North Bay’s revised no-smoking by law will be complaints driven.
It means smokers don’t have to worry that the city will be hunting them down looking specifically for anyone who violates the new regulations.
By law enforcement officer Ron Melnyk, who will write up the revisions for council to adopt, says violators will get a speech about the new law if they’re caught breaking it.
Under the revisions, businesses are part of the by law and the ban on smoking applies to their parking lots.
Melnyk says people smoking in a parking lot would be “informed of the rules and that they are technically breaking the law”.
Melnyk says they will be told they are not allowed to smoke in the parking lot as an example.
“And with continued complaints and continued non-compliance, eventually you’re going to receive either a ticket or court summons to appear in Court,” Melnyk said.
A common place for people to smoke in the parking lot is at the city-owned Memorial Gardens.
Melnyk says once the new rules kick in this summer, people attending events at the Gardens will have to smoke on the sidewalk, well away from the building’s entrance.
Melnyk says the fines for violators will stay the same under the revisions.
That means a ticket will set back a smoker $180 which is broken down into a $150 fine plus costs.
The amendments also ban smoking from parking lots of all city-owned facilities.
In addition, alleyways leading to parking areas that are privately owned will also be included in the ban.
Smokers will have to walk out the alleyway and onto a sidewalk to puff on their cigarettes.
