Saskatchewan news roundup: Jan. 12 -SK
Sonntag urges Ottawa to reject weaker bylaws
The federal government is being urged to reject First Nations smoking bylaws that are not as tough as the provincewide ban on smoking in public places.
Band councils can pass their own bylaws under the Indian Act, but the federal minister of Indian Affairs has the power to veto them.
Maynard Sonntag, minister for First Nations and Metis Relations, says the federal government should not approve the weaker bylaws when they are submitted.
The Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations indicated in December that First Nations would be unlikely to follow the smoking ban in native-run casinos. (The StarPhoenix)
Sask. wants Ottawa's help on smoking ban
Last Updated Jan 12 2005 08:18 AM CST
CBC News REGINA – Saskatchewan's Minister of First Nations and Metis Relations is looking for Ottawa to back him up on the provincial smoking ban.
Maynard Sonntag said he'd like federal Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Andy Scott to say no to bylaws that would allow smoking on First Nations' casinos in Saskatchewan.
The provincial government has banned smoking in all public places, beginning Jan. 1.
However, aboriginal leaders say that law doesn't apply in casinos on their land. The Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations has said bands will write their own laws, but it won't necessarily mean total smoking bans.
Sonntag said because band bylaws need approval from the federal minister, he's counting on Ottawa to refuse.
"Absolutely. I mean, I've been of that view for quite some time," Sonntag said. "It would be the honourable thing to do on a important health issue like this."
Sonntag wouldn't speculate on what might happen if First Nations' casinos do allow smoking.
But he did say he would prefer the same rules for all Saskatchewan businesses.
Indian leaders say the smoking ban infringes on their jurisdiction
The Saskatchewan hotel industry says if smoking is allowed in casinos, it wants the government to reconsider the use of ventilated smoking rooms in their businesses.
http://sask.cbc.ca/regionalnews/caches/first-nations-smoking050112.html
Air pollution kills people, too -ON
Editorials Tuesday, January 11, 2005
. National anthem serves to exclude many Canadians
While we applaud the efforts of the various levels of government and our local health unit to provide incentives to help people quit smoking, we wonder at the logic of using a gas-guzzling muscle car as the prize in Ontario Quit Smoking 2005.
Participants must go smoke-free from Feb. 1 to March 1 to be eligible to win.
Cars not only encourage people to be less active and, therefore, less healthy, they pollute the air we all breathe. This opportunity could have been used not only to promote the health benefits of going smoke-free but also to promote the benefits to all Ontarians of using less polluting means of transportation by at least making the prize a fuel-efficient vehicle (or, better yet, a bicycle).
There are cars with internal combustion engines on the market that use as little as 6.7 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres in the city and 5.2 litres/100 kilometres on the highway. On average, a vehicle with this kind of fuel efficiency would produce 2,880 kilograms of carbon-dioxide emissions annually.
In fact, the hybrid vehicles on the market that combine electric and internal combustion engines are twice as efficient as other cars their size.
The muscle car being given away in the stop smoking contest has a 4.6-litre, V8 engine and uses 13.3 litres/100 kilometres in the city and 9.2 litres/100 kilometres on the highway and produces 5,471 kilograms of carbon-dioxide emissions per year.
Granted, the natural North American appeal of a muscle car makes for an attractive prize, but organizers should realize even North American automakers have discovered that the public wants green cars. In fact, a hybrid SUV garnered the award as 2004 North American Truck of
the Year at the North American auto show in Detroit this week.
As vehicles are a contributing factor in the poor quality of our air, it reminds us that air pollution, like smoking, kills people, too.
According to the government of Ontario, smoking-related illnesses kill about 16,000 people a year and patients with tobacco-related diseases occupy more than 500,000 hospital days each year at a cost of $1.7 billion to our health-care system and $2.6 billion in lost productivity annually.
Health Canada, the Ontario Health Ministry and local health units tell us that air pollution is becoming increasingly dangerous to our health, especially in heavily populated southern Ontario.
The Ontario Medical Association estimates that air pollution leads to nearly 1,900 premature deaths in the province, 10,000 hospital admissions, 13,000 emergency room visits and 47 million sick days for employees in the province each year and costs Ontario citizens roughly $1 billion dollars per year due to hospital admissions, emergency room visits and absenteeism.
All levels of governments, from municipal to federal, work towards getting people to butt out and are slowly waking up to the dire realities of air pollution and the effects it has on our health and the health of environment, which makes the choice of the muscle car in lieu of something much more green seem curious and more than a little ironic.
Ultimately, in a publicly funded health-care system, any efforts to get people to quit smoking benefit us all, but perhaps a little more thought should have gone into the message sent by the prize.
http://stratfordbeaconherald.com/
Smoking ban: does it go too far? -SK
SELDOM, IF EVER, do you see a government placing full-page advertisements in newspapers large and small. Yet that was what happened in the Christmas issues of Ontario's papers.
In case you missed it (and it's hard to believe anyone did) the ad included a green logo, Smoke Free Ontario, and the catchy heading, STOPPING THE NUMBER ONE KILLER IN ONTARIO.
Those who didn't read further might have suspected it was all about cancer or heart disease. Although it could be argued that both are involved, the reality is that the ad dealt with the McGuinty government's plan to introduce a single law that would replace the current hodge podge of municipal laws designed to reduce or eliminate smoking in public places.
As matters stand, some municipalities have come a long way in this regard, Dufferin among them. Gone are the days when the first question patrons faced on entering their favourite eatery was, "Smoking or non-smoking," and on saying "Non-smoking, please," being advised that unfortunately none was available. (Actually, before Dufferin finally moved on the issue, there were still some restaurants where ashtrays adorned every table!)
Unusual as it was for the government to spend so much on informational advertising, it was doubly unusual to see that the message conveyed dealt with legislation which has not yet been enacted, and may never be in its present form.
In the circumstances, it's pretty clear that the ad was designed, among other things, to stimulate public discussion of the issue.
That has already begun to happen, our check of an Internet database confirming that there has indeed been a deluge of letters to the editor on the subject, and even the occasional editorial.
Take for example, the one published in The Toronto Sun, which struck us as amazingly balanced for the Grit-trashing tabloid.
"We laughed when they tried to ban sushi," it began. "But this time they're serious.
"The Ontario Liberals campaigned on a promise to ban smoking virtually everywhere in the great indoors, and by George (Smitherman), they're going to do it.
"In case you missed it in the pre-Christmas rush, the Liberals have indeed acted on their promise and launched legislation just over a week ago that will ban smoking everywhere but in private homes - and in some cases, such as in homes that house daycare operations, they'll ban it there, too.
"Health Minister Smitherman reminds us it's all for the good of our health - more Ontarians die each year from smoking than AIDS, traffic accidents and alcohol combined, etc. Fine - we don't dispute that (although given the enormous tax revenue the province rakes in on smokes, it could do more to help smokers quit).
"In fact, we don't even dispute the strict measures wiping out smoking in all workplaces - after all, no one should be forced to risk lung cancer at work.
"But two areas of Smitherman's law go too far.
"First, it will ban smoking even in separately ventilated smoking rooms - which many bars and restaurants built expressly to conform to previous legislation, at considerable cost.
"This hardly seems fair. After all, these are places where adult smokers go voluntarily to partake in a legal product. No one's forced to be there. So what's the problem?
"Second, there's the related proposal to ban smoking in Legions. Sorry, George, but that's where we draw the line. If our war veterans want to smoke in their private clubs, who are you to tell them they can't?
"Let the vets use the freedom they fought for to decide their own policy.
"In fact, the Ontario Provincial Command of the Royal Canadian Legion isn't even asking for a full exemption from the ban - only that they be allowed to have separate, ventilated smoking rooms (in those Legions that can afford to build them). That's more than reasonable.
"But then, 'reasonable' and Smitherman are two words that rarely appear in the same sentence. In a government rapidly becoming known for nannying, he's Mary Poppins. Still, he did see reason on the sushi thing, eventually.
"Is smoking 'stupid,' as the government's trendy new campaign puts it? Sure - but we can't say much better for this unwarranted bullying of businesses and veterans."
For once, the Sun was fairly close to the mark, zeroing in on two areas where there's bound to be a lot of controversy.
We would be inclined to go part way, and suspect the government may, too.
Clearly, restaurants and bars that have spent a lot on establishing separately ventilated smoking areas ought to get special treatment, perhaps by giving them several years to comply with the total ban.
However, we still have a problem with the resultant requirement for staff in such places to enter these smoke-filled areas to serve the patrons. Clearly, they will be facing a lot more second-hand smoke than they encountered when part of the place was designated as non-smoking.
