• Based on the goals and objectives that you identified, develop statements that describe what you want to do.
• Look at what other Ontario municipalities like Collingwood, Woodstock, Belleville, Thunder Bay and Orillia have done. Contact people who worked on those by-laws to learn what worked, and didn’t work, for them.
• Contact people in your community who are familiar with the issue, and with the political environment. Tell them what you are interested in doing, and ask them to help you refine your request.
• Make sure you explain what you want in a way so that others can easily understand the issue and your position.

Key to success

There is power in numbers. A broad base of support is critical for building by-law support. Look for community members and local organizations who share your concerns to work with you. This will demonstrate greater support for the issue.

Brainstorm a list of your potential allies and approach them to work with you on this cause. Think outside the box and look for a variety of groups such as:

• Voluntary health agencies
• Other sport and recreation clubs and organizations
• Child and youth focussed organizations
• Parks and Recreation Department
• Businesses that supply and / or sponsor teams
• Public health agency
• Schools and parent organizations
• Youth

Reach out to your existing relationships to find partners interested in your cause, and with whom you have already worked.

Identify stakeholders who have share a common interest with yours. Likely they will have a “vested interest” in the issue – people who believe in the cause, and have something to gain from actively supporting it. Working with existing stakeholders, prepare a list of potential partners. Be comprehensive in considering who might be interested in, and supportive of, your cause. It may be helpful to work with public health to identify who in the past has supported the cause.

Once you identify groups that may share a common interest with yours, identify where members of your organization have linkages or contacts within these groups to make initial outreach easier. Contact these other groups and identify opportunities to work together for a smoke-free by-law.

Consider that partners will have different levels of partnership based on their role in the community, and connection to the cause. Some will need to be leaders, some will want to be involved and doing tasks, or taking action, others will only want to be consulted and still others will only need to be aware of the issue. Make sure to provide partners with the information they need to support their level of involvement.

Do your homework. Find out what partners need in order to be able to commit resources to the cause. They may need recognition, experience or simply to be associated with a relevant cause.

Create a “steering committee” as a means to keep people involved, make fast and informed decisions and to be accountable to the people who are advocating for the cause. Use existing structures if possible to minimize the amount of time spent forming the group.

Remember to maintain your relationships. Partners – even those only peripherally involved – need to be informed about what is going on to keep them interested, and to help them know when they will be needed to demonstrate their support, or advocate for the cause.

It is very important that your committee include the input from at least one member of the group you are hoping to influence – in this case municipal councillors. It is likely that a municipal councillor will not want to sit on your committee, but they will likely provide an important guide for navigating the municipal process, including how much support, and from whom, is required to pass the by-law. In many cases, this elected municipal representative will act as your group’s “champion” to bring the issue before Council – but sometimes they will prefer a more “behind the scenes role.” Their input will be particularly important when you make your presentation to council – the final step in your advocacy efforts.

Work with your partners to understand which of your policy makers can move the issue of tobacco-free outdoor spaces forward. Your champion is an important member of your team. Meet with your champion to explain the problem and your recommended solution. Remember to:

• Communicate frequently with your champion to keep him/her well informed and to support their efforts to keep the issue alive.
• Municipal councillor(s) may present a resolution about the issue to council. Assist your champion to prepare the presentation and develop draft policies. Sample by-laws, including ones developed by other communities, can be useful.
• Ask your champion to help you understand the type of opposition to the tobacco-free policy that he/she is facing.

Planning and implementing communication campaigns can be a subject unto itself, however for the purposes of this Guide, we will just review the key steps here.

• Identify what you want to accomplish (goals and objectives)
• Know your resources (human and financial)
• Identify your key audiences (ensure that politicians are a key audience)
• Develop your key messages
• Select your channels and vehicles
• Implement your plan
• Evaluate your plan

For more information about developing health communication campaigns, see the THCU resource at “Overview of Developing Health Communication Campaigns” which can be found at www.thcu.ca, as well as other resources.

Communication campaigns can be expensive, however there are many low-cost options. Consider the following:

Generating media exposure: Develop press releases highlighting the findings of your committee, results of Council meetings or announcing new research on the impacts of Smoke-Free Outdoor Spaces. Other options for generating positive media exposure include submitting opinion editorials, sending in letters to the editor or distributing media advisories for events.

Tips

Host low cost events. Community events can be effective to inform individuals who attend the event, but also at garnering media coverage. Consider hosting community walks, forums and smoke-free events, or “piggy-backing” on existing events in the community.

Materials distributions at community centres. Information about your initiative can be distributed at places that your target audience frequents – Early Years Centres, the library, parks and recreation centres, school newsletters. Consider adding information to existing public health mail-outs, school or organizational newsletters and posting information on community websites and social networking sites.

In addition to helping the general public and municipal government understand that smoke-free outdoor spaces are important, you should also document and present information about community support for smoke-free outdoor spaces.

• Conduct a survey (there are many low-cost options available) and publicize results.
• Organize photo-opportunities demonstrating the extent of tobacco litter at outdoor public spaces.
• Extensively publicize by-laws passed elsewhere, particularly in communities like yours.
• Highlight community organizations that have passed Tobacco-Free Sport and Recreation policies. Have the leaders of organizations write letters of support.
• Host awareness contests, particularly for youth, like video-contests and host events to celebrate winners. Invite municipal politicians to the events.
• Encourage medical community leaders to publicly state their support, particularly when new evidence on Smoke-Free Outdoor Spaces becomes available.
• Invite advocates to the community to give public talks and presentations.

Involving Youth

Keys to Success

The ultimate objective of this advocacy process is to make a “deputation” or presentation to municipal council demonstrating support for the by-law. This is perhaps the most visible step in your advocacy process, however, it is really the cumulative effect of all your advocacy efforts. If you have done a good job with your advocacy efforts, this step should be fairly straightforward.

Council meetings are usually open to the public and participation by community members is usually encouraged. Think about making a presentation to your regional, city or town council. Contact your local, regional, city or town clerk to find out how to get onto the council meeting agenda. Be prepared with your presentation, respect time limits, and be ready to answer questions that council members and/or the media may have about your issue.

Usually, advocates supporting the Smoke-Free Outdoor Spaces will use the presentation as an opportunity to request that the council develop a by-law to address Smoke-Free Outdoor Spaces, however, the actual process you use and the request you make should be guided by the input of your “municipal council champion” and your knowledge of the community. Sometimes it is advisable to present council with an already-drafted by-law as an example of what you would like them to pass.

Follow-up with Council and the Local Media

After your presentation to council, you will need to identify your next steps.

• Contact the media to ask them to feature your story. (Ideally, your group will already have established relationships with them.)
• Connect with your champion to understand how your effort was received and to discuss next steps.
• If your presentation is not successful in achieving the results you wanted -- do not give up! Continue to gather support and learn from experience.