City council is asking administration how it can help the hospital stop smokers on its property.
The property Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre has been smoke-free in principle since the hospital opened its doors nearly ten years ago. But there hasn’t been any way for the hospital to enforce its plan to have a smoke-free environment. Hospital staff was before city council Monday night asking that the property be included in the city’s own smoking by-law. That would allow security guards and Thunder Bay District Health Unit officers to stop and even fine people if they smoke on hospital grounds.
The hospital has been approaching smokers, including staff, since April letting them know that as of Sept.30 smoking won’t be tolerated on the property. Smokers are offered supports to try and quit when approached.
While councillors were supportive of the idea, some weren’t comfortable leaving patients to wander off the property in order to smoke.
“The last thing I’d like to see is a person with a pole on the street,” Coun. Andrew Foulds said “They’re addicts.”
Executive vice-president of patient services Mark Henderson said that all patients are offered nicotine replacement therapy when they’re admitted that can help them. Most of the time people found smokers are visitors or staff he said.
“We don’t want to see that either,” Henderson said.“They’re not the ones who’re causing this trouble. It’s their family.”
Around 26 per cent of people in Northwestern Ontario smoke compared to the 20 per cent provincial average. It’s part of the reason that the hospital wants to say its smoke free and mean it. The idea is to help people quit, not punish smokers Henderson said. Fining smokers isn’t a cash grab.
“The last thing we’re going to do is hand out tickets,” he said.
Fines could be up to $250 based on what officials have seen from other hospitals in the province. But in order for a fine to be included in the bylaw, the city would need to apply to the Ministry of the Attorney General.
Council voted to have administration take a look and come back with an appropriate amendment to the city bylaw by next month.
