Smoke-free Ontario!

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Post May 31st, 2006, 12:01 pm

May 31st marks a historic day for all Ontarians – on this day, the Smoke-Free Ontario Act comes into effect. After years of developing and passing municipal smoke-free bylaws to achieve 100% smoke-free status, we are now a 100% smoke-free province. I congratulate the province for passing one of the strongest smoke-free laws in North America.

The new provincial legislation requires Ontario to be 100% smoke-free in all enclosed workplaces and public places. In addition, it will require tobacco retailers to greatly reduce their tobacco product displays. On May 31, 2008, these displays will be completely removed.

I'm very happy about this move for various reasons. But I'm curious as to what other Ontarians have to say about this. How about other cities around the world that has this by law in effect already, how has it impacted your city?
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Post May 31st, 2006, 12:01 pm

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Post May 31st, 2006, 12:05 pm

Well, that cancels my trip to Ontario this summer lol
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Post May 31st, 2006, 12:43 pm

Edinburgh (well, Scotland) has been smoke free for a few months now, and the change is refreshing. It's nice to be able to go into a pub and leave without smelling of smoke.
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Post May 31st, 2006, 12:49 pm

I suppose the view varies depending on whether you are a smoker or not. The entire Dallas County has been smoke free for a couple years now. When I go down for visits me and my friends always go to places outside the county where we can smoke. So essentially the restaurant/bar owners in Dallas county have pretty much all lost our business.
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Post May 31st, 2006, 12:51 pm

That is just stupid.
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Post May 31st, 2006, 12:54 pm

Atno, that is pretty silly, just cos you can't smoke in a bar/pub you don't go to that city? why don't you just step outside for a few seconds it's not that big of a deal is it? Eventually it's gonna to spread to other cities (the by law) I heard washington and parts of california are also already smoke free. Ottawa has been smoke free since 2001. Quebec is next on the lineup.
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Post May 31st, 2006, 1:12 pm

Well it's not really all that silly Flavah. For the record, I don't even smoke inside my own place and have spent nearly the last ten winters smoking outside when I'm home in freezing weather. So no I'm not opposed to stepping outside for a smoke. But if I'm going to a bar or a restaurant, I'm going mostly to relax, and that includes sitting at the bar having a smoke with my beer. Besides, where I go outside of Dallas county where I can smoke is just as convenient to get to as going the same distance into Dallas county where I can't smoke. Since I smoke the choice is obvious and because of the no smoking law, it's the Dallas bar/restaurant owners that lose out on my money. I'm not inconvenienced at all.

For the record I understand the point of non-smokers and don't argue against their right to a smoke free environment if they want it. A much more practical application of the law would be to allow restaurant owners the choice of being smoke-free or not. Non-smokers could chose to go to smoke free restaurants, and smokers would not have to give up their right/choice to smoke.

Or, if a restaurant should choose to have both, then the smoking area could simply be enclosed and well-ventilated. This also would satisfy smokers and non-smokers alike.

To demand that an entire county/city/state be smoke free truly violates the rights of smokers, but more importantly causes a loss of revenue for business owners. I know of bars where people would come into in Dallas and people would sit and smoke and drink for hours. Now those bars are virtualy empty. There are probably some who would say that's a good thing, but what if it was your bar or restaurant and you were the one losing the revenue? Would you then be inclined to think that demanding a smoke free environment was such a good thing?
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Post May 31st, 2006, 1:12 pm

Even though im (still) in the process of quitting i don't think these smoking bans are a step forward, and most of the time when people say they support it i can almost hear them say under thier breath "nur nur nur nur nur, You can't do something you enjoy".

If people really want to improve the health of others around them, stop driving cars. They produce more carsonagens than tobacco, and it effects everyone everywhere, Not just people in bars. But i guess it's better to use a minority as societies pariah rather that actually tackle the issue of "public health" at it's roots..
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Post May 31st, 2006, 1:18 pm

Yes our state is now smoke free as well. Just within the last year or so the laws have went into effect. A few places protested and still allowed smokers, but I believe they were forced to shut down or abide by the new law. The problem with our state is that we have Indian reservations that do allow smoking inside (they are immune to the new laws), so many of the businesses are losing their smoking customers to them. I am sure the Indian reservations are liking the increase in business.

