Kimberley City Council gave second reading to the updated No Smoking bylaw this week, with one amendment.
The issue arose over smoking on trails. As written, the bylaw said smoking would not be allowed on the Rails to Trails, but did not mention other trails in the City. Coun. Albert Hoglund said he couldn’t support that.
Mayor Don McCormick said that the issue is not so much air quality but safety. If a cigarette is not put out properly it could start a fire in a wooded area in or close to town. After some discussion, Council added all trails within Kimberley to the bylaw.
There will be a ban on smoking on City trails, in parks, playgrounds and recreation facilities, both indoor and out; and bar and restaurant patios.
Further, they propose a ban on smoking within 7.5 metres of entrances and windows. The previous distance is 3 metres. This means no smoking within the Platzl.
“We’re not trying to be radical,” McCormick said. “These are just incremental improvements to the existing bylaw. It’s certainly not practical to have ashtrays along the trails and it is a safety factor. But this doesn’t mean our bylaw officer will be patrolling the trails. Action is triggered by complaints, as with all bylaws. We rely on people understanding what we are trying to accomplish.”
He says that at some point there will likely be signs posted at trail heads advising of the no smoking bylaw.