Quebec government should ban smoking on terrasses, Marvin Rotrand says
Research has found harmful levels of second-hand smoke on Montreal's patios
With warmer weather finally on the horizon, Quebecers will soon be soaking up the sun outside bars and restaurants.
But Montreal city councillor Marvin Rotrand wants the Quebec government to put a stop to smoking cigarettes on terraces.
Rotrand introduced a motion that passed Monday night calling on the province to reduce tobacco use by 10 per cent over the next decade.
Banning smoking on patios, as has been done in provinces including Ontario and Alberta, is a good place to start, he said.
"The bulk of the population are not smokers and many people just don't like having to breathe in somebody else's smoke when they want to enjoy a nice warm summer day on a restaurant patio," Rotrand told Daybreak.
One restaurant banned smoking on its terrace by choice.
Lawrence Auger, the manager of L'Académie on Crescent Street, said the change came at the request of customers.
"It was a great result," Auger said. "People don't want cigarettes when they are enjoying their meal."
The head of Montreal's bar owners association, Peter Sergakis, is opposed to the idea.
He said eating and drinking establishments should have a right to choose whether or not people can smoke on their terraces.
"I don't think it should be government telling them, 'no smoking,'" Sergakis said.
Sergakis said his business has suffered since smoking was banned inside bars. He fears a ban on patio smoking would hurt even more.
Recently, researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland found harmful levels of second-hand smoke in a survey of Montreal bar patios.
The study found that a single lit cigarette could create air quality levels comparable to a smoggy day in Los Angeles.