London, ON – A year after the City of London’s outdoor smoking bylaw came into effect, less tobacco use is happening within local parks, playgrounds and sports fields. The local bylaw prohibits smoking within nine metres of park recreational amenities such as playground equipment, splash pads, sports fields and spectator areas, and the entrances to municipal buildings such as arenas, libraries and community centres. Through awareness and the self-regulating nature of the bylaw - by which sports fans, parents, and park and playground users encourage each other not to light up - there is less second-hand smoke and tobacco use in the places where people are most active or enjoying time spent outdoors.

London’s Smoking Near Recreation Amenities and Entrances Bylaw is enforced by Tobacco Enforcement Officers from the Middlesex-London Health Unit. Anyone found smoking closer than nine metres from any of the bylaw-specified areas could face a fine of $205. The positive response to the bylaw so far is similar to the experience in many other Ontario communities which have enacted local regulations to promote tobacco-free outdoor public spaces, especially in places where children and youth play.

“People are realizing that tobacco use doesn’t belong on the sidelines, bleachers or benches in our parks or at our sports fields; the less tobacco use that children and youth see, the less likely they are to become addicted to tobacco products themselves,” says Linda Stobo, Manager of Chronic Disease Prevention and Tobacco Control with the Middlesex-London Health Unit. “We are encouraged to see how the community has responded to the bylaw,” says Stobo. “We have heard and seen positive examples of tobacco users moving away from play spaces and crowds of people to light up.”

While much of the recent focus of Health Unit staff enforcing the bylaw has been on parks, playgrounds, splash pads and sports fields, the bylaw also covers the entrances to city-owned buildings. It is important that anyone who smokes outside one of these facilities ensures they are at least nine metres from doorways and entrances when they do so.

London is one of nearly 90 Ontario municipalities which have created outdoor smoking bylaws, including Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Kitchener, Belleville and Woodstock. The local bylaws in effect in these communities range from prohibiting smoking in parks and playgrounds to full smoking bans on all municipal property.

Media Contact:

Alex Tyml, Online Communications Coordinator, Middlesex-London Health Unit,
519-663-5317 ext. 2560 or 226-236-1941 (cell)

Spokesperson:

Linda Stobo, Program Manager, Chronic Disease Prevention and Tobacco Control, Middlesex-London Health Unit