HAMILTON, ON – May 25, 2015 – With spring weather finally here and many outdoor activities ramping up, Hamilton Public Health Services reminds residents and visitors to the City of Hamilton that a number of outdoor areas across the city are smoke-free. Under recent amendments to the provincial Smoke-Free Ontario Act effective January 1, 2015 and the existing City of Hamilton By-law #11-080 Prohibiting Smoking within City Parks and Recreation Property it is illegal to smoke at or on:
• children’s playgrounds, splash pads, wading pools (except those on residential property) • municipal parks, recreation centres and arenas • outdoor sport fields and surfaces (owned by the province or municipality), including stadiums, adjacent spectator areas and public areas within 20 metres of the perimeter of the sporting area or spectator area. • bar and restaurant patios
“There are health, safety, social, economic and environmental benefits to having smoke-free outdoor areas,” says Dr. Elizabeth Richardson, Medical Officer of Health for the City of Hamilton. “Under certain conditions, second-hand smoke levels can be as high outdoors as indoors, and this can have a detrimental impact on people’s health.”
Hamilton Public Health Services inspects and conducts enforcement at these locations. Any person or proprietor who does not comply with provincial or municipal no smoking laws may be charged with an offence.
For more information about smoke-free outdoor areas or to register a complaint, call the City of Hamilton Tobacco Hotline at (905) 540-5566 or email tobacco@hamilton.ca.
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