Smoking pot in the wrong part of Tofino could net a $100 fine, though the district’s bylaw department doesn’t plan to start throwing tickets around right out of the gate.
“The biggest part of it is educational right now,” the head of Tofino’s bylaw department Brent Baker told the Westerly News. “We’re always seeking voluntary compliance. The goal is not, in any way ever, to generate revenue through bylaws.”
In Tofino, smoking or vaping either cannabis or tobacco is prohibited within six metres of any public recreational space, like fields, beaches and playgrounds as well as customer service areas, like restaurant patios, and outdoor workplaces.
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Baker said many residents and visitors might not immediately be aware of Tofino’s specific cannabis regulations, so bylaw enforcement officers will be on the look-out for smokers during their regular patrols and, if they see anyone smoking in a restricted area, will explain the local pot laws.
“Municipalities had the opportunity to have additional areas where we’re not going to allow it [cannabis], so those are the ones we need to educate people on,” he said.
He said no additional beach patrols are scheduled.
“Really, what we’re talking about in those recreational spaces is how it affects other people,” he said. “Yes, the bylaw says that you can’t smoke on a beach. But, being a good human means that you’re not going to smoke next to people wherever you are, so that’s a big part of what it comes down to.”
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He added his department is ready to support local businesses that have trouble with people smoking near storefronts.
“Business owners and employees are asked to actually go out and inform people as well,” he said.
“If they have issues with someone giving them a hard time about it, then they’re absolutely more than welcome to give the bylaw department a call and we can provide some further education.”
The bylaw department can be reached at 250-725-3365.
Baker said “voluntary compliance is the ultimate goal of all bylaw departments” and he expects people caught smoking in restricted areas will move on when asked.
“There’s always people that will choose to take a different stance, but at this point we’re looking at it as an educational process,” he said. “Down the road, if there’s additional steps that are required, then we’ll look at those. But, I think, the reasonable thing to do right now is to provide as much education as possible and offer the support that goes along with that for people to find alternative areas to do what they want to do.”
READ MORE: Locals hash out Tofino’s proposed cannabis ban
andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
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