SHORT REPORT
Reported municipal costs from outdoor smoke-free by-laws-experience from Ontario, Canada
 
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1
Propel Centre for Population Health Impact, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada
 
2
Department of Health, Behavior & Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Institute for Global Tobacco Control, Baltimore, USA
 
3
School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada
 
 
Submission date: 2014-01-06
 
 
Acceptance date: 2014-02-24
 
 
Publication date: 2014-02-28
 
 
Corresponding author
Ryan David Kennedy   

Propel Centre for Population Health Impact, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
 
 
Tobacco Induced Diseases 2014;12(February):4
 
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Background:
In 2006, enclosed public and workplaces in Ontario were made smoke-free by the Smoke-free Ontario Act (SFOA). Numerous area municipalities across the province have since developed local by-laws that are more restrictive than the SFOA and ban smoking in outdoor environments including parks, beaches, and patios. The current study measured reported costs associated with the implementation and enforcement of smoke-free outdoor municipal by-laws including materials and staffing costs. The study also assessed the number of warnings or tickets issued to smokers. Ontario communities with a by-law in force for at least 2 years were included in the sample (n = 42). The study was completed by 88% of area municipalities (n = 37). Municipal staff and managers completed a survey by telephone between June-September 2012.

Methods:
No area municipality surveyed reported that they hired additional enforcement staff as a result of their community’s smoke-free by-law. Most municipalities (95%) posted signage to support awareness of their by-law; signs costs ranged from $40-$150/sign with most municipalities reporting signs were made in-house. Most communities reported actively enforcing the by-law; six communities reported they had issued tickets to people not in compliance with outdoor smoking restrictions.

Conclusions:
The implementation, promotion, and enforcement of outdoor smoke-free by-laws have required municipal staff time and in most cases have promotional costs, but these have come from existing budgets and using existing staff. Outdoor smoke-free by-laws have not created significant burdens on municipal enforcement staff or on municipal budgets.

 
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2.
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Non-Smokers’ Rights Association (NSRA): NSRA's Smoke-Free Laws Database. [http://www.nsra-adnf.ca/cms/sm...].
 
 
CITATIONS (5):
1.
Explaining Mechanisms That Influence Smoke-Free Implementation at the Local Level: A Realist Review of Smoking Bans
Martin Mlinarić, Laura Hoffmann, Anton E Kunst, Michael Schreuders, Marc C Willemsen, Irene Moor, Matthias Richter
Nicotine & Tobacco Research
 
2.
Implementation phase of the Tobacco-Free Parks Ordinance: a policy evaluation using photographic data
L. Michele Issel, K. Bayha, A. Nelson
Public Health
 
3.
Enhancing implementation of smoke-free places: A comparative qualitative study across seven European cities
Martin Mlinarić, Laura Hoffmann, Pirjo Lindfors, Matthias Richter, Julien Perelman, Teresa Leão, Joana Alves, Bruno Federico, Diego Marandola, Marco di, Vincent Lorant, Adeline Grard, Nora Mélard, Pierre-Olivier Robert, Anton Kunst, Michael Schreuders, Paulien Nuyts, Mirte Kuipers, Martin Mlinarić, Laura Hoffmann, Matthias Richter, Arja Rimpelä, Pirjo Lindfors, Anu Linnansaari, Jaana Kinnunen, Luke Clancy, Sheila Keogan, Elisabeth Breslin
Social Science & Medicine
 
4.
Effect of smoke-free legislation on respiratory health services use in children with asthma: a population-based open cohort study in Ontario, Canada
Teresa To, Ivy Fong, Jingqin Zhu, Rachel McGihon, Kimball Zhang, Emilie Terebessy
BMJ Open
 
5.
State of the literature discussing smoke-free policies globally: A narrative review
Jacqueline A. Teed, Meagan O. Robichaud, Michelle Duren, Hebe N. Gouda, Ryan David Kennedy
Tobacco Induced Diseases
 
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