And the same could be said of the Sun''s "solution" for Legion halls. Concentrating all the smoke in one area will certainly make the air safer for the non-smoking Legionaires, but not for a staff member required to enter the smoking room.
Whatever the case, we've come a long way and it's interesting to see an Ontario government moving almost as far as the NDP regime in Saskatchewan, which is trying to ban even brand-name advertising displays on tobacco counters.
Now, what's really needed is some action in Hollywood, in the form of an end to the practice of having the big-name stars routinely indulging in the nicotine habit on screen - a practice so clearly aimed at the younger generation.
http://www.citizen.on.ca/editorial.html
Quebec smoking-ban plan cheered locally
Last Updated Jan 12 2005 01:31 PM EST
CBC News
GATINEAU – There's rejoicing at Gatineau City Hall about Quebec's decision to ban smoking in all public places in the province within a year.
Making Gatineau a smoke-free city has been a goal of Mayor Yves Ducharme for several years. But he has always maintained it was up to the province to take a stand.
Ducharme says Quebec's announcement is good news for the entire province.
About one in four people over the age of 15 smokes in Quebec. In the rest of Canada, it's one in five.
Right now, Quebec allows unlimited smoking in bars.
Health Minister Philippe Couillard wants to ban smoking from bars, restaurants, school grounds, and government buildings.
http://ottawa.cbc.ca/regionalnews/caches/ot-que-smoking20050112.html
Ontario facing demands for exemptions from smoking law -ON
Friday, Dec 17, 2004
The McGuinty government put forward legislation this week to ban smoking in all workplaces and indoor public areas.
But just days after the bill was introduced there are numerous calls for exemptions.
Social Services Minister Sandra Pupatello has called for an exemption for Windsor and Niagara because they are border communities.
Their casinos and other entertainment venues might be badly hurt by a smoking ban, she says.
Health Minister George Smitherman says he's willing to consider allowing smoking on stages and in film studios.
He concedes an exemption might be needed to allow smoking that is part of the action in a film or in a play. Related link: Ontario proposes strict new smoking laws
And the law won't be applied in First Nations without their co-operation. That has triggered a debate among aboriginal leaders on whether to allow smoking.
Peter Collins, Chief of the Fort William First Nation, located just outside Thunder Bay, says smoking will be permitted in his community.
Most restaurants permit smoking, as does the community bingo hall.
"We believe in economics. A lot of smokers love to come to bingos. It's part of our economics in Fort William," he says.
But another aboriginal leader wants northern First Nations to voluntarily join the province-wide ban on smoking.
Stan Beardy, Grand Chief of Nishnawbe-Aski Nation, says it's a tragedy that so many native people are dying of the effects of tobacco.
"We have major cases, huge numbers of my people having cancer, lung cancer, heart disease. I think a lot of these can be connected directly to smoking."
He says health concerns should outweigh any economic factors.
A spokesperson from the Ministry of Health says the province recognizes First Nation communities don't have to accept the anti-smoking ban, if and when it becomes law.
But the ministry plans to work with native leaders to address the issue of smoking as part of a culturally appropriate aboriginal health strategy.
http://toronto.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/PrintStory?filename=tor-smoking-law-041217®ion=Toronto
Not breathing any easier
Dec 23, 2004
When he announced the Province's tough new smoking legislation last week, Health Minister George Smitherman triumphantly stated that, "unless Ontarians want to be exposed to cigarette smoke, they won't be."
The fact that smoking will soon be banned in casinos, legion halls and enclosed patios, in addition to bars, restaurants and all other indoor public places, means this is probably true.
But as someone who regularly loses her breath to asthma and allergies, I have to say that this doesn't offer me much peace of mind. Despite hysterical accounts of second-hand smoke invading people's lungs as they eat dinner, enjoy a pint or gamble the night away, cigarettes have always been the last thing to leave me breathless.
In the distant smoke-filled past, if I wanted to avoid the ominous blue haze, I made sure to frequent restaurants with good ventilation and sit as far away from the smoking section as possible. I avoided tiny cramped pubs, sat on open patios in the summer, and asked friends and acquaintances to roll the windows down when smoking in a car.
Yes, I'm sure there were trace amounts of smoke attacking my lungs all the while, but for the most part, unless I wanted to be exposed to cigarette smoke, I wasn't.
As it turns out, avoiding car exhaust fumes and deadly industrial emissions, isn't as easy. On smoggy summer days, there is no bylaw-enforced refuge from the dense brown smog that often leaves me gasping for air. Whether inside or outside, at a bar or in a car, there is no escape.
But this, according to the government, is something we can live with. Cigarette smoke is not.
Is it because bar owners, convenience store owners and legion members are a little easier to bully than the industry big shots behind the factories? Is it more convenient to make an example of smokers, stupidly jeopardizing their own health, than car owners, who make up the vast majority of the population?
The next time I'm forced to catch my breath while taking a summer stroll, I guarantee you that the sight of smokers banished to patios and doorways, won't make me breathe any easier.
Reporter Jillian Follert's column appears every other Friday.
http://www.durhamregion.com/dr/voices/column/story/2445563p-2832466c.html
June 19-22, 2005
4th National Conference on Tobacco or Health
http://www.4ncth.ca
The 4th National Conference on Tobacco or Health, convened by the Canadian Council for Tobacco Control, will be held June 19-22 in Ottawa, Ontario. Whether your interests lie in cessation, prevention, denormalization, health promotion, harm reduction, legislation/taxation or advocacy, this conference will have something for you.
January 12, 2005
Progressing toward a tobacco free Québec; Developing Québec Anti-Tobacco Legislation; Consultation document
http://ftp.msss.gouv.qc.ca/... http://ftp.msss.gouv.qc.ca/publications/acrobat/f/documentation/2004/04-006-07a.pdf
Quebec Health Minister is launching a consultation process on how they can strengthen the tobacco law. For this he is proposing a consultation document that includes smoking restrictions in all public places, school properties, multi-dwelling buildings (2 to 12), point of sales, and other issues. You will find below the press release and a sample of the media coverage of this announcement.
January 11, 2005
Health experts to ask Federal Court to compel the Competition Bureau to act
http://www.nsra-adnf.ca/...
A group of health officials announced that they will take legal action to force the federal Competition Bureau to deal with their 18-month-old complaint about the ‘light’ and ‘mild’ cigarette consumer fraud. The group, including medical officers and professors of public health, filed a two-volume, 600-page complaint with the Bureau in June of 2003. To date, the agency has failed to act in response to the group’s concerns.
http://www.ncth.ca/ncth_new.nsf/MAINframeset?OpenFrameSet&Frame=BodyFrame&Src=http://www.ncth.ca/ncth_new.nsf/Docs
/DirectLink~What'sNew?openDocument
Manitoba-
All-Party Task Force
With the intention of soliciting opinions and input from Manitobans on the issue of smoking in public places, Minister of Health Dave Chomiak (Kildonan) recently struck an All-Party Task Force to examine how to deal with environmental tobacco smoke in public and work places. The Committee will conduct public hearings, accept written submissions and analyze policies aimed at reducing exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.
This initiative grew out of a Private Member's Bill introduced last session by Denis Rocan (Carman). With the unanimous consent of the House, the Bill was held over from the third to the fourth session of the 37th Legislature. During debate on Second Reading of the Bill last fall, Minister Chomiak first suggested that an all-party committee might study the issue further. This idea came to fruition in the form of the Task Force.
The Task Force consists of four government MLAs, two MLAs from the official opposition, and the Liberal MLA. The first public hearings were held in Virden and Brandon in April 2003, with more public hearings planned across the province in the future. While no further meetings have been scheduled due to the general election, the Task Force plans to resume its work later this year.
http://www.parl.gc.ca/infoparl/english/issue.htm?param=58&art=1093
Ontario facing demands for exemptions from smoking law -ON
Friday, Dec 17, 2004
The McGuinty government put forward legislation this week to ban smoking in all workplaces and indoor public areas.
But just days after the bill was introduced there are numerous calls for exemptions.
Social Services Minister Sandra Pupatello has called for an exemption for Windsor and Niagara because they are border communities.
Their casinos and other entertainment venues might be badly hurt by a smoking ban, she says.
Health Minister George Smitherman says he's willing to consider allowing smoking on stages and in film studios.
He concedes an exemption might be needed to allow smoking that is part of the action in a film or in a play. Related link: Ontario proposes strict new smoking laws
And the law won't be applied in First Nations without their co-operation. That has triggered a debate among aboriginal leaders on whether to allow smoking.
