PDA

View Full Version : N.S. bylaw will ban smoking in cars with kids


puppyluv
11-18-2007, 05:13 PM
N.S. bylaw will ban smoking in cars with kids
Last Updated: Sunday, November 18, 2007 | 5:51 PM AT
CBC News
Wolfville, N.S., is known for being quiet and picturesque, but soon it might also be known for having one of the toughest anti-smoking bylaws in North America.

The small town is set to become the first municipality in Canada to ban smoking in vehicles when a child is present.

Town councillors will vote on the proposed bylaw on Monday.

"The support from the town, I would suggest, is extremely strong," Mayor Bob Stead told CBC Newsworld on Sunday.

"We were the first municipal unit in the province to go smoke-free in indoor public places, so this is essentially a follow-up to what we did several years ago on that issue."

Stead said there was widespread support for the ban at a public meeting held Nov. 5.

Critics have argued that a bylaw further restricting what people can do in their own vehicles is intrusive, but Stead said council thinks it's "very important" to provide an environment in which children under 18 can be protected and safe from health risks.

He said education, not enforcement, will be the primary focus of the proposed bylaw. It won't be enforced until it takes effect next June. In the meantime, the town will try to educate people on the dangers of second-hand smoke in vehicles.

Wolfville has a population of about 3,600.

Stead said if people really want to light up while transporting children, there's nothing to stop them from leaving town.

"They can probably do that by driving a couple of kilometres."

JustWatching
11-19-2007, 08:07 AM
N.S. bylaw will ban smoking in cars with kids
Last Updated: Sunday, November 18, 2007 | 5:51 PM AT
CBC News
Wolfville, N.S., is known for being quiet and picturesque, but soon it might also be known for having one of the toughest anti-smoking bylaws in North America.

The small town is set to become the first municipality in Canada to ban smoking in vehicles when a child is present.

Town councillors will vote on the proposed bylaw on Monday.

"The support from the town, I would suggest, is extremely strong," Mayor Bob Stead told CBC Newsworld on Sunday.

"We were the first municipal unit in the province to go smoke-free in indoor public places, so this is essentially a follow-up to what we did several years ago on that issue."

Stead said there was widespread support for the ban at a public meeting held Nov. 5.

Critics have argued that a bylaw further restricting what people can do in their own vehicles is intrusive, but Stead said council thinks it's "very important" to provide an environment in which children under 18 can be protected and safe from health risks.

He said education, not enforcement, will be the primary focus of the proposed bylaw. It won't be enforced until it takes effect next June. In the meantime, the town will try to educate people on the dangers of second-hand smoke in vehicles.

Wolfville has a population of about 3,600.

Stead said if people really want to light up while transporting children, there's nothing to stop them from leaving town.

"They can probably do that by driving a couple of kilometres."


YEAH for them....I think that's great....You'll see other towns jump onboard and eventually the entire province. Great work NS...always a step ahead of the pack!

I wonder if Saint John (or NB for that matter) may start to work on some effort against smoking ...as we are behind every other province...

angelaa
11-19-2007, 08:26 AM
I first heard of this last month and it made sence to me so even though my boys are 13 and 15, I stopped smoking with them in the car, even at home I always smoke by an open window.

Crystalbeach
11-19-2007, 08:52 AM
I think it's a great idea but I can't imagine how they're going to police it..

Damage82
11-19-2007, 11:09 AM
Good idea, hope it makes it way here.

mommyd
11-19-2007, 11:12 AM
I first heard of this last month and it made sence to me so even though my boys are 13 and 15, I stopped smoking with them in the car, even at home I always smoke by an open window.


Smoking by an open window actually isn't recomended either.

"Don't allow smoking inside your home. If family members or guests want to smoke, ask them to step outside. Don't rely on an air conditioner or an open window to clear the air. Running the air conditioner may remove the visible smoke, but it doesn't remove the dangerous particles from circulation. An open window doesn't provide adequate ventilation, either."

puppyluv
11-19-2007, 05:45 PM
My sister smokes with her kids in her vehicle and it drives me banana's. Such an unhealthy thing and to do it near kids in an enclosed space isnt the best thing..

megz
11-19-2007, 08:19 PM
good!! i think smoking should be banned but the government makes too much money off it.. ill beat my kids senseless if they ever smoke i never have!! i think its disgusting!!

lizard_lover
11-19-2007, 08:24 PM
When I was 15, my friend and I drove all the way to st. george with her mom...and her mom smoked the whole way there...we were sitting in the back with a blanket over our heads and were crying because the smoke was giving us headaches...and she would not stop.
My grandmother lives in wolfville...and I can imagine she is so happy about this. She hates smokers...

