Smokers unwelcome in Vancouver’s tallest residential tower

The property manager of the tallest all-residential tower inVancouver,Canada, Ken Armstrong says he receives as many as 20 complaints a month from residents upset about second-hand smoke; of those, about five or six usually relate to marijuana smoke.

But this problem should dissipate soon. According to a story by Mike Hager for the Vancouver Sun, about 70 strata members of the 42-storey, 237-unit Melville building voted to fine residents caught smoking, while about nine opposed the bylaw.

Strata president, Renu Bakshi, said that, once the bylaw was approved by the city, any resident caught smoking in the building would be given a warning. And on each subsequent time they were caught they could be fined $200, which would go towards the strata’s funds.

“Most of the population does not smoke,” said Bakshi. “Every citizen has a right to clean air, especially in their home. The two biggest complaints in condo living are cigarette smoke and noise, both of which penetrate numerous units. We have a right to fresh air and we have a right to live in peace in our homes.”