Butt out! City hall to install cigarette cans near library to address litter

MOOSE JAW — The benches in front of the Moose Jaw Public Library are a great place to relax and enjoy the sun and green space, but they also attract smokers who litter after enjoying their unhealthy habit.

During the July 14 regular city council meeting, Coun. Heather Eby said a resident contacted her suggesting that the city install cigarette cans or receptacles in front of, or near, the Moose Jaw Public Library.

“Apparently, there’s a lot of cigarette butt litter there,” she said. “So maybe if there were some actual receptacles, they might cut down on that.”

City administration replied that adding receptacles could be done immediately.

According to Statistics Canada, via the website Made In Canada, around 3.2 million Canadians over age 15 were either regular or occasional cigarette smokers in 2022. This represented about 10.2 per cent of the population, a number that has remained the same since 2020. Furthermore, data showed that men are more likely to smoke than women; in 2021; 1.8 million men smoked and 1.3 million women smoked, representing 11.8 per cent and 8.5 per cent of smokers, respectively.

Moreover, data from Stats Canada shows that around 2.4 million Canadians smoked daily, while 758,000 were occasional smokers; men smoke more often than women.

Meanwhile, since 2000, the number of smokers has decreased in Canada, as in that year, 28.4 per cent of the population smoked daily or occasionally, data showed. By 2005, the rate had fallen to 23.3 per cent, and then fell to 19.3 per cent in 2010 and 15.8 per cent in 2015. 

Information from Stats Canada shows that in 2021, 9.8 per cent of Canadians — or 236,000 people — between 20 and 24 years of age smoked, with young men more likely to smoke than women, at 13.2 per cent versus 6.1 per cent. Meanwhile, in youths between 15 and 19, 3.3 per cent of them smoked either daily or regularly. This represents around 68,000 young people. 

Stats Canada says that smoking is linked to more than two dozen diseases and health conditions and is the leading cause of preventable deaths in Canada. Some of the most serious health risks from smoking include cancer of the lungs, mouth, throat, voice box and esophagus.

Further, smoking increases the risk of leukemia, as well as cancer of the bladder, kidney, stomach and pancreas. Also, smoking can cause respiratory diseases such as bronchitis, asthma and emphysema, along with wheezing, coughing and laboured breathing. Smoking can also increase cardiovascular diseasess throughout the body and brain.

The data also shows that more than 37,000 Canadians die annually from smoking-related causes, or roughly 100 people a day.

The next regular council meeting is Monday, July 28.