Cancer Society pushes smoking bylaws as Saskatchewan municipal election issue

Regina Mayor Michael Fougere is in favour of a ban on smoking in public places, according to a survey done by the Canadian Cancer Society.

Fougere wrote in his survey response thathis idea of a ban would include e-cigarettes andwater pipes, but he didn't specify in which places such a bylaw should apply. He added that he would consult with residents before changing the city's smokingbylaw.

We're saying vote for health.- Jennifer May, vice-president of health promotion for the Lung Association

His comments were part of a survey the Canadian Cancer Society, Heart and Stroke Foundation in Saskatchewanand Saskatchewan Lung Association did of municipal election candidates in Regina, Moose Jaw and Prince Albert.

The hope: That health is high on voters' and potential councillors' minds as they head to the polls.

"We know that most people in Regina want more smoke-free places where they eat, drink and play. The only way they will get a bylaw is if like-minded candidates get a seat on city council, so we're saying vote for health," Jennifer May, vice-president of health promotion for the Lung Association, said in a news release.

One of Fougere's opponents, Tony Fiacco, is not in favour of a bylaw banning smoking in outdoor public places such as restaurant patios, playgrounds, sports fields and parks. However, his survey indicates he thinks e-cigarettes and water pipes should be banned where smoking is.

Saskatoon,WarmanandMartensvillehave bylaws targeting second-hand smoke outdoors.

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"Regina residents deserve the same protection,"saidDonnaPasiechnik, manager oftobacco control for the Canadian Cancer Society.

Mixed views in Moose Jaw, Prince Albert

Moose Jaw incumbent mayoral candidate Deb Higgins supports a bylaw against smoking in outdoor public places. Her opponents, however, have mixed views.

Martin Ring, the only mayoral hopeful in Prince Albert to respond to the survey, is also in favour of such a smoking bylaw.

The Canadian Cancer Society has emphasizedthat smoke-free environments area municipal issue. Municipalities, it said in the newsrelease, can act more quickly on public health issues than provincial governments.

Municipal elections across the province take place on Oct. 26.