Halifax smoking ban: How it’s going 3 years later

In three years, Halifax Regional Police handed out 13 tickets for smoking outside of designated smoking areas, and bylaw officers have handed out none.

It’s been three years since Halifax’s smoking ban went into effect, which prohibits people from smoking or vaping on municipal property outside the 91 designated smoking areas scattered throughout the municipality.

But are people actually following the rules?

“I wouldn’t say it’s been effective,” said Paul MacKinnon, the CEO of the Downtown Halifax Business Commission. “People still smoke — whether it’s cigarettes or marijuana — kind of anywhere.”

While people do use the receptacles provided at the designated smoking areas in downtown Halifax, MacKinnon said people smoke outside of them too.

“People do use them at times, but people certainly aren’t gathered around them and only smoking there,” he said. “I wouldn’t say it’s any different than before the ban.”

Every summer, the business commission employs a crew to pick up litter in the downtown area. Last summer, they picked up more than half a million cigarette butts, MacKinnon said.

“If people are still choosing to smoke, that’s fine, but the more that people can take that personal accountability and use the receptacles that are still out there, that would be much better,” he said.

“That’s by far our number one piece of litter that we pick up.”