Peter Collins, Chief of the Fort William First Nation, located just outside Thunder Bay, says smoking will be permitted in his community.
Most restaurants permit smoking, as does the community bingo hall.
"We believe in economics. A lot of smokers love to come to bingos. It's part of our economics in Fort William," he says.
But another aboriginal leader wants northern First Nations to voluntarily join the province-wide ban on smoking.
Stan Beardy, Grand Chief of Nishnawbe-Aski Nation, says it's a tragedy that so many native people are dying of the effects of tobacco.
"We have major cases, huge numbers of my people having cancer, lung cancer, heart disease. I think a lot of these can be connected directly to smoking."
He says health concerns should outweigh any economic factors.
A spokesperson from the Ministry of Health says the province recognizes First Nation communities don't have to accept the anti-smoking ban, if and when it becomes law.
But the ministry plans to work with native leaders to address the issue of smoking as part of a culturally appropriate aboriginal health strategy.
http://toronto.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/PrintStory?filename=tor-smoking-law-041217®ion=Toronto
Not breathing any easier
Dec 23, 2004
When he announced the Province's tough new smoking legislation last week, Health Minister George Smitherman triumphantly stated that, "unless Ontarians want to be exposed to cigarette smoke, they won't be."
The fact that smoking will soon be banned in casinos, legion halls and enclosed patios, in addition to bars, restaurants and all other indoor public places, means this is probably true.
But as someone who regularly loses her breath to asthma and allergies, I have to say that this doesn't offer me much peace of mind. Despite hysterical accounts of second-hand smoke invading people's lungs as they eat dinner, enjoy a pint or gamble the night away, cigarettes have always been the last thing to leave me breathless.
In the distant smoke-filled past, if I wanted to avoid the ominous blue haze, I made sure to frequent restaurants with good ventilation and sit as far away from the smoking section as possible. I avoided tiny cramped pubs, sat on open patios in the summer, and asked friends and acquaintances to roll the windows down when smoking in a car.
Yes, I'm sure there were trace amounts of smoke attacking my lungs all the while, but for the most part, unless I wanted to be exposed to cigarette smoke, I wasn't.
As it turns out, avoiding car exhaust fumes and deadly industrial emissions, isn't as easy. On smoggy summer days, there is no bylaw-enforced refuge from the dense brown smog that often leaves me gasping for air. Whether inside or outside, at a bar or in a car, there is no escape.
But this, according to the government, is something we can live with. Cigarette smoke is not.
Is it because bar owners, convenience store owners and legion members are a little easier to bully than the industry big shots behind the factories? Is it more convenient to make an example of smokers, stupidly jeopardizing their own health, than car owners, who make up the vast majority of the population?
The next time I'm forced to catch my breath while taking a summer stroll, I guarantee you that the sight of smokers banished to patios and doorways, won't make me breathe any easier.
Reporter Jillian Follert's column appears every other Friday.
http://www.durhamregion.com/dr/voices/column/story/2445563p-2832466c.html
June 19-22, 2005
4th National Conference on Tobacco or Health
http://www.4ncth.ca
The 4th National Conference on Tobacco or Health, convened by the Canadian Council for Tobacco Control, will be held June 19-22 in Ottawa, Ontario. Whether your interests lie in cessation, prevention, denormalization, health promotion, harm reduction, legislation/taxation or advocacy, this conference will have something for you.
January 12, 2005
Progressing toward a tobacco free Québec; Developing Québec Anti-Tobacco Legislation; Consultation document
http://ftp.msss.gouv.qc.ca/... http://ftp.msss.gouv.qc.ca/publications/acrobat/f/documentation/2004/04-006-07a.pdf
Quebec Health Minister is launching a consultation process on how they can strengthen the tobacco law. For this he is proposing a consultation document that includes smoking restrictions in all public places, school properties, multi-dwelling buildings (2 to 12), point of sales, and other issues. You will find below the press release and a sample of the media coverage of this announcement.
January 11, 2005
Health experts to ask Federal Court to compel the Competition Bureau to act
http://www.nsra-adnf.ca/...
A group of health officials announced that they will take legal action to force the federal Competition Bureau to deal with their 18-month-old complaint about the ‘light’ and ‘mild’ cigarette consumer fraud. The group, including medical officers and professors of public health, filed a two-volume, 600-page complaint with the Bureau in June of 2003. To date, the agency has failed to act in response to the group’s concerns.
http://www.ncth.ca/ncth_new.nsf/MAINframeset?OpenFrameSet&Frame=BodyFrame&Src=http://www.ncth.ca/ncth_new.nsf/Docs
/DirectLink~What'sNew?openDocument
Future Debates: “There’s Still a Long Way to Go, Baby…”
http://www.nsra-adnf.ca/news_info.php?cPath=53&news_id=198&PHPSESSID=7d09ef7ffe56ef97996f5e9cd7711d0b
COALITION AGAINST TOBACCO TAX EVASION
FOR RELEASE, FRIDAY, AUGUST 1, 2003
TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR OTTAWA TO SUE ‘BIG TOBACCO’ OVER ALLEGED TOBACCO SMUGGLING FRAUD
* SHOWS THAT DEADLINE LONG PAST (OVER A YEAR)
Billions in cigarette taxes at stake says new coalition
Minister of Justice and Attorney General Martin Cauchon’s department is not revealing any date when it believes its right to sue expires. “Those who work in tobacco control and follow this issue know that the limitations deadline is, at best, a few short weeks away,” said Garfield Mahood, Executive Director of the Non-Smokers’ Rights Association.
http://www.nsra-adnf.ca/news_info.php?cPath=0&news_id=213&PHPSESSID=848e76ab95416e65e987a95b41c34861
MAC NEETING ACCORDING TO GOV'T
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hecs-sesc/tobacco/council/advisorycouncil_meeting.html
Pakitinâsowin: Tobacco Offerings in Exchange for Stories
andThe Ethic of Reciprocity in First Nations Research
Herman Michell
Conclusion and Recommendations
In conclusion, I have demonstrated the cultural and spiritual significance of tobacco in Cree and other indigenous cultures in this paper. More importantly, I have highlighted the error made by University of British Columbia Ethics Review Committee in their decision not to allow me to use it as part of my research methodology. Offering tobacco in exchange for stories is a recognized and legitimate Cree cultural protocol that expresses and adheres to the Ethic of Reciprocity and value of respect. The error made by the Ethics Review Committee appears racist as it mirrors a time when First Nations cultural practices were prohibited in Canada. According to University of British Columbia professor and co-director of the Ts"Kel graduate program, Dr. Calliou (1995), "racism is physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually draining to both sender and receiver" and that it "legitimates military, political, social, legislative, individual, or other acts of dehumanization" (p.57).
http://simonraven.nuit.ca/tobacco-2.shtml
Newspaper should promote positive anti-smoking stories
Jan 5, 2005
On behalf of the Halton Council on Smoking or Health, a group of health professionals, parents and community members in Halton, we are writing to express our disappointment with the Oakville Beaver, our local newspaper, for an article that appeared on Dec. 10, 2004 titled Smokers' rights group makes noise with Web site with quotes from the president of the smokers' rights association.
We appreciate that you provided both sides of the story however, from the reader's perspective, it appears as if the Oakville Beaver is supporting the mychoice.ca Web site. Why promote a group that supports tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure, which causes over 45,000 people each year to die in Canada?
The article stated that having a zero exposure level to cigarette smoke is "ridiculous". When tobacco remains the No. 1 cause of preventable death in Canada, how can one argue that it is OK to be exposed to cigarette smoke? Nothing about being exposed to cigarette smoke is funny. The fact is, that there is no safe level of exposure to smoke set anywhere in the world. According to Health Canada (2004) tobacco use kills more than 16,000 people each year in Ontario alone.
Mychoice.ca is a Web site that claims to support the rights of smokers, when in fact it does nothing more than promote the agenda of big tobacco manufacturing companies. Groups such as these are shifting the debate about second-hand smoke exposure away from the real health issue. This should not be a debate about rights and freedoms -- the paramount reason why restrictions are being enacted is to protect the health of the people who live in Ontario.
With Ontario introducing a province-wide ban on smoking, including all workplaces, public places, bars, restaurants, casinos and legion halls, the government is finally doing the right thing and taking our health seriously. Hopefully our local newspaper then, will follow suit by continuing to promote positive ways to help smokers quit, and continue to support smokers who want to quit rather than promoting the agenda of a group of people who manufacture tobacco products that are killing members of our communities.
