Smoke Free

May 2, 2003

As many of you know, the University's Environmental Health and Safety Committee has proposed that smoking be prohibited on all Dalhousie-owned property. Currently smoking is restricted to areas five meters from buildings. Effective September 1, smoking will be prohibited on all University-owned property and grounds, in student residences, and in University vehicles.

The University first introduced a policy to prohibit smoking in its buildings in 1988. That policy has since evolved to keep pace with new health information and attitudes towards tobacco smoke. Our aim is to improve public health at Dalhousie.

We know the move to a Smoke-Free Dalhousie is supported by many in the University community. This past winter, nearly 82 per cent of those who responded to a request for comments supported such a smoke-free policy. Overwhelmingly people are unhappy with the existing situation and feel the existing policy is not sufficient. People react poorly to being exposed to smoke at entranceways to buildings, on walkways, in outside gathering areas, and in offices that have windows or doors where smoke wafts in from outside.

Experts in the field tell us that smokers often see these policy changes as an opportunity to try to quit. We would not force that decision upon anyone, but we will be expanding our support programs by working with health agencies to offer cessation programs to employees and students.

Our committee has carefully examined a long list of issues and developed processes that will be put into place over the next few months. A web site will contain a wide range of public health information. It will include maps of University-owned areas where smoking will be prohibited on all three campuses. These maps will be published in Dalhousie News and in other appropriate communications. There will be new signage on exit doors and we will ensure that new and returning students are aware of the changed policy before September. We will work with the Dalhousie Student Union to determine how it can respond to our students' clearly expressed wish for reduced exposure to second-hand smoke. We also will work with the Dalhousie Arts Centre, Dalplex and other public venues to help them inform their clients and the general public of the new policy.

Over the next few days, you will probably read and hear comments in the media about Dalhousie's new smoke-free policy. The University will be in the vanguard of organizations that have made the decision to take that extra step to protect the health of our community members. At the same time, it is clear that public policy in many jurisdictions is moving in the same direction and to the same purpose.

I would like to thank all the members of the Dalhousie community who took the time to send their thoughtful comments to the Environmental Health and Safety Committee, as well as to the committee members for their time and well-considered conclusions. I thank all members of the Dalhousie community for your cooperation as we begin to implement this new program.

President Tom Traves