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Smoking banned in city parks as of May 1

Lighting up at the ball field, soccer pitch or at city parks will be against the law as of May 1 in Greater Sudbury.
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As of Wednesday, smoking is prohibited in Greater Sudbury “on or within sports fields and associated facilities, including bleachers, field houses, skateboard/BMX parks and tennis courts, playgrounds, parks and parkettes, amphitheatres and gazebos, beaches and splash pads, trails, boardwalks and walkways, and parking areas inside municipal park boundaries.” File photo.

Lighting up at the ball field, soccer pitch or at city parks will be against the law as of May 1 in Greater Sudbury.

Under terms of a bylaw approved by city council in February, smoking anywhere in areas where the ban is in effect – including seating areas and the parking lot – could lead to a fine, although the initial emphasis will be on education.

Exactly how large a fine violators will face “is still being confirmed,” a city spokesperson said Tuesday.

According to a press release, the ban extends to all city-owned park areas, which includes a lengthy list of facilities.

“Smoking is no longer permitted on or within sports fields and associated facilities, including bleachers, field houses, skateboard/BMX parks and tennis courts, playgrounds, parks and parkettes, amphitheatres and gazebos, beaches and splash pads, trails, boardwalks and walkways, and parking areas inside municipal park boundaries,” the release says.

“The City of Greater Sudbury will encourage voluntary compliance with the smoking prohibition. Persons found in violation of the bylaw may be fined or asked to leave municipal park property.”

When approved in February, city councillors predicted a transition period when the public would have to get used to the ban, just as the public had to adjust to not being allowed to smoke in bars a decade ago.

The smoking ban received unanimous support as part of the city's unified parks bylaw, which is replacing several bylaws that have been in place since before amalgamation in 2001.

City staff is also being asked to come up with a report on what it would take to extend the ban to all city facilities, inside and out.

Initially, councillors considered limiting smoking at parks to certain areas, or restricting it to a certain distance away from spectator areas. But in the debate in February, Ward 3 Coun. Claude Berthiaume said he supported an outright ban instead.

“It’s easier for everyone to follow the bylaw” if it’s a simple ban, he said. “There’s always a small minority (who will break the rules), but I believe the majority of people will follow the bylaw.”

Ward 5 Coun. Ron Dupuis said the ban put Sudbury at the forefront of anti-smoking laws, as it was a decade ago when the city banned smoking in restaurants and bars.

“This will bring us right back to where we should be,” he said, in terms of having the anti-smoking laws the city needs. “I really feel like this is something we need to do. We like to feel like we’re a healthy community. Now is the time to back that up.”

Ward 9 Coun. Doug Craig said when they banned smoking in most public places 13 years ago, enforcement was a major concern, too. But no longer.

“They don’t smoke in bars anymore,” Craig said. “They don't smoke at Sudbury Arena anymore."

Ward 7 Coun. Dave Kilgour agreed, saying people will get used to it relatively quickly as people around them pressure them to butt out, just as they did 13 years ago.

“Dirty looks was the solution.”

Mayor Marianne Matichuk also supported the ban, saying it’s good for the city in a number of ways.

“Let’s keep our parks beautiful and our city clean,” she said.


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Darren MacDonald

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