HALTON COUNCIL ON SMOKING OR HEALTH
MICKIE DANIELS
http://www.haltonsearch.com/hr/ob/opinion/letter/story/2459822p-2849887c.html
What does the Smoke Free Ontario Act do?
Employer obligations
The proprietor is also responsible for ensuring that no one remains in an enclosed public place who refuses to comply with the prohibition against smoking.
http://ottawa.cbc.ca/regionalnews/caches/ot-que-smoking20050112.html
The Advocates view of the Ontario Legislation
Traditional Use of Tobacco by Aboriginal Persons
Subsection 13 (2) is amended to permit a person to give tobacco to an aboriginal person who appears less than 25 years of age, if the gift of tobacco is made for traditional aboriginal purposes.
Section 13Automatic Prohibition - Notice
The conditions which must be met for the Minister to send a notice to the person who owns or
occupies a place where two specified offences occurred have been amended to reflect the new
liability of the owner or occupier of a place for the actions of an employee.
Section 16 Human Rights Code amended
A complementary amendment (exemption) is required to the Human Rights Code to ensure that
the provision in this Act concerning the apparent age of an individual required to provide
identification for the purchase of tobacco products does not conflict with the age discrimination
provisions of the Code and to change the reference in the Code from the Tobacco Control Act,
1994 to the Smoke-Free Ontario Act.
Section 18Commencement
This Act comes into force, with the exception of the Display, Handling, Promotion sections and related offence and penalty provisions, on May 31,2006.
http://www.ocat.org/pdf/Bill164Compendium.pdf
Exposing workers to cigarette smoke could be a criminal offence
Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada welcomed Parliament’s adoption of Bill C-45, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (criminal liability of organizations), that now requires employers and managers to take “reasonable steps to prevent bodily harm” in the workplace.
The new law, which received Royal Assent on November 7, 2003 adds the following new obligation to the Criminal Code in Section 217.1:
http://www.smoke-free.ca/eng_home/news_press_Dec9-03-c-45.htm
Future Debates: “There’s Still a Long Way to Go, Baby…”
*Shows the advocates want parents charged for abuse for parents who smoke in home, and car. They won't stop at the present legislation
http://www.nsra-adnf.ca/news_info.php?cPath=53&news_id=198&PHPSESSID=7d09ef7ffe56ef97996f5e9cd7711d0b
COALITION AGAINST TOBACCO TAX EVASION
FOR RELEASE, FRIDAY, AUGUST 1, 2003
TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR OTTAWA TO SUE ‘BIG TOBACCO’ OVER ALLEGED TOBACCO SMUGGLING FRAUD* shows the time has expired for Tobacco smuggling case
Billions in cigarette taxes at stake says new coalition
Minister of Justice and Attorney General Martin Cauchon’s department is not revealing any date when it believes its right to sue expires. “Those who work in tobacco control and follow this issue know that the limitations deadline is, at best, a few short weeks away,” said Garfield Mahood, Executive Director of the Non-Smokers’ Rights Association.
http://www.nsra-adnf.ca/news_info.php?cPath=0&news_id=213&PHPSESSID=848e76ab95416e65e987a95b41c34861
Street to advocate ban on smoking -PA
By bruno valle January 11, 2005
Mayor John Street recently announced that one of his main legislative goals for 2005 is the implementation of a smoking ban in Philadelphia's restaurants, bars and other public spaces.
The Philadelphia City Council is currently not in session, but the smoking ban will be one of the possible bills discussed during the first meeting on Jan. 26th.
Student smokers are likely to find their indoor smoking possibilities further limited; University regulations currently prohibit smoking in nonresidential buildings except in certain designated areas.
"Currently, it seems as if there would be little opposition to the ban," said Street spokeswoman Deborah Bolling, "but we can't be sure, since the Council isn't in session."
Bolling added that though some bar or restaurant owners might be opposed to the proposal, they should be open-minded to the bill due to the dangers of second-hand smoke.
The city-wide smoking ban parallels New York City's own 2003 legislation, which was heavily supported by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The ban was opposed by many restaurant owners, but seems to have garnered sufficient support to remain in place.
Internationally, a smoking ban is not a novel concept and has even been embraced by several countries. Starting yesterday, Italy imposed a nationwide smoking ban in all of its enclosed bars and restaurants, following in the footsteps of Norway and Ireland.
The reasons for these initiatives mainly center around health concerns. Every year an average of 400,000 Americans die of smoking-related causes. One in every five deaths in the United States is smoking-related, and an estimated 20 percent of cancer cases could be prevented if research subjects did not smoke.
Cigarette smoking is the number one cause of preventable death in the United States, according to a study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Banning smoking
- January 1998 - California begins a trend that other states soon follow by banning smoking in restaurants and bars.
- September 1999 - Maine follows suit and bars smoking in bars and restaurants
- November 2002 - Delaware passes legislation banning smoking in offices, bars, restaurants, casinos and most indoor public spaces.
- March 2003 - New York City adopts a ban on smoking in bars and restaurants. Owners who do not comply risk a $200 fine for their first offense and being shut down for subsequent offenses.
- March 2003 - New York State passes legislation mirroring New York City's ban on smoking in bars and restaurants.
- May 2003 - Boston bans smoking in workplaces, nightclubs, restaurants and bars.
- July 2003 - Lexington, Kentucky passes a smoking ban in restaurants and bars. After a challenge, the state's Supreme Court upheld the ban in April, 2004.
- March 2004 - The California cities of Santa Monica, San Clemente and Solana Beach barred smoking on beaches.
- March 2004 - Ireland passes a smoking ban in pubs, restaurants, workplaces and public transportation.
- November 2004 - Columbus, Ohio residents voted in favor of a proposition banning smoking in public places.
- December 2004 - Philadelphia mayor John Street announced plans to ban smoking in restaurants and other places serving food in the city. The ban will be one of the possible bills discussed once the Philadelphia City Council reconvenes on Jan. 26.
- January 2005 - Italy enacted a nationwide smoking ban in restaurants and bars. Many restaurant and bar owners are currently refusing to carry out the ban.
- Ongoing - In England, lawmakers are now considering a ban on smoking in all "enclosed public spaces." This would include workplaces, restaurants and bars.
-- David Field
http://www.dailypennsylvanian.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/01/11/41e38a6c565c6
EPA: Factory Closing Won't Affect Environmental Cleanup
Cleanup Has Been Ongoing Since 1999
January 9, 2005
POTTSTOWN, Pa. -- The Environmental Protection Agency said Occidental Chemical's decision to close its plant in Montgomery County will not affect the Superfund cleanup at the site.
The soil and groundwater at the plant have been found to be contaminated with a variety of chemicals, including the potential cancer agents vinyl chloride and trichloroethylene, or TCE.
A cleanup has been underway since 1999. Last summer the company agreed to pay a $150,000 penalty for alleged environmental violations.
It also agreed to upgrade its equipment to reduce vinyl chloride emissions, and had the new system up and running for about 30 days before the plant abruptly closed on Tuesday.
EPA officials said the company told the government it would continue to work to clean the facility of pollutants.
http://www.nbc10.com/news/4065530/detail.html
Homeowners Urged To Test For Radon- WY
Sarah Yosten
With one in three homes in Wyoming having Radon levels above that which the Environmental Protection Agency considers acceptable, health officials are asking homeowners to test for the chemical.
Radon is a naturally occuring gas that is colorless, odorless, tasteless and can enter a building through the soil.
Exposure to the gas, in elevated levels, can cause an increased risk of lung cancer.
You can contact your local health department about how and where you should test your home for Radon.
http://www.kgwn.tv/home/headlines/1183242.html
Ties between regulators and business are attacked after politician takes top job in industry
New York Jeanne Lenzer
A Congressman who was responsible for an act prohibiting the US federal government from negotiating lower prices with drug companies has retired from Congress to take up a job with the pharmaceutical industry.
Congressman W J "Billy" Tauzin (Republican, Louisiana) announced that he will retire from Congress this month to take over as president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. The group, the main US lobbying organisation for the drug industry, has praised Mr Tauzin for his leading role in crafting President Bush’s Medicare Reform Bill, which contains a provision prohibiting the federal government negotiating with drug companies for lower prices. Critics attacked the provision as a "sweetheart deal" for the drug industry (bmj.com, 29 Nov 2003, News Extra).
As chairman of the House of Representatives’ powerful Energy and Commerce Committee, Mr Tauzin served as an overseer of investigations into drug company fraud and abuse—a position he resigned in February 2004 when it emerged that he was considering a position as a lobbyist for the manufacturers’ association.
