Regional Municipality of Halton, Ontario
· adopted 2020-07-15
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THE REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY OF HALTON
BY-LAW NO. 40-20
A BY-LAW TO PROHIBIT SMOKING AND VAPING IN PUBLIC PLACES
WITHIN THE REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY OF HALTON AND TO REPEAL
BY-LAW NO. 24-09.
WHEREAS subsection 11(2) of the Municipal Act, 2001, S.O. 2001, c. 25 (the
Municipal Act), authorizes Regional Council to pass by-laws respecting the
health, safety and well-being of persons;
AND WHEREAS subsection 115(1) of the Municipal Act authorizes a
municipality to prohibit or regulate the smoking of tobacco or cannabis in
public places and workplaces;
AND WHEREAS Regional Council in its capacity as the Region's Board of
Health has a duty under the Health Protection and Promotion Act, R.S.O.
1990, c. H.7, to protect the public from exposure to second-hand smoke.
NOW THEREFORE THE COUNCIL OF THE REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY OF
HALTON HEREBY ENACTS AS FOLLOWS:
1.0
DEFINITIONS
1.1
In this By-law:
(a)
"ashtray" means a receptacle or similar equipment for tobacco
and/or cannabis ashes and for cigarette and cigar butts;
(b)
"cannabis" has the same definition as in section 2(1) of the
Cannabis Act, S.C. 2018, c. 16;
(c)
"child care centre" means a child care centre within the meaning
of the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014, S.O. 2014, c. 11, Sched.
1, and for greater certainty does not include home child care or in-
home services as defined in that Act;
(d)
"electronic cigarette" means a vaporizer or inhalant-type device,
whether called an electronic cigarette or any other name, that contains
a power source and heating element designed to heat a substance and
produce a vapour intended to be inhaled by the user of the device
directly through the mouth, whether or not the vapour contains
nicotine;
(e)
"Enforcement Officer" means a public health inspector acting
under the direction of the Medical Officer of Health for the Region or a
Page 2 of 7 of By-law No. 40-20
person appointed by any Local Municipality for the purpose of
enforcing the provisions of this By-law;
(f)
i)
"entrance or exit", in connection with a municipally owned
or leased building, means any entrance or exit used by the
public and/or staff to enter or exit the building, but in the case of
a building leased only in part by the Municipality means only
such entrance or exit used exclusively for the purpose of
entering into or exiting from the premises leased by the
Municipality and not for the purpose of entering into or exiting
from premises leased by any other tenant(s) or premises used
in common with any other tenant(s); "entrance or exit" also
means any external serving window of a municipally owned
building, or part thereof, which is used as a concession stand;
ii)
"entrance or exit", in connection with a child care centre,
means any entrance or exit used by the children attending the
child care centre and/or their parents or guardians to enter or
exit the building, but in the case of a building used only in part
by the child care centre means only such entrance or exit that is
either (a) used only to access the child care centre and no other
part of the building or (b) designated by signage as an entrance
or exit intended to access the child care centre;
(g)
"Local Municipality" means the Corporation of the City of
Burlington, the Town of Oakville, the Town of Milton or the Town of
Halton Hills;
(h)
"Municipality" means the Region or a Local Municipality;
(i)
"municipally owned or leased building" means any building
owned or leased, in whole or in part, by a Municipality and includes,
but is not limited to, municipal offices, community centres, libraries,
indoor swimming pools, arenas, museums, art galleries, public
washrooms, recreational centres, police stations, fire halls and
ambulance stations, but does not include a building used by or for the
purposes of the Halton Community Housing Corporation; and
"municipally owned building" and "municipally leased building" shall
have corresponding meanings;
(j)
"operator", in connection with a child care centre, means a
person who has control or management of the child care centre;
(k)
"public park" means land owned by a Municipality that is
designed or used for public recreation including, but not limited to,
parklands, parkettes, trails, playgrounds, sports fields, playing fields,
beaches and dog parks, and includes any lane and walkway leading
Page 3 of 7 of By-law No. 40-20
thereto, any parking lots connected thereto, and any spectator or
player seating areas;
(l)
"Region" means The Regional Municipality of Halton;
(m)
"Regional Council" means the Council of the Region;
(n)
"Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017" means the Smoke-Free
Ontario Act, 2017, S.O. 2017, c. 26, Sched. 3;
(o)
"use", with respect to electronic cigarettes, includes any of the
following:
i)
inhaling vapour from an electronic cigarette,
ii)
exhaling vapour from an electronic cigarette,
iii)
holding an activated electronic cigarette;
(p)
"vape" means to use an electronic cigarette; and "vaping" has a
corresponding meaning.
2.0
INTERPRETATION AND SCOPE
2.1
In the event of a conflict between any provisions of this By-law and the
Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017, the provision that is more restrictive
prevails, subject to subsection 18 of the Smoke-Free Ontario Act,
2017.
2.2
Any reference in this By-law to any statutes, regulations or by-laws
shall be deemed to be a reference to such statutes, regulations or by-
laws, as amended, restated or replaced from time to time.
3.0
PROHIBITIONS
3.1
No person shall smoke or hold lighted tobacco, smoke or hold lighted
cannabis, or use an electronic cigarette in the following places:
(a)
within nine (9) metres from any entrance or exit of a municipally
owned or leased building,
(b)
within nine (9) metres from any entrance or exit of a child care
centre,
(c)
in a public park.
