The Cowichan Valley has some of the highest smoking rates in B.C.

Our Cowichan Communities Health Network is reaching out to local governments in the Valley to help develop and pass a common bylaw to deal with outdoor smoking. (File photo)

An initiative to regulate outdoor smoking in a consistent manner across all jurisdictions in the Cowichan Valley is underway.

The Our Cowichan Communities Health Network is reaching out to local governments to help develop and pass a common bylaw to deal with the issue.

Cindy Lise, the regional facilitator for the OCCHN, said that ideally, the new bylaw would include consistent language and consistent distances from doorways and gathering places where smoking could occur outdoors across the Valley.

She said the bylaw would also cover not just tobacco, but any substance that can be smoked or inhaled.

“Many [laws regarding outdoor smoking] are already in place with provincial legislation, so this is not a new concept,” Lise said.

“It is 2017 and time to revise outdated bylaws and to implement ones where none have existed in the past as one step towards improving health outcomes in our region. ”

Lise said the Cowichan Valley has some of the highest smoking rates in B.C., with the central Island at 20.4 per cent of the population compared to 11.4 per cent across the province.

“We wanted to learn more about the factors that lead to these results so we dug a little deeper, beginning with an exploration into local smoking policies and bylaws,” she said.

“We wanted to know what bylaws existed and how they were aligned. We discovered that the City of Duncan had the most comprehensive bylaws followed by the CVRD, but they are non-existent in Lake Cowichan, Ladysmith or the Municipality of North Cowichan. As well, no bylaws include e-cigarettes or marijuana.”

Lise said that over the past 10 months, the OCCHN has also been leading a group of local government representatives, Island Health and the BC Lung Association in researching the issue and, together, the groups have been drafting the proposal for a comprehensive and aligned bylaw that would encompass the Valley

“We are currently in the process of presenting it to local government staff for their input,” she said.

“Simply put, our goal is to reduce the number of smokers in the Cowichan region and to improve our health outcomes as a result. It should also be noted that once this is completed, a community wide cessation project will follow as part of our ongoing strategy that will include information for access to services, cessation programs and education.”



robert.barron@cowichanvalleycitizen.com

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