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The rules put forth Tuesday would prohibit people from smoking cigarettes, cigars, vapes or cannabis in any park where children are likely to congregate, affecting about two-thirds of Edmonton’s 1,050 parks, effective in October when cannabis is legalized.

Smoking would also be banned on public sidewalks within 10 metres of a door, window, bus stop or patio. So busy streets like Whyte Avenue, for example, would only have had a couple of locations where smoking would have been permitted.

Now the bylaw will be debated again at a community and public services committee meeting Sept. 12.

Iveson said he heard from smokers as well as business owners about the restrictions.

“When you have a street with a fine grain of businesses along it, there are doors every 10 metres. That means in literally certain sections of the street there would be no place for anyone to smoke,” he said. “And people have gotten quite good about going out of the door and getting to the curb and kind of understand the rules today … but if you literally push them on the street or push them into the back alleys, that may not be safe or practical.”

However, he is not sure about loosening rules on tobacco smoking in parks after hearing feedback on that.

“I’m personally fine with continuing to restrict smoking of anything in parks around children,” Iveson said. “The feedback from the public on that is generally more consistent, more positive.”

Iveson said the issue of smoking tobacco in public stemmed from council wanting to be restrictive on smoking cannabis, then dragged along tobacco restrictions without giving the public an opportunity to provide feedback.