A proposed Calgary bylaw could make it tougher for smokers to light up, as smoking in playgrounds, sports fields and outdoor rinks could soon be off limits.
The proposal has been gaining momentum across the country, and now Calgary could follow the lead of other major Canadian cities.
It's an idea that will be difficult to enforce but many Calgarians are getting behind the smoking ban.
“It's a health hazard and children shouldn’t be exposed to smoke,” says Coralie Remus.
“They definitely shouldn’t be smoking around kids and definitely not in areas like this,” says Steven McQueen, pointing to a nearby park.
Greg Reimer also supports a ban. “I think it’s a great idea,” says Reimer. “They (kids) don’t need their lungs filled with terrible smelling smoke.”
The smoking ban proposal came was initiated by a former long time smoker, Ward 10 councillor Andre Chabot.
Chabot started smoking at the age of seven, and has habit has led to health problems. The councillor says he hopes a ban will help prevent kids from following in his footsteps.
“The challenge with smoking is, it's easier to start, and not easy to stop,” says Chabot.
Chabot says the proposal has received an overwhelmingly positive response and most members of council are supportive of the ban.
“They are probably overly supportive,” says Chabot. “In fact, the recommended change I think that I'm going to propose on softening it may actually fail because I think some members of council think that it should go even further.”
Chabot says he doesn't want to infringe on the general public, he's just hoping people will be compliant.
“We understand that this is hard to enforce, but it’ll set a good example for young people.”
Banning smoking in outdoor areas is more than a health issue for Chabot. He says kids copy what they see, and if adults can't light up, children won't want to.
“If I can impact one child's life, I've accomplished something.”
The proposal will be debated in committee on Wednesday.
