Petition for Multi-Unit Dwelling Smoking Ban in British Columbia Gaining Traction

(Newswire.net — January 28, 2019) Langley, BC — The initiative called “Air We Share” was started by the owner of a condo in Langley, BC who is worried about the health effects on her baby from breathing in cigarette smoke seeping into her apartment from a neighboring unit.

According to Air We Share, statistics show that 85% of British Columbians do not smoke and have a right to breathe clean air in their homes. Over the past few years smoking has been banned in restaurants, offices, parks bars, and many other public areas in BC and Air We Share feels that it should be extended to MUDs.

The petition was started to help gain support for responsible legislation to protect the rights of people living in multi-unit dwellings to live in a smoke-free environment. The issue was very quickly taken up by other concerned citizens and has since gone viral with formal paper-based petitions signed, social media and email shares, and extensive news coverage by the media.

An initial appeal to the strata council for a by-law to ban smoking in the complex resulted in a ban in common and limited common areas only (including balconies), which made things worse as smoking behind closed doors increased the density of toxic smoke in the building. In desperation the fight has been taken to the BC Legislature for a law to protect the health of all babies, children, parents, the elderly, and anyone living in conjoined housing. “Neighbors should not have the right to harm each other” says Naomi Goffman from Air We Share. It is a fact that second-hand smoke is harmful and there is no way to prevent the seepage of smoke from one unit to another in conjoined housing. If only one person smokes in their own unit, everyone else is exposed to the toxins as it is carried on the air shared in multi-unit dwellings.

According to Air We Share, the Canadian Bill of Rights states that Canadians have a “right to life”, however, current strata laws in BC allow smoking in stratas by default and a 75% vote is needed to change a bylaw. Canadians need laws that will uphold their Constitutional “right to life” and protect their health within their own homes where they spend more time than at work (which, incidentally, already has non-smoking laws).

Air We Share is petitioning the Legislative Assembly of BC via the Minister of Municipal Affairs & Housing, Selina Robinson to enact a law that makes all buildings with multiple units sharing air smoke-free as the default status. A smoking ban in multi-family dwellings will improve the overall health of all British Columbians by reducing preventable health issues and costs due to the inhalation of second-hand smoke, reduce the risk of fires, and allow families to live safely in their own homes without their health being compromised by second-hand smoke from their neighbors. It also increases market value of the homes, and reduces maintenance costs in the buildings.

You can support this initiative by printing and signing the paper-based petition that meets legislature submission guidelines and mail it to Air We Share via the address noted on the petition. Download the petition and get more information at:

https://airweshare.ca/

You can also contact the Honourable Selina Robinson or your local MLA directly to voice your support for this change.