Freudian
11-19-2007, 08:56 PM
I wish it was illegal for people to smoke inside their cars everywhere in Canada. I also wish it was illegal for people to smoke in their own homes.

I'm sure it would be alot easier to pass and enforce such a law as my first proposed than the second. I'm sure many people would have a hard time accepting the second, but it would save lives.

Sharing a vehicle or working or visiting in someone's home that has been smoked in or is being smoked in is very hard on a person and the smell gets soaked into clothing very easily.

What do other people think about these two ideas?

FutureChief88
11-21-2007, 12:36 PM
I agree with the concept of protecting children from things like this as they cannot make decisions for themselves..

but i do not agree with policing an individual's personal property... Would it make more sense to involve CPS.. and alert them of a dangerous health situation for the children.. I mean its MY vehicle.. ill do as i please in it..
Dont get me wrong.. I dont agree with smoking in a car with children.. When i smoked i didnt do i around my daughter.. always went outside.. and now that i am pregnnat i quit smoking..

But to me it is just the same as policing Pregnant smokers... I dont agree with it for me..But there are other people out there that willa rgue this to death about how smoking didnt harm their babies and whatnot..But its proven that it can cause healt issues for the child..I dont see them fining big belly women with cigarettes hanging out of their mouth.. Just as man health risks.. if not more.. Proven.. over smoking in your car..

Soon it will be that people cant smoke in their houses.

mommyd
11-21-2007, 01:43 PM
Soon it will be that people cant smoke in their houses.

if there are children living there, then good.
It's going to become the way beating your children has.
People are still going to do it. But if people know it is happening, they will be encouraged to report it, just as they would report children being abused.

FutureChief88
11-21-2007, 02:38 PM
Well thats fine.. and again.. i dont agree with smoking around children.. but what about the air they breath in this city.. Shouldnt there be some sort of fix for that problem.. My Grandmother lives across the causeway.. and has a nice white table on her deck.. When cleaned is white.. After a day it is has little black speckles on it..and you can always smell the paper mill.. What about this air.. Any better?

mommyd
11-21-2007, 03:21 PM
no, it's horrible.

But so..because that is gross, we should let ppl smoke around kids? Come on, that's just a stupid argument.


Well thats fine.. and again.. i dont agree with smoking around children.. but what about the air they breath in this city.. Shouldnt there be some sort of fix for that problem.. My Grandmother lives across the causeway.. and has a nice white table on her deck.. When cleaned is white.. After a day it is has little black speckles on it..and you can always smell the paper mill.. What about this air.. Any better?

FutureChief88
11-21-2007, 03:30 PM
I am not saying we should let people smoke around kids.. Not saying that AT ALL!!
i would appreciate if you didnt put words into my mouth..
What i AM saying is that if there is so much time and energy spent on prosecuting someone for smoking.. why not cut that energy in half and spend sometime policiong the pollution that is created from our great refinaries.. and paper plants and whatnot.. which is just as harmful to the health..

Again like i said i dont agree with smoking around children.. But it does bother me that so much attention is focused toward smokers.. people are trying to take away a persons freedom to smoke. I agree that it is a disgusting, horrible, smelly habit that has no benefit for the smoker.. or the people around them.. but if they choose to so it.. so be it..
It just bothers me that it is so socially unacceptable.. yet people walk around drunk.. and bum me for money.. or whatnot.. that to me .. is more offensive than someone in the corner of the building, off by themselves smoking.

mommyd
11-21-2007, 04:19 PM
smoking around children every day is more harmful to their health than living in saint john. Also, it is really disgusting to breath that especially for younger children who are not old enough to just be able to go in their room and close their door, not that that gets them away from it al togheter..
My point was, that this thread was about smoking around kids, and although i don't mind when conversations in threads get side tracked a bit, it makes no sense to completely change it up and say what you said. Because it makes no sense. There is nothing anyone can do about the refinery and paper mill. And don't go saying we can spend some time lobbying for change, because that's just ridiculous. And it will never happen. Getting the smoke away from children IS more important and more realistic to get rid of at this point.
It actually is against the law to walk around public drunk and disorderly and to bum money. So if you have a problem, report it.