Editorials in the Washington Post and elsewhere criticised the "revolving door" ethics of Washington politicians and the industries they are supposed to regulate, when it became known that Mr Tauzin was considering the job. The newspapers also pointed out, however, that there was nothing illegal about Mr Tauzin’s move, as federal law did not prevent legislators from taking jobs with industry.
But although Mr Tauzin will not be allowed to lobby Congress directly, he will still be allowed to lobby the White House, and he can supervise others, instructing them in how to lobby Congress.
Saying that US drug makers have been given a "black eye" because of anger at high prices of drugs and recent recalls of top selling drugs, Mr Tauzin said he wants to help give a better image of drug companies because of his own experience as a patient. Mr Tauzin, who was given a diagnosis of colon cancer in February 2004, said in a recent interview, "I was treated with a miracle drug … The question is what I wanted to do with the new life God has given me. This is the mission I want to take on." (USA Today, 15 Dec 2004, www.usatoday.com/money/industries/health/drugs/2004-12-15-drugs-usat_x.htm)
But some critics say that Mr Tauzin’s enthusiastic endorsement of the drug used to treat his colon cancer, bevacizumab (Avastin), used the sort of hyperbole that has contributed to some drugs being too highly promoted in the past, with the result that they have had to be withdrawn, or their makers have had to issue warnings about them. Allen Shaughnessy, a pharmacologist and professor of family medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, said, "I think it’s unconscionable for him to use his personal experience to hype a drug. The halls of medicine are littered with laetrile and other so called miracle drugs."
Professor Shaughnessy’s concerns are echoed in a recent editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine (2004;350:2406-8), which cautioned that bevacizumab is a "non-curative" treatment that comes with a $42 800 (£22 300; €31 500) price tag and poses its own serious health risks.
Some groups are calling for more restrictions on former politicians who become lobbyists. But Sheldon Krimsky, author of the book Science in the Private Interest, says that the problem of legislation favouring the drug industry won’t be resolved until the industry is prohibited from contributing to political campaigns. "That’s where the quid pro quo exists, and it has to be dealt with at that level," he said.
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/330/7482/60-b?ehom
Health conventions in smoke free places have positive economic impact
EDITOR—Policies have the potential to affect the health of populations positively. After non-smoking policies had been adopted and taxation increased, the New York City Department of Health announced on 14 May 2004, that smoking rates were down 11% from 2002 to 2003—the biggest one year drop ever recorded.1
Scollo et al, in their review of the quality of studies on the economic effects of smoke free policies on the hospitality industry, concluded that non-smoking policies had no impact or a positive impact on sales and employment.2 Policy makers can act to protect citizens from the toxins in secondhand smoke and be confident in rejecting industry claims of adverse economic impacts. However, the tobacco industry will expend whatever effort is necessary to thwart policies that would adversely affect consumption of cigarettes and, therefore, profit.3 Coalitions, supported by the tobacco industry, continue to release information claiming negative economic effects.
But what if there was a simple way to show an economic gain by adopting smoke free policies? Health professional associations hold conferences and conventions that have a positive effect on those municipalities where they are held. These economic benefits should reward those that have prioritised health and become smoke free, such as Ireland. In May 2003 the Canadian Public Health Association adopted a resolution to hold its conferences in jurisdictions with smoking restrictions, to urge others to adopt similar resolutions, and to communicate this resolution to potential convention sites (see bmj.com
Posted at 11:15 am by looped_ca
Ontario Command asks veterans and members to contact their MPP on smoking issue
The government of Ontario is considering province-wide legislation that would prohibit smoking in Legion branches in Ontario. Veterans who are well into their late seventies and eighties, many of whom began smoking when free cigarettes were distributed during their service, will be deprived of one of the few remaining pleasures they can enjoy in their own club. The Provincial President has argued that there is little to be accomplished in eliminating smoking at Legion branches and much to be lost. The Legion is a private non-profit club originally estabished for veterans and as long as any veterans remain, their sacrifices for freedom should continue to be respected. This position is supported by the chief opposition whip for Ontario, Garfield Dunlop, and he is encouraging Legionnaires and particularly veterans to contact their Member of Provincial Parliament to support exemption for Legions from the new smoking legislation on the basis that the Legion is a private non-profit club for veterans. We ask for your support.
http://www.on.legion.ca/_shell.asp?page=240001
Will 'atmosfear' lead to banning fireplaces?
By John Downing -- For the Toronto Sun, January 9, 2005
I love sitting in front of a fire -- even if I'm staring into the flames of that pallid substitute, the artificial log.
Too bad fireplaces will soon be illegal. All the warning signs are there.
Damn it all anyway! One selling point when Mary and I bought our house was that while it may have been a "starter" home, small compared to what families start off with today, it had two fireplaces. We've never moved, and a fireplace is going most nights.
It's only a matter of time before that will become nostalgia, like that lovely smell from burning leaves. (Yet the official who launched the ban on bonfires in Toronto once confessed to me that he did it not because of air pollution but because -- if homeowners got carried away with their leaf-burning -- they cracked curbs and bubbled asphalt.)
Towns got into the act, saying it was to reduce grass fires. So open fires are banned, from streets to cottage country to back concessions. I have neighbours who cheat at Burnt Point, and I go around to watch, not report them. Nothing's finer than having a cold one while pungent smoke billows.
What triggers my worry is a quote buried in those year-end media summaries of the good, the bad and the nonsense of 2004, from Rob Ford, a Toronto councillor as subtle as a mating elephant.
The tree bylaw
He exploded Sept. 30 during Toronto council's approval of a bylaw harassing homeowners (both financially and bureaucratically) if they wanted to cut down trees on their own property. "This is so foolish," he said, "what are we going to ban next? Fireplaces?"
Good for him to warn us, but he could have figured that out long ago. As the son of a former MPP, and a jaundiced observer of gliberals and socialists determined to save us as our Big Brothers, he should see they would think banning fireplaces is logical.
After all, Dalton McGuinty's provincial government and Toronto council's majority both announced plans last year to force smokers to butt out everywhere. This year they will finish smokers off with jail, fines, torture through endless lectures about second-hand smoke and, perhaps, banishment.
So why not fireplaces? Fireplace smoke will soon be as suspect as a fine cigar. Every child at the start of school will have to recite a pledge condemning smoking and promising to turn in their parents if they sneak a smoke in the car on the way to soccer practice.
(Smoking is lethal but a classic case of unintended consequences. The drop in smoking has coincided with an increase in the new health menace of obesity.)
The smartest way to get rid of garbage is incineration. We should have built a safe incinerator a decade ago, and saved acres of forests from being sacrificed to warn us about the crisis.
They'll have to go
Surely a council that hates incineration can't keep tolerating fireplaces. (I confess: I have burned paper in the fireplace that I should have recycled.)
Queen's Park has stuck us with an awkward, costly, corrupt vehicle-emissions reduction program, which the acting provincial auditor condemned on Nov. 30. James McCarter found "obvious improprieties undermine this program's integrity" -- mild when you consider Drive Clean has been a bit of a scam from the start.
It should be scrapped for all the good it does, but the government can't do the sensible thing because its bureaucrats conned all those garages into installing all that expensive machinery, and the garages would sue to recover costs.
McCarter said the province isn't adequately enforcing air-pollution standards and Ontario won't meet international standards until it does. Uh oh!
Now those standards are suspect, forced higher for us, like the Kyoto Accord, by all the competing countries trying to increase the costs in North America. But with all these do-gooders running around whipping up "atmosfear," the politicians will no doubt be hunting for new villains.
It's just a matter of months before we're threatened with $500 fines if we dare roast chestnuts over an open fire -- or just stare into the flames.
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/Columnists/Toronto/John_Downing/2005/01/08/850359.html
Great Reasons Not to Smoke
By Kathleen Martin December 13, 2004
Nova Scotia Office of Health Promotion, Halifax
There should be some special award for ads that inspire the most Halloween costumes. If anecdotal reports are accurate, this year in Nova Scotia, Terry and Dean, stars of the Nova Scotia Office of Health Promotion's (OHP) anti-smoking television campaign, gave witches and cowboys a serious run for their money, even appearing in a local junior high-school competition where the winners of the best costume prize re-enacted the commercials.
Terry and Dean, the mulletted, headbanging Albertans from the 2002 cult-hit mockumentary FUBAR (Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition), have been justifying smoking to the Nova Scotia viewing public since January 2004 as part of the OHP's edgy "Great Reasons to Smoke" campaign. In each of eight spots, the characters discuss how they're better people because they smoke. For example, their manners have improved: "Since I started smoking," begins one spot, "I'd say I've been generally more polite. Like if you're at a party or something you say: 'Hey, can I uh, butt out in your plant, or do you mind if I just throw it on the floor?' Like you ask them where to butt it out."
