Standing outside a small vape shop on Columbia Street in New Westminster, I watch three teenagers peer through the window at colorful displays of e-cigarettes and flavored vaping products. They eventually walk away, but the scene captures exactly what has local councillor Daniel Fontaine concerned.
“We’re seeing these shops pop up with very little oversight, sometimes right across from schools,” Fontaine tells me as we meet at a coffee shop near city hall. His voice carries the urgency of someone who’s witnessed a problem grow too large to ignore. “The provincial regulations just haven’t kept pace.”
Last month, Fontaine brought forward a motion asking staff to explore options for stricter regulations on vape shops in New Westminster. The move comes as communities across British Columbia grapple with rising youth vaping rates despite existing age restrictions.
In British Columbia, about 10% of youth aged 15-19 report vaping in the past month, according to Health Canada‘s Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey. Though lower than the national average of 13%, health officials remain concerned about addiction potential and long-term health effects.
Walking the streets of New Westminster’s commercial areas, it’s not difficult to spot vape shops with their distinctive signage and window displays. What’s concerning city officials isn’t just their number but their proximity to places where young people gather.
“We don’t have proper buffer zones around schools or community centers,” explains Fontaine. “And there’s virtually no provincial oversight on how these businesses operate once they’re established.”
The regulatory gap stems from a patchwork approach. While the federal Tobacco and Vaping Products Act prohibits selling to minors and restricts certain marketing practices, day-to-day enforcement falls primarily to provincial and municipal authorities.
Dr. Meena Dawar, a medical health officer with Fraser Health, supports increased local oversight. “We know from tobacco control research that accessibility and visibility directly impact youth uptake,” she explains during our phone conversation. “Reducing both through smart zoning and business licensing can make a difference.”
New Westminster wouldn’t be the first BC municipality to take action. Richmond implemented a 200-meter buffer zone between vape shops and schools in 2020. Surrey requires specialized business licenses for vape retailers that come with additional fees and conditions.
For shop owners like Raj Sandhu, who operates VapeZone in nearby Burnaby, the prospect of new regulations feels like targeting legitimate businesses for problems created elsewhere.
“We check ID religiously and follow every rule,” Sandhu tells me as he restocks shelves in his small store. “Kids get these products online or through friends. More rules for shops like mine won’t solve that problem.”
He shows me his ID verification system and points out the health warnings prominently displayed. “We’re already the most regulated part of this industry.”
The Canadian Vaping Association, which represents retailers and manufacturers, has expressed similar concerns about overregulation. In statements to various municipal councils, they’ve argued that vaping products help adult smokers quit traditional cigarettes and that responsible retailers shouldn’t bear the burden of addressing youth access occurring through other channels.
But for parents like Maria Chen, whose son attends high school in New Westminster, the easy availability of vaping products remains troubling.
“My son tells me kids vape in the bathrooms every day,” she says, stirring her tea nervously as we speak at a local café. “When there’s a shop five minutes from school selling these flavored products with cartoon characters, what message does that send?”
The BC Ministry of Health has been monitoring the situation. Provincial regulations enacted in 2020 restricted nicotine content, banned certain flavors, and limited advertising. However, enforcement has been challenging with limited resources dedicated to compliance checks.
According to documents obtained through freedom of information requests by health advocacy groups, the number of compliance checks conducted at BC vape retailers decreased by nearly 40% between 2019 and 2022.
“Without consistent enforcement, regulations don’t mean much,” notes Fontaine. “That’s why we need to use the tools available to municipalities to address this gap.”
His proposal asks city staff to investigate options including:
– Creating minimum distance requirements between vape shops and schools, community centers, and other youth-oriented facilities
– Implementing specialized business licenses with higher fees to fund enforcement
– Restricting exterior signage and window displays
– Capping the total number of vape retailers permitted within city boundaries
The provincial government’s position remains somewhat ambiguous. When contacted for this story, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health stated they are “continually evaluating the effectiveness of current regulations” but stopped short of committing to any specific changes.
For Dr. Melissa Lem, a Vancouver physician and director of Park Prescriptions with the BC Parks Foundation, the health concerns extend beyond nicotine addiction. “We’re seeing increasing evidence of respiratory issues associated with vaping, particularly with flavored products,” she explains. “The developing brains and lungs of teenagers are especially vulnerable.”
As the sun sets over New Westminster’s historic downtown, I watch people enter and exit several vape shops along Columbia Street. The customers span all ages—though all appear to be adults—and the shops themselves range from sleek boutiques to utilitarian counters.
Councillor Fontaine’s motion is expected to return to council with staff recommendations within three months. Whatever the outcome, it highlights a growing tension between local concerns, provincial jurisdiction, and the complex challenge of protecting youth while respecting adult choices.
“At the end of the day, this is about creating healthy communities where kids can thrive,” Fontaine says as we conclude our conversation. “If the province won’t lead on this issue, municipalities need to step up.”
The teenagers I saw earlier have long since disappeared from view, but the questions their presence raised linger in the evening air—questions about responsibility, regulation, and the balance between individual freedom and community wellbeing that New Westminster, like communities across British Columbia, must now navigate.