THey don't want to prosecute ppl for smoking, the problem is that ppl are putting children's health at risk. You are still allowed to smoke, just go outside. Yes, you have a right to smoke. But children also should have the right not to have to breath in that digustingness.

And just because smoking is someone's choice doesn't mean ppl can't think it's disgusting and want to get it away from children.. shooting up is also a choice.. you wouldn't do that around a kid. Just because smoking isn't actually against the law doesn't mean it should be ok to do it around kids. Having sex isn't against the law, but doing it infront of a child pretty much is.

Also, the person on the side of the building off smoking by themselves isn't the problem.. it's the ppl smoking in confined quarters, such as cars and homes, with their children, that is the problem.

melissaanne
11-21-2007, 05:12 PM
I love it!! I think this is the best thing ever!!!

It seriously turns my stomach to see someone driving with kiddos in the back and smoking with the window down a crack ( not that it being fully down is any better)

I think it should be against the law to smoke with your children in the car as well as in your home. I get the whole, my car/home/property I can do what I want, BUT what about the children who live there too and have the right to live in a non-smoking healthy environment.

Our goal as parents is to give our children the absolute best care we can. Does anyone really want to be standing up and saying," Yeah I gave my child lung cancer because, I smoked in my house"

It's not that difficult to get up an go outside. If you want the smoke bad enough it will not be an issue to go outside. Sure it sucks in the rain, but hey maybe you didn't really need it in the first place. I smoke, I would never smoke in my house and never in my car with my son. I don't even smoke in friends houses. I will go outside. After smoking outside for 2 years it doesn't even feel as enjoyable to smoke inside.

All in all i think it's a great idea, however I don't really know how it is going to work out. I know when they passed the bylaw here for no smoking in blgds and stuff there was something in there about smoking withen so many feet of a public entrance, well people do it and I hate it. I absolutly hate walking into the mall with my son and having to walk him through a cloud of smoke. Come on ppl, have a little respect, I don't smoke near my child and neither should you. Please no one come back with using another entrance or some crap b/c they are all the same. Reporting it to security does nothing, anyways....off topic I go! LOL!

lizard_lover
11-21-2007, 05:30 PM
mommyd and futurechief88...I agree with you both...but you are arguing, and fighting for basically the same side lol.

NoseToTheGrind
11-21-2007, 05:33 PM
The only opinion I have on this subject is that , the government has to come so far as to make it a "ban" law, to protect our own children from secondhand smoke, when it should be automatic that we as parents should do this out of the love of our children to do it ourselves.

P.S., I'm not saying people do not love their children so ..blah blah blah. It just amazes me how some things we should do on our own, and not come down to being made into a law.

mommyd
11-21-2007, 06:08 PM
it just bugs me when ppl say why complain about this or that when there are bigger problems in the world. There is always going to be something bigger to deal (Or what they think is moreimportant) with than the next thing, but that doesn't mean the "smaller" issues are less important. Ppl do that all the time on this board and it doesn't make sense.THey are basicly saying, don't care about this issue, This other one is way more important."



mommyd and futurechief88...I agree with you both...but you are arguing, and fighting for basically the same side lol.

FutureChief88
11-21-2007, 08:11 PM
I didnt say focus your attention on bigger things.. as you can see.. i said why not split the concern and consider what our children are breathing all over? Not just what their parents are smoking. I agree with this idea..i dont agree that it be a law that you cant smoke around your children..Just as Nosetothegrind said.. its sad that a Law has to be passwed..and that we and a group of humans dont care about our children enough to not smoke around them. But if we are going to start with smoking..lets not end with that. There are many parents out there that Beat their children,Dontmonitor their schoolwork,allow their children to talk to them like they are worthless, run their live/homes whatever.. why dont we crack down on this as well.