The commercials, which target 19- to 24-year-olds, are the highest profile segment of a comprehensive anti-smoking campaign targeting 15- to 34-year-olds that OHP launched in January 2003. The broader campaign, which has an annual budget of $600,000, also includes Web, radio, print and public education components. The FUBAR commercials grew from the success of a series of "Great Reasons to Smoke" print ads that OHP ran in the first year of the program. They featured unattractive characters and tag lines like: "Great Reasons to Smoke #8-Not being able to play sports means, hey, you never lose!"
HOLDING UP A MIRROR: Smokers sound like FUBAR characters
"We looked at anti-smoking ads from around the world, then looked at what (the tobacco) industry was doing and decided to come out with a campaign that was really going to be opposed to what the industry is promoting as glamorous, as cool," says Nancy Hoddinott, OHP manager. To say that the campaign is a deviation from traditional "stop smoking" marketing efforts is perhaps an understatement; to say that it's been successful is probably the same.
Although numbers on the effect of the FUBAR spots won't be available until January, according to the annual Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey, smoking rates in Nova Scotia overall have come down by 3% since 2003. "This campaign is much more successful than we'd ever thought it would be," says Hoddinott enthusiastically.
Teen smoking rates are declining in Nova Scotia, although Hoddinott admits there is still a lot to be done to make headway in the 19- to 24-year-old age group, a major target for 2005 OHP marketing efforts. "We know that young adults are not a group that has been effectively reached to date by tobacco control programs or messages," she explains. "We're just beginning to target that audience, but we're confident that over time we'll see rates drop. It's a huge task."
So huge, in fact, that getting smokers to quit is decidedly not one of the campaign's two major goals. One is a very governmental "to continue to engage our stakeholders and partners," the second is to get people talking about smoking again, something which, anecdotally, the FUBAR ads have helped to do.
WHERE THERE'S SMOKE: There's Nancy Hoddinott, OHP manager, getting Nova Scotians to butt out
"No marketing campaign on its own is going to get someone to quit smoking," says Hoddinott. "We know what works (in decreasing smoking rates) is a really comprehensive multi-pronged approach that addresses things like legislation, taxation, pricing and education, as well as how we advertise. The ads have to work in conjunction with everything else."
"I don't actually remember the last smoking ads on television that actually ran (before these)," says Philip Rosson, a marketing professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax. "This campaign was certainly very different and it got my attention. In general, these sorts of campaigns are very difficult. You're talking about trying to change deep-seated behaviour that doesn't respond to rational information."
The "Great Reasons to Smoke" campaign was built precisely on that premise. Participants in focus groups who smoked were simply asked to talk about their habit.
"We found that smokers were so defensive about the habit that they tried to justify it," says Andrew Doyle, a partner at Extreme Group, the Dartmouth, N.S. agency that created the campaign, which eventually won best of show and five golds at the Bessies, a gold at Halifax's Ice Awards and three spots on the Cannes film short list. "The ad copy was based directly on what they said. We wanted to hold up a mirror with these ads to say, you might not look exactly like this, but you sound like it, and it's not a pretty place to be."
"We wanted people talking about the ads, talking about the issue," says Hoddinott. "As a result of that, you hope to shift some attitudes because, ultimately, it's that attitude shift that will lead to behaviour change."
http://www.marketingmag.ca/magazine/current/feature/article.jsp?content=20041213_65761_65761
'Fed up' voters turn up the heat
NORMAN DE BONO, Free Press Reporter 2005-01-09 02:07:27
Voters lined up at malls across London yesterday to grill city politicians about the municipal budget -- and the looming 7.7 per cent property tax increase was foremost on their minds. At Westmount Shopping Centre, Kevin Worts waited patiently in line to deliver a simple, direct message -- he is tired of big tax hikes and the excuses that come with them.
"A lot of people are fed up with high taxes, that's the bottom line," he said, his voice rising in anger.
"They represent us, they need to balance the books. Every year they come up with excuses for why taxes go up. Meanwhile, some budgets are coming in at millions more than last year and they are not looked at."
He also is tired of city excuses about costs downloaded from the provincial government, he added.
"If we have to pay for something new, someone else does with a little less. Make do with less. I do it all the time."
Public meetings were held Friday and yesterday at Argyle Mall, Masonville Place, Westmount and White Oaks Mall.
Vic Cote, general manager finance and corporate services, agreed the meetings were dominated by concern over the tax increase.
"The message is very strong here, much stronger than last year, that fatigue has set in and people want to see council starting to push back aggressively" against provincial downloading of services and their costs, said Cote.
Teresa Daigle, however,
dismissed the downloading rationale, adding that the buck stops at city hall.
"City hall needs to be a lot more accountable, there is so much waste in the city," she said. "They think taxpayers are a
bottomless pit, that it never ends. I think people are really, really unhappy.
"They need to start running it like a corporation instead of something taxpayers will fund forever. They take us for granted instead of managing their money properly."
The city came under fire recently after the London Chamber of Commerce released a report by commercial real estate firm CB Richard Ellis stating London has the fifth-highest residential property taxes in Ontario, and some of the the highest commercial and business taxes.
The city will hold committee-of-the-whole meetings tomorrow and Wednesday to discuss the budget, expected to be finalized by month's end.
Controller Russ Monteith heard the message loud and clear yesterday, that people want brakes put on tax increases, but he also heard they want services to remain.
"Everyone wants us to hold taxes, they want us to be frugal, but they also want us to provide services," Monteith said. "It is a difficult balancing act. They want the service, they don't want it to cost too much. What they have left me with is that we have to get costs under control."
A 7.7-per-cent tax increase works out to an extra $148.53 on the property tax bill for an average home assessed at $152,000.
So far, the board has cut, or found savings, worth $11 million out of a draft operating budget first set at $659 million.
David Westhouse, president of the Military Re-enactment Society, attended the Westmount meeting yesterday in 1812 military dress to make a pitch to save funding for Fanshawe Pioneer Village.
The village is looking for $310,000 in operating cash and
$1 million over four years to fix its historic buildings. The city rejected new capital grants for 2005 to community groups, including the $1 million for the pioneer village.
"Pioneer Village is part of our heritage, it should be should be preserved. I know it's not a popular opinion, but I don't mind if my taxes go up. I think our taxes are high, but I am OK with that," he said.
Among reductions last month, council refused to spend $450,000 to get $1.6 million in federal day-care money.
It also denied $200,000 of a
$1.6-million increase sought for ambulance service.
"I have heard from the public the municipality has to look after its own budget and stop hiding behind downloading as a rationale," said Coun. Paul Van Meerbergen. "They think police are asking too much, they want reductions in expenditures.
"We can no longer afford local government."
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2005/01/09/852659-sun.html
Budget committee to launch hearings -ON
The all-party panel expects a strong turnout.
JOE MATYAS, Free Press Reporter 2005-01-09
About 180 presenters will tell the provincial government what its spending priorities should be at eight public hearings across the province in the next 10 days. "The response to our call for submissions in person was strong," Chatham-Essex-Kent Liberal MPP Pat Hoy said yesterday, a day after the deadline for booking presentation time.
"We're very close to having the day filled in London and in other cities we're over-subscribed, so there will have to be discussions on how to handle that."
Hoy is chairperson of a committee of nine MPPs -- six Liberals, two Tories and one New Democrat -- that takes to the road tomorrow for pre-budget consultations in seven Ontario cities.
The first consultation is scheduled for Sault Ste. Marie tomorrow, with others to follow in Sudbury, Ottawa, Kingston, Whitby, London and Toronto.
The London sitting is set for Jan. 17 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., at the Four Points Sheraton on Wellington Road. Like the other hearings, it's open to the public.
Two days have been scheduled for Toronto, Jan. 18 and 19, with one of them featuring three budget experts selected by the political parties as expert presenters.
On the other seven days, the all-party committee will hear an average of 24 presenters a day, Hoy said.
He said the committee is also expecting "hundreds" of written submissions from individuals, groups and organizations.
The deadline for written submissions is 5 p.m., Jan. 20.
"Health and education are the two biggest items in the provincial budget and we're certainly going to be hearing about them, but we're also expecting presentations on infrastructure (roads, bridges, sewers, etc.), agriculture and the environment," Hoy said.
