Public Consultations

Updating Ottawa’s Smoke-Free By-Laws

The consultation period has ended. Below is a summary of the consultations that were conducted from October 18, 2011 to January 20, 2012. Ottawa Public Health will present the report Let’s Clear the Air – A Comprehensive Strategy for a Smoke-Free Ottawa to the Ottawa Board of Health on February 6, 2012 which will then forward recommendations to the Community and Protective Services Committee and City Council. Full report can be found here.

Following the Board of Health’s request that Ottawa Public Health (OPH) conduct public consultations on the expansion of the City of Ottawa’s smoke-free by-laws, OPH developed a comprehensive consultation plan which ran from October 18, 2011 to January 20, 2012.

The objective of the consultations was to ensure residents, businesses and other community representatives had an opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed expansion of the City’s smoke-free by-laws to include all public beaches and parks, all municipal properties and all outdoor patios and terraces. These groups also provided their feedback on other options that would protect the public from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke, including new regulations relating to the use of water-pipes in public establishments.

Why Smoke-Free Public Spaces Matter in Ottawa
Smoke-Free Spaces Survey Results

Ottawa residents provided their comments through the following ways:

Online Public Consultation

The online consultation was available in both English and French from October 18, 2011 to January 20, 2012.

Ottawa Public Health Information Line

Ottawa residents were invited to call or email the Ottawa Public Health Information Line where bilingual Public Health Nurses were available to answer questions and record comments.

Telephone: 613-580-6744 (TTY: 613-580-9656), Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
HealthSante@ottawa.ca

Public Meetings

OPH hosted five public meetings located throughout the city, which included a presentation on relevant health concerns, an explanation on the proposed by-law update and an extensive public question and answer period. Bilingual staff were on hand and written materials were available at all venues.

Consultations were held at Walter Baker Sports Centre, Orléans Client Service Centre, Tom Brown Arena, Kanata Recreation Complex and Ottawa City Hall. Ottawa Public Health held two additional consultation sessions for bar and restaurants, hotels, motels, Bed and Breakfast owners were held at the Hintonburg Community Centre and Sandy Hill Community Centre.