3.2
The application of section 3.1 is not affected by the absence or
presence of signage referred to in sections 4.1 and 4.2.
Page 4 of 7 of By-law No. 40-20
4.0
SIGNS
4.1
Each Municipality shall ensure that no smoking/no vaping signs are
posted in a conspicuous manner and not obstructed from view on or
immediately next to every entrance or exit of each of its municipally
owned and leased buildings and throughout each public park, and that
such signs be in sufficient numbers and in locations to clearly identify
the prohibition set out in section 3.1.
4.2
Each operator of a child care centre shall ensure that no smoking/no
vaping signs are posted in a conspicuous manner and not obstructed
from view on or immediately next to every entrance or exit of its child
care centre, and that such signs be in sufficient numbers and in
locations to clearly identify the prohibition set out in section 3.1.
4.3
The signs required pursuant to sections 4.1 and 4.2 shall be provided
to the Local Municipalities and to operators of child care centres by the
Region and the costs of producing the signs shall be the Region's
responsibility. Each Local Municipality and each operator of a child
care centre shall be responsible for advising the Region of the number
of signs it requires.
4.4
The owner of a municipally leased building or building used in whole or
in part for the purpose of a child care centre shall permit the
Municipality or the operator of the child care centre, as applicable, to
post the signs required pursuant to section 4.1 or 4.2.
4.5
No person shall remove, cover up, mutilate, deface or alter any sign
required to be posted pursuant to section 4.1 or 4.2.
5.0
ASHTRAYS
5.1
The owner of any building to which this By-law applies or of a public
park shall ensure that ashtrays are not available for use within any
area where the smoking or holding of lighted tobacco or lighted
cannabis is prohibited pursuant to section 3.1.
6.0
EXCEPTIONS
6.1
This By-law does not apply to any portion of a highway as defined in
the Municipal Act or to any private property other than private property
which:
Page 5 of 7 of By-law No. 40-20
(a)
is owned by the owner of a building to which this By-law applies,
and
(b)
constitutes the area within nine (9) metres from any entrance or
exit of such building to which this By-law applies, provided that
such area is not directly adjacent to a doorway that leads to
premises leased by any other tenant(s) or premises used in
common with any other tenant(s) of the same building.
7.0
LISTS OF PREMISES TO WHICH THIS BY-LAW APPLIES
7.1
No later than sixty (60) days after this By-law comes into force and
effect, the Clerk of each Local Municipality shall provide to the Medical
Officer of Health for the Region a list of all buildings owned or leased,
in whole or in part, by the Local Municipality and a list of public parks.
8.0
INSPECTIONS AND ENFORCEMENT
8.1
The provision of this By-law may be enforced by Enforcement Officers.
8.2
Enforcement Officers may inspect public parks, any entrance or exit of
a municipally owned or leased building or child care centre and the
area surrounding any such entrance or exit for the purpose of
determining if the provisions of this By-law are being complied with.
9.0
OBSTRUCTION AND FALSE STATEMENT PROHIBITED
9.1
No person shall hinder or obstruct an Enforcement Officer who is
acting pursuant to the authority of this By-law.
9.2
No person shall knowingly produce a false document or make a false
or misleading statement to an Enforcement Officer who is acting
pursuant to the authority of this By-law.
10.0 EVIDENCE
10.1 In a prosecution pursuant to this By-law, a justice presiding over the
proceeding may infer that any substance or thing in question is
tobacco within the meaning of this By-law from the fact that a witness
describes it as tobacco or by a name that is commonly applied to
tobacco.
Page 6 of 7 of By-law No. 40-20
10.2 In a prosecution pursuant to this By-law, a justice presiding over the
proceeding may infer that any substance or thing in question is
cannabis within the meaning of this By-law from the fact that a witness
describes it as cannabis or by a name that is commonly applied to
cannabis.
10.3 In a prosecution pursuant to this By-law, a justice presiding over the
proceeding may infer that any substance or thing in question is an
electronic cigarette within the meaning of this By-law from the fact that
a witness describes it as an electronic cigarette or by a name that is
commonly applied to an electronic cigarette.
11.0 OFFENCES AND PENALITIES
11.1 Any person who contravenes any provision of this By-law is guilty of an
offence and upon conviction is liable to a fine in accordance with the
Provincial Offences Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.33.
12.0 EFFECTIVE DATE AND REPEAL
12.1 This By-law comes into force and effect on the date which is ninety
(90) days after the date on which the Clerk of the Region has received
certified copies of resolutions giving consent to this By-law passed by
the councils of three of the Local Municipalities.
12.2 By-law No. 24-09 shall be repealed on the date this by-law comes into
force and effect.
13.0 HEADINGS FOR REFERENCE ONLY
13.1 The headings inserted in this By-law are for convenience of reference
only and shall not affect the construction or interpretation of this By-
law.
14.0 SEVERABILITY
14.1 If, for any reason, any provision of this By-law is held invalid, it is
hereby declared to be the intention of Council that all the remainder of
this By-law shall continue in full force and effect until repealed, re-
enacted or amended, in whole or in part, or dealt with in any other way.
Page 7 of 7 of By-law No. 40-20
15.0 SHORT TITLE
15.1 The short title of this By-law is the "Halton Region Smoking/Vaping By-
law".
READ and PASSED this 15th day of July, 2020.
REGIONAL CHAIR
REGIONAL CLERK
Report: MO-15-20