Image Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP Photo/Alan Diaz
April 01, 2016 - 6:30 PM
KAMLOOPS - Smokers in Kamloops may get a lesson from city bylaw officers, but are unlikely to get a ticket.
A bylaw prohibiting smoking in city parks and other similar properties like City Hall or fire stations will not be proactively enforced, says community safety and enforcement manager Jon Wilson. Instead, Wilson says, bylaw officers will focus on education before fining someone breaking the bylaw.
“Basically, our bylaw officers are simply going to be focusing on education,” he says. “They’ll ask them to extinguish the cigarette or leave the park. Officers will be giving people the opportunity to comply before enforcement is undertaken.”
He says if an individual doesn’t comply with the bylaw officer's request they will likely then be fined.
“We expect most people to comply,” he says.
Another aspect of the bylaw Wilson says is the ability for individuals to approach someone smoking and ask them to stop, citing the bylaw. However, bylaw officers will not be responding to calls for infractions, he says, as it’s not feasible to respond in time to catch someone.
He says instead it’s more of a situation where if a bylaw officer is in a park and sees someone smoking, the officer will engage with the person at that time, with a focus on education.
When the bylaw was apporved by council, some members were concerned with enforcement.
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