Smoker fighting condo board rules must quit for now, says judge

A "lifelong smoker" has been ordered to butt out inside his Langley apartment while he waits to challenge his condo corporation with a human rights complaint.

A B.C. Supreme Court judge has concluded that Paul Aradi must follow a no-smoking bylaw despite having difficulty standing and walking.

In a ruling posted online Tuesday, Judge Wendy Harris said she will not allow the 70-year-old to continue disregarding the bylaw while he waits for a hearing by the Human Rights Tribunal.

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That's expected to be at least six months away — long enough to cause problems for other owners, wrote Harris.

"That ... is a significant period for those owners who have expressed concerns about the smell of cigarettes and the effects of second-hand smoke on their health and the use and enjoyment of their property," she wrote.

"I reject the respondent's contention that their concerns are exaggerated or ideologically based."

Aradi filed a complaint asking the condo board, known in B.C. as a strata corporation, to accommodate his disability, which he says affects his ability to smoke outside.

$2,300 in unpaid fines

The Canadian Forces veteran purchased his condo in 2002, seven years before the corporation prohibited smoking inside individual units. The corporation did not attempt to enforce the bylaw until December 2013, after other residents began complaining.

Aradi began accumulating fines, but did not pay the $2,300. He instead filed short, hand-written responses.

Aradi asserted the bylaw is discriminatory in creating two classes of citizens, smokers and non-smokers. He also accused the corporation of trying to force him to move because he had complained about certain bills from the corporation.

In affidavits filed in the case, the corporation's secretary states that at least five owners made complaints, ranging from health risks of second-hand smoke to fire risks, foul odour and negative effect on property values.

Man can walk, judge rules

In her ruling, the judge found that the smoking bylaw was valid and residents have a "reasonable expectation" that it will be consistently enforced.

Harris also found that Aradi did not file his human rights complaint until more than a year after he was first fined.

She accepted he has an addiction to smoking and has mobility limitations. But she also found evidence — including TV news footage — that the man has been able to walk a relatively short distance from his unit to smoke.

He can also drive his car to another location where smoking is permitted, Harris said.