Edmonton : Council votes to ban smoking in Churchill Square

Churchill Square will soon be smoke-free, and other city-owned spaces could follow suit, after council voted Wednesday to ban lighting up on the public space in front of city hall.

The bylaw, initially proposed by Coun. Michael Walters, is expected to be drawn up and take effect in three months.

Councillors voted eight to two to draft bylaws imposing the ban in Churchill Square, but Coun. Michael Oshry has also asked for the city to research imposing a ban in all city-owned spaces.

He said he sees the possibility of a far-reaching ban.

“At this point, I’m very much interested in Fort Edmonton, the Valley Zoo, that kind of thing. But at some point we do have to look at it in parks as well,” he said.

He said he doesn’t think outdoor places should be free from restrictions.

“If you’re in closed quarters outside versus inside a building it can be just as obnoxious having someone smoke nearby,” he said.

Coun. Michael Walters, who initially suggested the Churchill Square ban, said it only makes sense to look at other places in the city.

“This was a great place for us to start this conversation. We made the right decision today,” he said.

Coun. Tony Caterina, who along with Coun. Ben Henderson voted against the ban, said the issue is simply not a priority for Edmontonians.

“It wasn’t a public outcry. This was just done by someone on council who thought this was the proper thing to do,” he said.

Caterina said he worries the proposal won’t work out as well as everyone hopes.

“I don’t think we vetted this enough to see exactly what the repercussions are.”

Smoking ban

The city already has a smoking ban around the fountain in front of city hall, but the new bylaw would extend that throughout Churchill Square.
Council considered a smoking ban only for special events, but rejected that notion.

The fine for smoking will be $250, but administration said they would focus on warnings and education.

Agencies/Canadajournal