Halifax is now accepting requests for designated smoking areas on municipal property.
The move comes a little more than a week ahead of Oct. 15, when the municipality plans to roll out a new set of rules under its Nuisance and Smoking Bylaw.
The bylaw — which now prohibits smoking or vaping of any kind on municipal property outside of designated smoking areas — was amended earlier this year by Halifax Regional Council in an attempt to address the impending legalization of cannabis.
READ MORE: Halifax council amends bylaw to address cannabis production facilities
The Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) says they hope to review each request within 10 business days and expect to receive a significant number of applications beginning on Oct. 5.
“Smoking on private property will continue to be the responsibility of the property owner, although all smoking in any location must adhere to the Province of Nova Scotia’s Smoke-free Places Act,” said the municipality on its website.
Businesses applying for a designated smoking area will have to provide a description of the proposed designated smoking area and a rationale for their request.
A map indicating all of the designated smoking areas in the HRM will soon be uploaded to Halifax’s website, but this information was yet not available as of Saturday.
WATCH: HRM smoking zones to be set on Oct. 15
Brendan Elliott, a spokesperson with the municipality, told Global News earlier this week that there will be no cap on the number of designated smoking areas in the municipality and that they don’t expect to have all of the areas confirmed by Oct. 15.
“This date is not a deadline but rather the first day of enforcement. The number and placement of locations is something that will grow and change as time passes,” he wrote in an email.
“It’s impossible to say how many there will be in total.”
Cannabis is set to become legal nationwide on Oct. 17, only two days after the HRM’s new bylaws come into effect.