The committee will provide provincial Finance Minister Greg Sorbara with its report by the end of February, he said.
The province's fiscal year ends March 31 and Sorbara has forecast a deficit of $2 billion by then, down from $6 billion last year, Hoy said.
"Our government has made it clear there will be financial constraints as long as the deficit exists," said Hoy.
"Expenditure requests will have to be weighed against the need to reduce the deficit again and balance the budget by 2007."
He said the government is hoping presenters will offer recommendations on avoiding duplication and waste and providing more efficient delivery of government services, as well as their ideas on spending priorities.
WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS
- Written submissions can be made to the Provincial Finance Committee until 5 p.m., Jan. 20, by mailing them to Trevor Day, Clerk of the Committee, Room 1405, Whitney Block, Queens Park, Toronto, M7A 1A2. They can also be faxed to him at (416) 325-3505.
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2005/01/09/852662-sun.html
'Light, mild' smokes face legal challenge
BILL RODGERS, Free Press Parliamentary Bureau Chief 2005-01-09
OTTAWA -- A group of doctors and public health experts will launch legal action tomorrow to force tobacco manufacturers to drop the words "light" and "mild" from cigarette packages. The group said yesterday it wants to put an end to "the most destructive, deceptive trade practice in the history of Canadian business or public health."
"We've got a problem and we're going to do whatever is necessary in the health community to solve the problem," said Garfield Mahood of the Non-Smokers' Rights Association.
"Light and mild cigarettes have been responsible for thousands of deaths and health experts feel this has to be addressed."
The association has maintained smokers have been duped into believing the light or mild brands are less dangerous than regular cigarettes.
But anti-smoking activists insist the risk is not lower and health benefits don't exist.
The group wouldn't identify the target of their legal action tomorrow, but clearly it is tiring of the federal government dragging its feet on the issue.
Shortly after taking over as federal health minister last year, Ujjal Dosanjh vowed to ban the labels from cigarette packs, but so did Allan Rock when he held the portfolio.
John Wildgust, the director of corporate affairs for cigarette maker JTI-Macdonald, said tobacco companies simply followed a Health Canada request in the 1960s to develop lighter products.
Wildgust takes issue with the allegation tobacco manufacturers are misleading smokers with the light and mild labeling, especially after years of warnings about the health hazards of smoking.
"I don't think there's anybody on the planet who doesn't realize that there's a health risk associated with smoking," said Wildgust.
He cited surveys of people who smoke the products, which show only three per cent believed there was some benefit -- 97 per cent, he said, smoked the lighter products because of taste.
The country's smoking population has been steadily declining as strict bans have been imposed in public places.
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2005/01/09/852675-sun.html
Blood pressure demographics: Nature or nurture ... ... genes or environment?
Joseph Tomson and Gregory YH Lip
BMC Medicine 2005,
3:3 doi:10.1186/1741-7015-3-3
Published 7 January 2005
Abstract (provisional)
Hypertension is a growing worldwide problem associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, the rates of prevalence of hypertension are higher in some populations than others. Although ethnic and genetic factors have been implied in the past to explain this, the environmental influence and psychosocial factors may play a more important role than is widely accepted. Examining the non-genetic influences in future hypertension research may be necessary in order to clearly define the local blood pressure demographics and the global hypertensive disease burden.
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/3/3/abstract
Smoke-Free Homes Pre- and Post-Campaign Survey
Bulletin 378, September 10, 2004
http://www.ohpe.ca/ebulletin/ViewFeatures.cfm?ISSUE_ID=378
Plain Packaging
It is believed that the provinces of Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, and British Columbia have the statutory authority to approve regulations that would require tobacco manufacturers to produce “plain”, non-promotional cigarette packages. Section 28 of Quebec’s Tobacco Act, Section 5(1) of Ontario’s Tobacco Control Act, Section 9(e) of Manitoba’s Non-Smokers Health Protection Act, and Section 11(2)(a) of British Columbia’s Tobacco Sales Act would arguably allow for plain packaging regulations. To date, no such regulations have been approved. It has been argued that the federal government could use its authority under Section 15(1) of the Tobacco Act to effectively strip cigarette packages of promotional elements by requiring health warnings that occupy the remaining package surface that is presently allowed for tobacco promotion.
environmental tobacco smoke exposure and lung cancer."
Professor G. Feuer_) _.d Professor DJ. Ecobichon_ (1991) p. c_ _ .
O) Department of Pharmacology and clinical, Biochemistry,
University of Toronto, CANADA ,, /
o)Dcpartment of Pharmacology,_therauputics,
McGill Unlversity, CANADA
Passive smoking and Lung Cancer- a critical analysis
Modern Medicine of Canada
1991 46 (4), 26-29
http://www.ncth.ca/Guildford.nsf/d5337f80c87cd006c2256bc80048b13f/f1bad333575b896085256bc8006e6ed3/$FILE/00002956.pdf
Reducing sales to children. Store reg's don't work, change acceptance instead. Parliamentary commission documents
Our position -The Canadian Cancer Society opposes youth possession laws at this time. A possession law should only be considered as one element of a long-term, well-funded, and comprehensive strategy to reduce tobacco use among children and adults. Sept/01
http://www.cancer.ca/ccs/internet/standard/0,3182,3172_69614681__langId-en,00.html
A Critical Analysis of Youth Access Lawshttp://www.cancer.ca/vgn/images/portal/cit_776/48/38/69664397cw_criticalanalysisyouthaccesslaws_en.pdf
Critical Analysis of S2461: FDA Tobacco Legislation
http://www.no-smoking.org/sept04/09-09-04-5.html
Diesel Exhaust: A Critical Analysis of Emissions, Exposure, and Health Effects 0ct/97
Summary of a Health Effects Institute (HEI) Special Report
HEI Diesel Working Group
http://www.dieselnet.com/papers/9710nauss.html
Critical Appraisal of the Enstrom/Kabat paper on secondhand smoke and British Medical Journal’s role in publishing the paper
http://www.ash.org.uk/html/passive/html/BMJ0503critique.html
Smoking Ban Proposed in San Jose Parks
Sue McGuire for KCBS-740 AM 01-08-2005
(KCBS)--An anti smoking group wants to ban the smoking of cigarettes in San Jose City parks.
According to the San Jose Mercury News, the Tobacco Free Collaborative of San Jose launched a campaign this week to get more than 100 city parks free of cigarette smoke this year.
The American Lung Association released its annual "State of Tobacco" report giving California an "A" for its efforts to keep cigarettes out of public places. But the state received an "F" for not spending enough on tobacco prevention and control.
http://cbs5.com/news/local/2005/01/08/Smoking_Ban_Proposed_in_San_Jose_Parks.html
Opponent of higher taxes spurs protest
Norquist meets with Fletcher, GOP
By Tom Loftus The Courier-Journal
FRANKFORT, Ky. — A leading national opponent of higher taxes met privately yesterday with Gov. Ernie Fletcher and Republican lawmakers, and was booed by supporters of higher funding for education and services for the needy.
Grover Norquist, founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform, said his trip to Kentucky was one of many he takes to meet with supporters and signers of a pledge that they will not vote to raise taxes. Fletcher has signed the pledge.
But Norquist's visit cost him one state legislator who signed earlier. Rep. Steve Nunn, R-Glasgow, said yesterday he wrote a letter withdrawing the pledge he signed in 1990 in his first House race.
"Considering the fiscal crisis we're in, I had to rescind it. That pledge takes away an official's independence to make decisions based on current circumstances," Nunn said. "And with a huge deficit in Medicaid and problems funding other programs, I believe we need a tax bill that raises at least $250million a year in new revenue."
Norquist had left by the time Nunn disclosed his withdrawal.
With Nunn's defection, 33 members of the 100-seat House and 16 members of the 38-seat Senate have signed the pledge. One Senate seat is under challenge.
Norquist's visit comes at the start of a legislative session that will take up state budget and tax reform bills that failed last year.
Fletcher has said he will propose a tax plan similar to the one he offered then but was rejected by House Democrats. That included a proposed increase in Kentucky's 3-cents-a-pack cigarette tax, the nation's lowest.
Last year, Fletcher sought to increase the cigarette tax by 26cents a pack, to 29cents. But he told the Rotary Club of Louisville yesterday the tax needs to be even higher.
"I'd like to push it more toward the 40 cents (increase) because I think that we ought to get that through the legislature," Fletcher said.
Last night in an impromptu interview, Fletcher said he had not yet decided on a 40-cent increase. "I haven't arrived at a number," he said. "I've just said one thing I think we can do is get near 40 cents."
