Now that out-of-hand cursers and spitters are taken care of, the Town of Sylvan Lake is turning its attention to smokers.
The problem, specifically, are smokers who stand outside the front doors of bars and restaurants and litter the sidewalks along Lakeshore Drive with their cigarette butts.
RCMP Staff Sgt. Tim Gilbert told town councillors on Monday that some restaurant owners are talking about creating fenced off smoking areas at the rear of their businesses. But councillors questioned whether fences are necessary. And town Mayor Susan Samson suggested another solution already undertaken by some business owners — cleaning up the butts in front of their own establishments.
A meeting will be set up between Gilbert and the town’s CAO Helen Dietz to discuss the matter further.
Councillors later spoke with amazement about the national media interest that was sparked by a recently passed community standards bylaw that could fine people who spit and curse in public.
They stressed the average person who utters a swear word or happens to spit in town would not be targetted, but rather unruly people, like those who curse and spit while being apprehended by police.