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In January, smokers will have to make their way to the sidewalks off the hospital property if they want to smoke. WRH president and CEO David Musyj acknowledges it will be “difficult” to implement but they’ve been planning for it the last two years.

“It’s kind of an oxymoron where we have to worry about not having smoking on hospital property because clearly one of the issues that we do face is individuals that have a history of smoking and, unfortunately, end up with health problems,” Musyj said. “It is going to create some implementation issues and some difficulties because the way it’s set up now for those who do smoke and have maybe tried to stop but can’t there is a segregated area for them.”

Having smokers move to the public sidewalks will create a headache for neighbouring homeowners but Musyj said the hospital can’t stop where smokers go once off the property. Currently, the Smoke-Free Ontario Act allows for one designated smoking area for every hospital in Ontario, however, those will be removed in the new year.

“Unfortunately, what that does is they are right across the street from someone’s home,” he said. “We’ve had complaints in the past where our neighbours are not happy that someone is standing there smoking and arguably staring into their front room.

“We have no ability to even stop that because come Jan. 1 there will be no designated smoking area,” Musyj added.

WRH offers smoking cessation programs for staff and along with nicotine replacement therapy products for patients who are struggling to quit. But Valerie Cesnulas, a unit clerk at the hospital has been smoking for 30 years and said the new rules won’t make her stop smoking — she’ll just smoke on the public sidewalks.

She said it’s creating a buzz among staff.

“They (the staff) don’t like it because you have to go further,” Cesnulas said. “They also don’t like it because you now have patients who have to go farther and they are out here with IV poles and everything else. They are not going to just stop smoking.”

ksteele@postmedia.com