Councillors voted 20-2 to enact a new bylaw that would prohibit waterpipe smoking in enclosed public places and workplaces as well as specified outdoor spaces where the public might gather.
The bylaw would come into effect Nov. 1, pending approval from local municipalities.
The decision is the culmination of a review into the rising popularity of waterpipes, also known as hookahs, and the related health effects.
Peel Public Health expressed concerns waterpipe use was becoming particularly popular among the region’s youth.
Health officials also told council there are many misconceptions about the health risks associated with hookah smoking.
Many smokers believe it carries none of the health risks linked to cigarettes.
However, according to Peel Medical Officer of Health Eileen de Villa, smokers and those inhaling secondhand smoke are exposed to carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter that have harmful effects on the lungs.
She explained to council that the ban addresses concerns about public health and workplace safety.
There was overwhelming support on council to broaden the Region’s efforts to create smoke-free public and work environments in Peel.
Essentially, prohibition would be in the same areas where tobacco smoking is already banned.
Mississauga’s Carolyn Parrish and Brampton’s Michael Palleschi were the only councillors to vote against the bylaw.
Parrish wanted implementation of the bylaw grandfathered so establishments already offering waterpipe smoking would be allowed to continue.
She was worried business owners who may have made substantial investments to specifically cater to smokers could be hurt financially and some even forced to close.
Parrish also suggested that banning hookah smoking, a common social activity in Middle Eastern countries and other areas of the world, might be discriminatory.
“I really think this is very harsh and I really think it’s very harsh against a particular community,” she said.
The president of the Canadian Arab Network shared her concerns, but the Region also heard from many other organizations, including the Canadian Arab Institute and Arabic Cultural Club of Ontario, that supported the ban.
Representatives from the Ontario Campaign for Action on Tobacco, the Ontario Lung Association and a scientific advisor with the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit at the University of Toronto appeared at council to commend the Region for its actions.
Those speakers told councillors hookah smoking can be more toxic than cigarettes.
Peel joins municipalities like Toronto, which implemented a similar ban in licensed businesses in that city April 1.
“I think the peel approach is more comprehensive and more effective (than Toronto’s ban),” remarked Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie, whose concerns initiated the Region’s review of waterpipe smoking.
Peel’s ban includes enclosed public and workspaces, restaurant or bar patios, playgrounds, schools, and sporting areas and adjacent spaces designated for spectators. The Region will also be pressing the provincial government to include the hookah in its Smoke-Free Ontario legislation.
Resource :http://www.bramptonguardian.com/news-story/6519649-region-bans-waterpipe-or-hookah-smoking-in-public-places/
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