Personally I am all for the smoking ban, but I think that it should affect everyone in our state including the Indian reservations. Otherwise it will hurt local businesses that have to abide by that law since all of their smoking customers will find it more convenient to goto places where they can smoke inside like before.
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Post May 31st, 2006, 1:20 pm

Bigwebmaster wrote:
Otherwise it will hurt local businesses that have to abide by that law since all of their smoking customers will find it more convenient to goto places where they can smoke inside like before.


Which is specifically the point I'm trying to make.
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Post May 31st, 2006, 1:20 pm

Bigwebmaster wrote:
Yes our state is now smoke free as well. Just within the last year or so the laws have went into effect. A few places protested and still allowed smokers, but I believe they were forced to shut down or abide by the new law. The problem with our state is that we have Indian reservations that do allow smoking inside (they are immune to the new laws), so many of the businesses are losing their smoking customers to them. I am sure the Indian reservations are liking the increase in business.

Personally I am all for the smoking ban, but I think that it should affect everyone in our state including the Indian reservations. Otherwise it will hurt local businesses that have to abide by that law since all of their smoking customers will find it more convenient to goto places where they can smoke inside like before.


Crap, and I will be in Olympia here in a few weeks if all goes as scheduled. Now I don't want to go. Damn non-smokers
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Post May 31st, 2006, 2:49 pm

ATNO/TW wrote:
For the record I understand the point of non-smokers and don't argue against their right to a smoke free environment if they want it. A much more practical application of the law would be to allow restaurant owners the choice of being smoke-free or not. Non-smokers could chose to go to smoke free restaurants, and smokers would not have to give up their right/choice to smoke.

Or, if a restaurant should choose to have both, then the smoking area could simply be enclosed and well-ventilated. This also would satisfy smokers and non-smokers alike.

To demand that an entire county/city/state be smoke free truly violates the rights of smokers, but more importantly causes a loss of revenue for business owners.


I agree 110%. I never understood why if a business owner wants to cater to smokers he/she isn't allowed to. I think today's society is the least tolerate it has been in a long time.

Buying cigarettes are legal, smoking is legal, but only in the confines of your home. I even remember people being sued because they were smoking in their own home, and the neighbors complained that the smoke was going into their home and wanted it stoped.

For the record I do not smoke anymore, I was a very heavy smoker for a very long time, but now I no longer smoke cigarettes, I do on occasion light up a cigar and enjoy, but usually due to the time it takes to smoke a cigar, I reserve that for my backyard and not out in public.

The more I hear about these smoking bans the more irritated I get. Here in NY they have imposed such severe taxes on the cigs that a pack sells for almost $8.
So yeah, instead of trying to make people quit lets milk every penny from them while they are addicted.

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Post May 31st, 2006, 8:46 pm

First they came for the smokers...
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Post June 1st, 2006, 12:03 am

pretty soon prisons will be full of people caught smoking tobacco.....the legislation of morality and responsibility. who has watched 'time machine'?
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Post June 1st, 2006, 1:28 am

I think rather than banning smoking in pubs and other public places they should have brought in a strict licence which basically would mean that unless a public place has got a VERY good ventilation system in place that makes the smoke less of a problem then the public place will not be allowed to entertain smokers.

There has been a few members of my family that have failed to take much joy from this ban that came into place here on March 19th, however i can't say i have any problems with it. I mean, you could always argue that non-smokers have had to go into places that have been smelling of smoke because they had no choice. It may not bother smokers all that much, but when you are a non-smoker and you walk into a pub that stinks of smoke then your clothes end up smelling alot worse, not to mention the effects of passive smoking.
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Post June 1st, 2006, 1:28 am

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