Credit to Whitby mother for sparking anti-smoking debate

A Whitby resident wants to clear the air -- literally -- at parks and playgrounds and is looking to local and regional politicians to help her take up the cause. Kelly Connolley approached the Town recently requesting that a bylaw be enacted to regulate smoking in outdoor recreational areas and will soon be speaking before a committee of Durham Regional Council to press the issue. It's an idea whose time, quite frankly, has come: municipalities across Canada have begun adopting new bylaws that prohibit smoking in a wider range of areas.

No longer is it acceptable to ban smoking only in confined spaces; the debilitating effects of tobacco smoke can also be found in the great outdoors. Science has proven that tobacco is harmful not only to primary users, but those who are in close proximity to the smoke they exhale. Second-hand smoke from those exhalations, and from the burning of tobacco products, kills approximately 1,000 Canadians every year, according to the Canadian Cancer Society. And Ms. Connolley has the support of many Durham Region residents behind her.

The Region's own 2011 Rapid risk Factor Surveillance Survey indicated that 89 per cent of residents favour smoke-free public playgrounds. As well, 84 per cent support smoke-free public playing fields and spectator areas, and 78 per cent would prefer smoke-free public beaches. In that context, the implementation of a more restrictive no-smoking bylaw -- particularly in the interests of protecting children, who are most vulnerable to the effects of second-hand smoke -- would see widespread support in Durham Region's communities.

 It is true that tobacco remains a legal product and that would have to be taken into consideration as new rules are pondered. Smokers might face a measure of inconvenience, but it's a small price to pay for the safety of the larger community. Common sense dictates that tobacco use around children -- whether indoors or outside -- can have a negative impact on their health and should be regulated in every case. The long, inexorable march towards a smoke-free society continues. Here's hoping the efforts of Ms. Connolley can help promote discussion and debate among political leaders with a view to crafting bylaws necessary to protect citizens.