Like i said.. i believe what is behind this idea.. But i dont believe it should be anyone's responsibility to monitor a child health.. (unless its beating) ut the parents.. it should be something we do on our own.. but they dont.. seriously.. how does overweight children affect their health.. maybe we should monitor parents that are seen going through the Mcdonalds Drive-Thru, and contributing to unhealthy eating choices?makes sense to me!

mizunderstood
11-21-2007, 10:45 PM
Personally I think the gov't needs to mind their own darned business. If a person chooses to smoke in their car, their home their garage, or wherever it is none of the gov'ts business. It is a persons personal property and space. Until they start paying for the taxes on my car, the regular up keep etc, then they can butt (haha) the heck out of my life.
I am not saying that it is ok to smoke around kids, because it is not... BUT where does the gov't get the right to control every single aspect of a persons life? We have the right to light up in our own personal space (vehicle) and no one has the right to tell us otherwise. Sorry I have an issue with this new law. I agree smoking around kids is wrong, and should not be done, for sooo many different reasons, but they have no right to dictate what I do in/on my property.

mommyd
11-21-2007, 10:53 PM
probably what some ppl said about the whole "not allowed to beat your kids thing" when it was first put in place too. They probably felt they should be able to do what they wanted to THEIR kids, on THEIR property. Now, it's the norm not to have the right to do that. We are all used to it.. thank goodness. And for our kids, or their kids, it will be the norm that smoking around kids is unlawful.. and it will be normal for them. And things will be better for the children, our future.

Personally I think the gov't needs to mind their own darned business. If a person chooses to smoke in their car, their home their garage, or wherever it is none of the gov'ts business. It is a persons personal property and space. Until they start paying for the taxes on my car, the regular up keep etc, then they can butt (haha) the heck out of my life.
I am not saying that it is ok to smoke around kids, because it is not... BUT where does the gov't get the right to control every single aspect of a persons life? We have the right to light up in our own personal space (vehicle) and no one has the right to tell us otherwise. Sorry I have an issue with this new law. I agree smoking around kids is wrong, and should not be done, for sooo many different reasons, but they have no right to dictate what I do in/on my property.

mizunderstood
11-22-2007, 10:17 AM
How can they police it? lol

MichelleM
11-22-2007, 10:23 AM
How can they police it? lol
I would think that it will be the same as wearing your seat belt, they have to see you.

mommyd
11-22-2007, 10:29 AM
same as they police everything else. Someone witnesses it, and then they report it. Or the police see it happening. It's not like if you do it you're automaticly going to get fined.... You don't always get caught speeding, and running a red light either. But you risk getting caught. This will just be one more thing you risk getting caught for. There are places where it's illegal to drive and talk on a cell phone. If a police officer sees someone doing that they pull them over. Same thing with this.

I honestly think smoking should be banned while driving not only when children are in the car, but all times because it's taking your attention away from the rd anyways. Especially if you drop ashes all over yourself, or burn yourself.

How can they police it? lol

FutureChief88
11-22-2007, 11:00 AM
Personally I think the gov't needs to mind their own darned business. If a person chooses to smoke in their car, their home their garage, or wherever it is none of the gov'ts business. It is a persons personal property and space. Until they start paying for the taxes on my car, the regular up keep etc, then they can butt (haha) the heck out of my life.
I am not saying that it is ok to smoke around kids, because it is not... BUT where does the gov't get the right to control every single aspect of a persons life? We have the right to light up in our own personal space (vehicle) and no one has the right to tell us otherwise. Sorry I have an issue with this new law. I agree smoking around kids is wrong, and should not be done, for sooo many different reasons, but they have no right to dictate what I do in/on my property.


WELL SAID...

Exactly what i was trying to say.. Its my space..
And no.. Smoking around your children is NOTHING like beating them.. (again.. not that i agree with smoking around kids). You are not going to scar a child emotionally if you smoke around them, it wont change their perception of them selves.. its just a health risk. I grew up in a cloud of smoke. and i am fine.. Not saying that it doesnt cause other health problems.. But i thank god i didnt get beat.. cause that would have actually affected me.. If not physically.. then mentally..

mommyd
11-22-2007, 11:18 AM
it's just a health risk.



lol

FutureChief88
11-22-2007, 01:33 PM
Yes.. that was pretty funny ..:confused: