Soon, those who vape will face the same restrictions as smokers, unable to puff at bus stops, near doorways and a host of other places.
Surrey council will be considering a staff proposal Monday to amend the city's smoking bylaw to include vapourizing (vaping) and e-cigarettes.
"In June, 2015, Calgary City Council passed a bylaw banning the use of e-cigarettes and vapourizers everywhere the use of tobacco cigarettes were currently banned," a staff report to council Monday states. "Surrey would be the first city in British Columbia to prohibit vapourizing and e-cigarettes the same way (tobacco) cigarettes are prohibited."
If passed, it will prohibit vaping on transit, at bus shelters, in a customer service area or within 7.5 meters of any opening to a building.
"These smoking devices will be treated the same as a common cigarette when referring to the smoking bylaw regardless of the substance inside the device," the staff report says.
The region has been grappling with the issue of vaping for some time.