Should smoking be banned on public beaches?

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Prickly Curmudgeon Smiter
Jun 28, 2010
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Should smoking be banned on public beaches?


It's usually the drinking - mixed with driving and boating - that gets all the attention on this, the first Canadian holiday weekend of the summer.

But in Vancouver, it's the smoking that will get you into trouble, if you try to light up on a beach or public park.

So far, the park rangers who have to enforce the nine-month-old bylaw have had few problems - only five tickets have been issued - but this weekend was considered a major test, according to media reports.

Glen Schultz, a supervisor of Vancouver's beaches, told News 1130 that bylaw officers are being patient with smokers. "We're just going to ask people politely. We're not going to make a big deal out of it, but certainly if we get a complaint we will go over and deal with it." According to the CBC, people caught breaking the no-smoking bylaw could face a minimum fine of $250 for a first offence and up to $2,000 for subsequent offences.

Second-hand smoke aside, for those of us who can't understand why cigarette butts aren't considered litter by many, this looks like a welcome development.

Cigarette butts in the sand are pretty nasty, no?

Has Vancouver made the right call here? Have you been bothered by smoking on a beach or public park?


Should smoking be banned on public beaches? - The Globe and Mail
 

Colpy

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 5, 2005
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Saint John, N.B.
It is ludicrous............nanny-state jack booted control freaks on the loose.....

Thank God I don't smoke anymore.
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
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Legality all depends on age of smoker and location. Littering is illegal and butts are indeed litter.

It is ludicrous............nanny-state jack booted control freaks on the loose.....

Thank God I don't smoke anymore.
You can still litter equally though so don't feel left out.
 

pgs

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 29, 2008
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Depends on what you are smoking. At least in Vancouver they no longer discriminate your choice of smoke.
Soon the nanny state goons will dictate how much air you can breath on a public beach as well.[/QUOTT
The unionized bylaw officers won't be on the beach in this weather anyway,so it is a moot point.
Maybe they might be though as they would have less if they were to be doing their normal ticketing of parked cars.
Sounds like a good idea to create more beauracrats,nothing more.
 

bill barilko

Senate Member
Mar 4, 2009
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Vancouver-by-the-Sea
Smokers here are thin on the ground-generally they are older men who look like they don't have long to live.

I'm surprised though at the numbers of people in low wage service jobs who smoke-it's an expensive habit.
 

Walter

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Jan 28, 2007
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What should be illegal on public beaches is fat girls wearing bikinis.
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
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Ottawa, ON
It is ludicrous............nanny-state jack booted control freaks on the loose.....

Thank God I don't smoke anymore.

What gave you the insane idea of starting to smoke in the first place?

And as for nanny-statism, I'll just say that your right to smoke stops at my nostrils. It stinks!

Depends on what you are smoking. At least in Vancouver they no longer discriminate your choice of smoke.
Soon the nanny state goons will dictate how much air you can breath on a public beach as well.

Tell me about it. Cig smoke never killed any kids at the beach yet eh. All I have to say to those kids' parents is: toughen the f***k up! We all die sooner or later from something anyway, so it might as well be cancer.

I'm absolutely for freedom here. If non-smokers can't stand all the smoke, nobody's forcing them to stay. Besides, isn't that what inhalers are for?
 

PoliticalNick

The Troll Bashing Troll
Mar 8, 2011
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Smoking isn't an illegal activity.
Nope, but littering is. I still field strip my butts and dispose of them in the garbage but most don't so I can understand the issue of the litter problem.

Depends on what you are smoking. At least in Vancouver they no longer discriminate your choice of smoke.
Soon the nanny state goons will dictate how much air you can breath on a public beach as well.
Have you heard of the Carbon Tax?? CO2 is taxable...stop breathing and save some cash! :lol:

What gave you the insane idea of starting to smoke in the first place?

And as for nanny-statism, I'll just say that your right to smoke stops at my nostrils. It stinks!
You have every right to go where I am not smoking.;-) If you don't want to move, put up with it.
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
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You have every right to go where I am not smoking.;-) If you don't want to move, put up with it.

I absolutely agree. So if I'm at the beach with the family, and suddenly a large group comes in and starts puffin', it's up to me to pack us all up and move away to avoid the stench.

Ah those nanny-statists. can't smoke in buses, schools, hospitals, restaurants, etc. It's just ridiculous. Can't stand the stench? Carry an inhaler. Problem solved.
 

PoliticalNick

The Troll Bashing Troll
Mar 8, 2011
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I absolutely agree. So if I'm at the beach with the family, and suddenly a large group comes in and starts puffin', it's up to me to pack us all up and move away to avoid the stench.

Ah those nanny-statists. can't smoke in buses, schools, hospitals, restaurants, etc. It's just ridiculous. Can't stand the stench? Carry an inhaler. Problem solved.
You could always take up smoking, it contributes to the overall economy in taxes, healthcare jobs, jobs for immigrants, and has the added bonus you won't notice the smell anymore. :lol:
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
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You could always take up smoking, it contributes to the overall economy in taxes, healthcare jobs, jobs for immigrants, and has the added bonus you won't notice the smell anymore. :lol:

Well there ya go! You see, there really is no need for all this nanny-statist mumbo jumbo if you take it upon yourself to solve the problem. You smoke yourself, and you don't notice the stink anymore.

Or alternatively, if we just eliminated all smoking bans, that too would help. The only reason they notice the stench of smoke on the beach is because they're not exposed to it enough. Remove all restrictiosn in restaurants, shops, planes, trains, etc. we'd soon all become so decensitized to it we wouldn't notice it anymore.
 

TenPenny

Hall of Fame Member
Jun 9, 2004
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I'm a non-smoker, but this is silly. I've been at lots of beaches, there's almost always a breeze, smoking is such a minor thing that it's absolutely silly to outlaw it.