The BC Experience October, 2007

Approach in BC • Reduce exposure for residents in MUDs• Educate Housing Providers – it’s legal • Increase VOLUNTARY smoke-free policies• Toxicity of the smoke – not the person who smokes

What have we done?• Develop Relationships & Partnership

• Be Informed: Gather Data

• Be Prepared: Develop Resources

• Educated Others

• Recommended Policy Guidelines

• Identified Opportunities

• Sought Funding

Develop Relationships• Key players - advice and challenges

• Focused on non-profit housing association (BCNPHA)

• Partnered with BCNPHA to educate members across province

Partners

Other partners • NSRA

• CCTC

• Canadian Smoke-free Housing Coalition

Gather Data• Collect relevant

demographics

• Identify business case

• Identify extent of problem

• Identify smoke-free places

– 60% households rent in some areas

– 86% of BCers are smoke-free

– Untapped market– Reduced cleaning costs – Fewer complaints

– 30% of all renters have experienced SHS in BC

– Global Agencies– Envy – Condo– Westin / Marriott Hotels

Develop Resources• Fact Sheets • Legal precedents & arbitration successes• Legality of smoke-free policies

Clean Air Coalition of BC website

www.cleanaircoalitionbc.com

Educated Others• Workshops - public/private housing

• Industry forums & conventions

• Presentations at BCNPHA annual

• Distributed educational letters through partner’s distribution systems

• Prepared articles

Educate & Raise Awareness• Assisted residents with SHS

problems

• Lobbied Greater Vancouver Housing Corporation

• Requested intervener status in human rights tribunal case

Lobby for Policy Guidelines• Lobbied Residential Tenancy Branch

to enhance their Policy Guideline on ‘Quiet Enjoyment’ (e.g. Noise)

• Wrote Minister of Housing

Opportunities• Landlords and the legal authority

• Perception smoking is legal – SHS nuisance

• Belief that the home is the castle

Opportunities• Grandfathering clauses

• Economic argument

• Resources – money and time

• Learn from lessons in the past

National Website

www.smokefreehousing.ca

Next steps in BC• Received funding to implement Smoke-free

Housing – aged 19 to 29

Next steps in BCPrimary Components include (con’t)

– Smoke-Free Housing Pilot Project• Recruit Participants• Develop Strategic Plan for implementing Smoke-Free Policy• Implement Smoke-Free Policy• Track Progress and Lessons Learned

– Community Forums• Develop workshops• Recruit participants from housing industry• Implement forums• Identify partnership opportunities• Identify interested participants for Pilot Project

Next steps in BC• Received funding to implement Smoke-free

Housing – aged 19 to 29• Maine video

Contact • Sharon Hammond (

sharonhammond@telus.net)

• Jack Boomer

(jackboomer@shaw.ca)