Non-smoking organizations say data used in a report from 2010-11 describing Ottawa as having the worst rate of second-hand smoke exposure in the country is no longer relevant.
The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, a federal government-funded organization compiled the report “Population Health in Canada’s Largest Cities,” which says that 17.8 per cent of residents are exposed to second-hand smoke in Ottawa,
Carol McDonald, president of the Ottawa Council on Smoking or Health, says she believes that despite the high percentage of exposure in the report, Ottawa has come a long way since the introduction of the smoking bylaws in 2012. Today, the percentage would be significantly lower.
“When you think of all the restaurant patios, for instance that are in Ottawa, they're 100-per-cent smoke free. Children are also not exposed to second-hand smoke as much. It’s not perfect yet but I think when the survey is repeated, the public will definitely say that they've been receiving less exposure in Ottawa.”
McDonald says being able to look at the old data shows that the bylaws and awareness campaigns are working to reduce the hazardous levels of smoke in the city.
Rami Rahal, director of system performance at the partnership against cancer, says the 2010-11 data was used in this one-off report because it was the most recent data available.
“This data is based on the Canadian Community Health Survey, which is a large national survey on health status and is administrated by Statistics Canada. The survey is run yearly and the data takes a while to compile. This is self-reported data and is based on people’s perceptions of the extent of which they are exposed to smoke in public places,” Rahal says.
“We've seen in this report a direct relationship between the strength of the passive smoking by-laws and the performance of that city.”
Rahal says that reports like this are important because 30 per cent of cancer deaths can be prevented if smoking is eliminated. Urban areas are particularly prone to second-hand smoke exposure.
“In a large urban centre, there is high population density where people are more likely to be exposed to second-hand smoking than in a smaller town.” Rahal says.
In 2012, Ottawa updated its bylaws to protect children and non-smokers from second-hand smoke, as well as to reduce the number of smokers.
The laws restrict smoking in or around outdoor public areas including parks, beaches, playgrounds, sports fields and patios.
Smokers are not permitted to light up within nine metres of certain public institutions and there is a $305 fine if they do not comply.
Pippa Beck, from the Non-Smokers Rights Association, says these bylaws and increased awareness have made people less tolerant of smokers.
“As people know more about second-hand smoke and their exposure to it decreases, so do their tolerances, so even a whiff of it and people will report exposure.”
McDonald says that there is still work to be done in Ottawa, including at hospitals, construction sites, universities and in particular, the Sparks Street Mall.
“We get almost daily complaints about the Mall. It’s advertised by the business association as a parkland but it’s not following the rules of a parkland. They have activities for children, sandboxes and medical things like blood donor clinics there. People are smoking all over the place.”