Once again, the City of Ottawa is making it more difficult to operate a restaurant patio.
The city’s decision to instruct the Ottawa Board of Health to examine a proposal that would ban smoking on outdoor patios before 8 p.m. is merely a formality for a law that will surely be enacted by spring.
That’s right. Soon we will have another bylaw on top of all the other legislation, policies and regulations that tell Ottawa restaurant owners how to operate their patios.
If our goal is to promote a "smoke-free Ontario,” we need to continue to educate smokers, not penalize bars and restaurants.
From guidelines governing land-use relationships, building facades, platforms, fences, awnings, lighting and plants, the city’s decision to add even more red tape to patios shows their disregard for the autonomy of small business owners.
Is this law really necessary?
When Ontario decided to ban smoking inside establishments, many restaurants and bars made the investment in decks and patios to cater to their patrons having to go outside.
The Smoke-Free Ontario Act already prohibits bars from having smoking patios adjacent to another patio within an establishment that is smoke-free.
The city argues that by targeting patios during the day, it will prevent youth from being exposed to second-hand smoke.
But really, how many young people do you see eating at downtown bars during the day?
The city needs to start enforcing the laws it has before implementing more unenforceable policies.
Already the City of Ottawa is unable to enforce laws against the many shisha bars that encourage smoking inside restaurants.
If this proposed bylaw will do anything, it will deter compliance with even more city smoking laws.
Coun. Bob Monette has compared the outdoor smoking ban to the anti-idling bylaw, which has produced only four charges since its enactment in 2007.
Unless the city creates a bylaw task force to specifically target smoking-ban enforcement, smoking will continue to be prevalent in bars, with or without the new law banning smoking before 8 p.m.
In Alberta, a similar bylaw is being considered by Edmonton city council. The Edmonton bylaw would ban smoking around playgrounds, sports fields, rinks and other outdoor sites used by children, quite similar to the proposed Ottawa bylaw; but it doesn't target patios.
Ottawa city council needs to recognize that education is more effective than forcing people to comply with a set of rules.
That way, the Ottawa can promote a healthy lifestyle without hurting bars and restaurants.