The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority is hoping a proposed city bylaw would help curb smoking near hospitals and medical clinics.

The WRHA appeared before a city committee Monday in hopes of adding health-care facilities to efforts by the city to stamp out smoking.

A proposed bylaw would ban puffing at schools, playgrounds, sports fields during youth events, hockey rinks and now outside hospitals and care clinics.

Councillors on the Protection and Community Services committee passed the bylaw, which must still be voted on by city council as a whole.

The WRHA’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Sande Harlos, said she believes the bylaw is necessary, despite the region’s own rules restricting smoking.

“We do the best we can and we've been really working hard at trying to improve the enforcement, but we just felt that having it in the bylaw gives the signal of how important this is for people's health,” Harlos said.