too far.”

The PHU says tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in Ontario.  They add Timmins has one of the highest smoking rates in the province, and steps need to be taken to promote and support smoke free lifestyles.

Many cities have a nine-meter ban, including Sudbury and North Bay.

To provide some context, CLICK HERE to read the PHU and BIA’s proposal to council.