Health Experts Question Planned Smoking Sections at Vancouver Summer Festivals

Shraddha Tripathy

6/4/20262 min read

Vancouver’s park board has approved designated smoking areas at three festivals this summer, but health experts are raising concerns about the potential impact on public health.

Smoking has been banned at Vancouver parks and beaches since 2010 because of the risks linked to smoking and second-hand smoke. The new pilot project will make exceptions at three summer events: the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival in Stanley Park, and the Country Club and Rosé Disco festivals at Jericho Beach Park.

The decision means festival organizers will be allowed to create designated smoking sections on city park land, despite the long-standing ban.

Park Board Says Smoking Is Already Happening

Park board business development manager Octavio Silva said the move is meant to respond to what is already happening at large outdoor events.

He said people are smoking at these festivals whether or not an official smoking area exists, but without designated spaces, smoking tends to happen throughout the venue in a more scattered way.

Supporters of the pilot argue that creating a specific area could help contain smoking and make enforcement easier.

Experts Warn About Second-Hand Smoke

Dr. Stuart Kreisman of Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada said designated smoking areas may sound workable in theory, but can be difficult to manage in practice.

He said any smoking area must be kept well away from the general viewing area, with enough space between smokers and non-smokers to prevent second-hand smoke from drifting into the crowd.

“What you don’t want is a situation where the people in their general seats are in a functional smoking section,” Kreisman said.

He warned that second-hand smoke can pose an immediate health risk, especially for people with asthma or other respiratory conditions, people with heart conditions and those who are pregnant.

The federal government has stated there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke.

Concerns About Weakening Long-Standing Policy

Joan Bottorff, a researcher and professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia Okanagan, said smoking rates in B.C. remain relatively low, but health professionals continue to worry about both smoking and vaping.

She said tobacco use increases the risk of serious long-term illnesses, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. The earlier people quit, she said, the better their chances of avoiding major health consequences.

Bottorff said there are alternatives to allowing smoking sections inside events on city property. Those could include stronger enforcement of existing non-smoking rules or directing smokers outside park boundaries.

She said those options would preserve the current policy while still addressing the reality of smoking at large events.

Pilot Project Raises ‘Slippery Slope’ Concern

Bottorff said designated smoking areas should ideally be kept off-site, away from festival crowds, with clear signs and communication about where smoking is permitted and what rules apply.

She also warned that the pilot project could open the door to more exceptions in the future.

Once one exception is made, she said, the city may face pressure to allow more, weakening a public health policy that has been in place for years.

For health experts, the key concern is whether the pilot can be managed in a way that protects non-smokers while avoiding a broader rollback of Vancouver’s smoke-free park and beach rules.

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