Smoking ban facing resistance at Wreck Beach
Posted September 24, 2011 9:44 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Beginning January 1st smoking will no longer be allowed at Metro Vancouver parks. But the change is getting a lot of resistance from those who frequent Vancouver’s Wreck Beach.
In total, the ban will cover 12 regional parks with some designated areas where people can light up.
Judy Williams with the Wreck Beach Preservation Society is disappointed by the decision. “It’s going to be impossible to enforce. The RCMP has already stated in a formal letter to the Metro Vancouver people that they will not do that. There is no way the Wreck Beach Preservation Society is going to enforce this bylaw.”
She argues the beach is a unique place, where smoking is much more common than at the other regional parks.
“The staff report, they say, is something like 85 to 90 per cent are non-smokers [but] that does not apply at Wreck Beach, I can tell you that right now.”
The Metro Vancouver board insists it’s a policy that promotes health and should reduce litter.
