VCH added, however, that under Section 1.2 of the City of Vancouver’s by-law, “burning” means to produce smoke, vapour or other substances that can be inhaled and “smoke,” or “smoking,” includes burning a cigarette or cigar, or burning any substance using a pipe, hookah pipe, lighted smoking device or electronic smoking device. “It does not prohibit indoor use of hookah pipes as long as tobacco is not used.” “The provincial Tobacco and Vapour Products Control Act and Regulation, enforced by VCH (Vancouver Coastal Health,) is specific to tobacco and vapour products,” VCH told BIV in an email. He showed BIV a tub of shisha molasses made by Ottawa-based Bubbly, which lists ingredients and does not contain tobacco. Hamid insists, however, that the product he uses does not contain tobacco.

Traditionally, instead of the flavoured molasses, the cups at the tops of the hookah devices contain tobacco. He puts flavoured molasses in a small cup, wraps it with punctured tinfoil, tops it with a hot charcoal, and puts the cup on top of the stand-alone devices so the fruit essence can mix with the water vapour. He told BIV that he was willing to go on a hunger strike again if needed because he did not want to contemplate living without his business, which he considers his home.Ĭustomers at Hamid’s lounge suck flavoured water vapour out of pipes, which are attached to stand-alone devices that have water in their bases. 8, which ordered him to “cease smoking inside the premises,” and obey the city order. Hamid then received a note from his landlord, dated Aug. The order also threatened the landlord with possible fines of up to $500 per day if the order was not followed. Schwebs’ order said that if Hamid did not comply, the matter could be referred to the city prosecutor with a request to approve charges under the city’s bylaw. Health officials told BIV they were not involved in the city’s August decision to try to close the city’s two hookah lounges – the Persian Tea House at 668 Davie Street and the Ahwaz Hookah House at 1322 West Georgia Street. Nearly t wo months have since passed and it appears that the city has not taken any further action. BC Supreme Court Justice Peter Leask had also at the time recently dismissed hookah lounge owners’ appeal of the city’s ruling.įast forward eight years to this summer and V ancouver’s chief building official, Saul Schwebs, on July 25, sent the Persian Tea House’s landlord, Yip Lai, an order to cease “the unauthorized use of hookah lounge within 14 days of this order” because there was “smoking” going on inside. Back in 2015, the city’s rationale was that the venture was violating a 2007 city health bylaw that banned indoor smoking in commercial establishments. Hamid had gone on a 19-day hunger strike in 2015, when the city last tried to close his unlicensed business. When longtime entrepreneur Mohammadian Abdolhamid (Hamid) learned in early August that the City of Vancouver was trying to close his 25-year-old hookah lounge Persian Tea House, he feared for his survival.

Hookah lounge near me