By a vote of 5 to 2, Hampstead's city council voted on Monday night in favour of passing one of the strictest anti-smoking bylaws in Canada.
Bylaw 1019 would effectively ban smoking just about everywhere but people's homes and backyards. Tobacco and marijuana smoking would be banned on streets, on sidewalks in parks and outside municipal buildings.
The bylaw does not extend to e-cigarettes.
A draft of the bylaw was passed unanimously by Hampstead's council earlier this month, although two councillors switched their votes at Monday's special town council meeting.
One of the dissenting councillors, Warren Budnig, says he was hoping some of the harsher restrictions in the bylaw would be rolled back.
“I was hoping the draft proposal would be amended so we could remove sidewalks and roads from it, but that didn't end up happening,” he said.
Budnig says he wants to be realistic and sees issues in how the Town of Hampstead will police it.
The new rules have also drawn criticism from, ironically, the Quebec Non-Smokers' Rights Association, whose president, François Damphousse, suggests the bylaw may end up doing more harm than good, by essentially forcing smokers back inside — something which his group has been fighting against for decades.
A Hampstead resident is opposing the bylaw for the same reason because he lives in shared housing and fears health conditions would be worse for people living in duplexes and apartments.
Mayor William Steinberg has said the law would protect people's health and send a strong anti-smoking message.
“It’s very necessary, it’s going to help protect our residents from second hand smoke,” Steinberg said. “It’s going to help not set a bad example by having people smoking cigarettes or joints on the street, influencing young people. We feel these reasons are far more important than any minimal restriction on freedom.”
The bylaw is expected to take effect in the next week or so.
-The Canadian Press and CJAD 800's Richard Deschamps contributed to this report.