Halifax Regional Municipality’s 311 phone service received only a handful of complaint calls in the first four days of the new smoking bylaw that limits where people can light up.
Municipal spokesman Brendan Elliott said there had been only 20 complaints between last Monday and Friday morning.
Elliott said some people may not bother because they assume that the person will be gone before an enforcement officer arrives, “but we still want people to let us know, because what that may say to us is that there are a lot of smokers in an area and we might want to consider putting in a designated smoking area there.”
He said officials are finding that people are smoking in the designated areas when they see a receptacle, “but obviously we don’t have them everywhere in the city yet, so it makes sense that people are going to be smoking elsewhere.”
Elliott said while the information can help guide placement of additional smoking areas, it can also help compliance even if someone is gone before a bylaw or enforcement officer arrives.
It’s still a matter right now of directing people to the closest location and educating them, he said.
There are 20 compliance officers, along with nine parking enforcement officers who are also trained.
“They’re not out there specifically patrolling for tobacco or marijuana use in areas outside the designated smoking areas,” Elliott said. “They’re doing their regular duties, but while they’re out and about, they’re doing an education component while (people are) smoking.”
No tickets had been issued as of Friday morning, and there had been no confrontations or issues with smokers when they were being spoken to, Elliott said.
He said the municipality is still taking grief for not setting up spaces in the downtown, although “people were smoking in violation of the Nova Scotia Smoke-free Places Act long before we adopted our bylaw amendments.”
The act bans smoking within four metres of a doorway.
He said when setting up spots, “we have to make sure we’re not setting them up in violation of the provincial legislation.”
