PETERBOROUGH-Peterborough Police and Public Health Tobacco Enforcement Officers will be enforcing smoking bylaws in parks this summer and if you are caught breaking them it will cost you $305.
Police, Peterborough Public Health, The City of Peterborough, and Peterborough Musicfest are working together to remind residents and visitors that both the Smoke-Free Ontario Act and the Peterborough Smoking Bylaw prohibit smoking in area parks, playgrounds, beaches and sports fields.
“Smoking rates continue to decline, however, many people believe that smoking outdoors is harmless, when in fact there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke,” said Dr. Rosana Salvaterra, Medical Officer of Health. “Actively enforcing the current bylaw will both protect people from toxic secondhand smoke and support a reduction in smoking rates.”
Norms are changing according to Dr. Salvaterra who says a recent study showed support was significantly higher for smoke-free outdoor spaces in 2015 than it was five years before, as more people are ready for and want smoke-free outdoor spaces. “Smoke‐free public spaces provide a supportive environment for people who wish to stop smoking, and many people see positive, smoke-free role-modelling as especially important for our youth,” she said.
Salvaterra says two-thirds of Peterborough residents who smoke say they want to quit in the next six months.
If you want to quit smoking and need some help call Peterborough Public Health at 705-743-1000, ext. 330.
