Ban covers all types of smoking: Park Chair
Posted July 8, 2011 10:40 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – It’s the first summer the smoking ban has been effect for Vancouver beaches and parks. But the pungent smell of pot is still common at some beaches and parks, especially during special occasions.
Aaron Jasper, Chair of the Vancouver Park Board says park rangers deal with all smokers the same way. “If people are smoking marijuana, this ban applies to them. From day one, our approach has been one based on public awareness and education. They might have lit up out of habit, and usually they are more than happy to oblige to butt out,” he explains.
So far not many people have been fined for smoking. “Back in the spring we wrote up a half a dozen tickets. Essentially these were repeat offenders, people who had been politely talked to, then seen again thumbing their nose at the rules,” he points out.
He insists the ban is not a money grab, but a way to promote public health and clean beaches while reducing forest fire hazards.
The minimum fine for smoking in parks and at beaches is $250.
