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Shisha lounge advocates will need to prove that vapours won’t waft out of a physically-separated area and cause secondhand smoke exposure to employees before council would consider reinstating them in Edmonton.
On Wednesday, council’s community and public services committee voted against crafting bylaw amendments to allow shisha lounges to again operate in the city. These businesses, which allowed for the smoking of herbal products through water pipes, were ordered closed by the city last July after being given a one-year period to wind down operations. Smoking shisha is a cultural practice in many Arab, African and South Asian communities.
The provincial government would have to exempt shisha from new rules if Edmonton wants to once again permit shisha smoking in lounges, a report prepared for the city has concluded.
Author of the article: Lauren Boothby
Publishing date: Jan 20, 2021 • January 20, 2021 • 2 minute read • Hookahs are seen lined up in the back of Mazati Mediterranean Cuisine at 16745 91 St. in Edmonton on June 13, 2020. Edmonton s ban on shisha and hookah lounges and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted shisha lounges. Photo by Ian Kucerak /Postmedia, file
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Edmonton is revisiting a ban on shisha lounges brought in last July that forced some businesses to close.
Councillors in the community and public services committee asked staff Wednesday to look into what bylaws would need to change for lounges to apply for a special business licence.
Posted: Jan 20, 2021 5:40 PM MT | Last Updated: January 21
The City of Edmonton banned shisha or hookah smoking in public places last summer.(Michel Spingler/Associated Press)
Six months after Edmonton banned shisha smoking inside lounges, city administration will look at creating a separate business licence class to allow establishments to resume the activity.
Council s community and public services agreed Wednesday to direct city staff to consider a new category for shisha lounges.
Coun. Aaron Paquette said after the city banned shisha smoking in lounges in July, he heard a lot of feedback.
He suggested in December the city develop a new kind of licence.