Norquist, who said he requested the meeting with Fletcher, said they did not discuss the details of the governor's revised tax plan. "I just stated my support for his effort to have a revenue-neutral tax reform," Norquist said.
Norquist said an elected official would not violate the no-tax pledge by supporting a revenue-neutral plan that raises some taxes, cuts some taxes and overall does not raise additional revenue in its first year. He said Fletcher assured him that his revised plan will be revenue-neutral.
Norquist said his organization has no position on casinos and gambling, another issue that Kentucky lawmakers are likely to consider this session. He said it would not break the pledge to vote to expand gambling.
After meeting with the governor, Norquist held a news conference attended by about 70 people — many wearing T-shirts that said, "I'm not neutral about Kentucky. Why is the governor?"
Steve Boyce, a retired Berea College math professor, said the protest involved a coalition known as the Kentucky Economic Justice Alliance that supports better funding for the needy.
"What we would want to say to the governor, more than anything else, is at this point in Kentucky's history it's just irresponsible to enter into this rare and precious opportunity for tax reform by saying it has to be revenue-neutral," Boyce said.
A few protesters challenged Norquist.
"Over the last couple of months we've all heard how the past election was a triumph of moral values. I want to know what is so moral about your policies that wreak havoc on public schools, that eliminate services that are necessary for children like my 4-year-old son?" asked Kimberly Wolf of Lexington, a member of the Economic Justice Alliance.
Norquist said the effects of higher taxes on families must be considered.
"I would certainly argue that letting people control their own lives and their own resources and taking care of their own families is, of course, a moral thing to do," he said.
Rep. Kathy Stein, D-Lexington, told Norquist she thought it was irresponsible to inject himself into Kentucky's tax debate just as relations seem to have improved between Democrats who control the House and Republicans who control the Senate.
"Why in the world would you charge into Kentucky at this very critical time when we are trying to deal with budgetary issues and inject this kind of malevolence?" she asked.
Norquist said he is free to advocate his views whenever he chooses.
Roger Holsey, a self-employed painter from Lexington, said he showed up to protest because Norquist is "not giving the whole story. He's not talking about the needs."
Norquist said elected officials fall into two groups — those who make tough decisions about setting priorities and cutting unneeded spending, and those who "think governing is too difficult" and push taxes as the solution.
He said states can spend more for pressing needs by cutting middle management and by seeing if the private sector can provide some services cheaper than state workers.
Asked where Kentucky should cut costs, he said, "I would defer to policy experts from Kentucky on specifics."
After the news conference, Norquist met with groups of Republican legislators.
Senate Minority Leader Ed Worley of Richmond said later that the visit was counterproductive to reaching bipartisan budget and tax compromises.
"Here is the man who gave a famous quote that he wanted to shrink the size of government so he could drown it in a bathtub," Worley said. "I'm a conservative Democrat and I don't believe we should raise taxes, but we can't drown government in a bathtub unless we ignore important services like police protection, education and helping people in need."
But Rep. Ken Upchurch, the House Republican whip from Monticello who met with Norquist and has signed the no-tax pledge, said, "I think to say that this visit caused any trouble is an overreaction. But I'm not surprised some people say so — people who never see a tax they don't like."
Fletcher said last night that Norquist "just wanted to come down and encourage us along." He said he saw no problem with the visit.
Staff writer Marcus Green contributed to this story.
http://www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2005/01/07ky/B4-notax01070-9463.html
Drug giants to cash in on Italian smoking ban -UK
By Andrew Jack in London Last updated: January 9 2005 22:09
A €5m Italian marketing campaign for anti-smoking products is being launched by GlaxoSmithKline this week as pharmaceutical groups gear up to cash in where their rivals in the tobacco sector are losing out.
GSK's drive to boost sales of its NiQuitin nicotine replacement gums and patches is timed to coincide with a new local law restricting smoking in the workplace and comes as Italy prepares on Monday to enforce its ban on smoking in bars, restaurants and cafés. Its rival, Pfizer, is also aiming to boost demand for its products in Europe.
The fresh focus on the smoking strongholds of southern Europe follows a 36 per cent increase in sales of GSK's products in Ireland since that country introduced a ban on smoking in public places at the end of March. That has led to a sharp rise in attempts to quit and a slump in tobacco sales in the country. GSK plans to follow up with similar campaigns in Spain and Portugal, two other Mediterranean markets traditionally associated with smoking. Quitting campaigns have attracted little interest in the past, but both countries have recently begun discussing smoking bans and an increase in tobacco taxes.
“Smoking is the greatest source of mortality in the developed countries,” said Jack Ziegler, head of GSK's consumer healthcare division. “We are reacting in these countries just as they are showing changes in attitude towards smoking.”
GSK dominates the UK market for nicotine replacement therapies, with sales of £160m (€229m) a year. The company claims that the chances of successfully quitting smoking are about 5 per cent with no assistance, and double to about 10 per cent with the aid of its products, which provide nicotine without the unhealthy side-effects of tobacco. It rises to 26 per cent when accompanied by help-lines and other support. Pfizer also claims a sharp increase in sales for its Nicoret products in Europe, including Germany where tobacco taxes have recently risen. “We have seen very substantial growth,” said Rick Rizzo, head of the company's consumer health products group for Europe.
One risk is that smokers end up becoming as dependent on the nicotine replacement products as they once were on tobacco. Some health campaigners argue that such a shift is nevertheless desirable because it has a smaller impact on health even if the impact on users' wealth remains considerable.
For those in the UK who want to try to cut costs while boosting their health, the best tactic is to seek a general practitioner's prescription.
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/7d68bcda-6272-11d9-8e5d-00000e2511c8.html
MPAAT revives smoking ban push -MN
Conrad Defiebre, Star Tribune January 8, 2005
Minnesota's richest and most controversial anti-tobacco group has plunged back into lobbying for smoking ban laws after a court-ordered hiatus that lasted three years, and the move has touched off a new round of public criticism.
State Rep. Tim Wilkin, R-Eagan, has resigned from the board of the Minnesota Partnership for Action Against Tobacco (MPAAT) because of the decision, announced Friday, to award grants of up to $1.5 million "to build citizen participation efforts to protect the public from exposure to second hand smoke."
Rep. Tom Rukavina, DFL-Virginia, said that he, too, will quit the board over what he called its "tobacco jihad." Attorney General Mike Hatch, a DFLer who went to court in 2002 to stop MPAAT's earlier lobbying, also voiced displeasure, although his office said he plans no further legal efforts against the group.
"He's very troubled that state money is being used to lobby public officials," said Hatch spokeswoman Leslie Sandberg. "He feels it is a wrong use of the dollars."
MPAAT leaders argue that taxpayer money isn't involved because the nonprofit group's $202 million endowment came from the tobacco industry's settlement with the state of Minnesota in 1998. And they say that fostering local smoke-free initiatives is a vital element of their court-chartered mission to reduce the harm caused by tobacco.
"This is about creating a healthier Minnesota," MPAAT Chairman Michael Vekich said in a news release. "The public understands the dangers associated with second hand smoke and that is why so many communities in Minnesota have adopted ordinances or are considering them."
Spending public money on various antitobacco efforts has been a persistent sore point among smokers' rights advocates and others for years.
Wilkin and other Republicans vigorously objected to Target Market, an edgy state Health Department campaign to discourage teen smoking, before the $1 billion state endowment from the tobacco settlement that financed it was drained to help balance the state budget in 2003. A $3.4 million Health Department program met similar criticism last year when some of its grantees began pushing for local smoking bans.
That led to reminders to the grantees that "they cannot use the money for things defined in the statute as lobbying," Aggie Leitheiser, assistant state health commissioner, said Friday.
And in 2002, Ramsey County District Judge Michael Fetsch ordered MPAAT to halt its smoking ban efforts until it was spending at least as much on helping individual smokers quit the habit.
Original intent?
Friday's announcement was MPAAT's first move back toward lobbying since then. According to the group, it has served more than 42,000 smokers through its QUITPLAN Helpline (1-888-354-PLAN), its Web site (www.quitplan.com) and efforts at clinics and workplaces.
Through June 2003, MPAAT added, it had spent $10.8 million on such cessation efforts and $4.2 million on smoke-free initiatives. For the year beginning July 1, it has budgeted $2.7 million for cessation and $1.5 million for policy efforts.
Not reflected in those numbers is an MPAAT resolution allowing its staff to lobby the Legislature in favor of a statewide smoking ban, Wilkin said.
"That puts legislators in a terrible position," he said. "I believe the new direction of MPAAT is inconsistent with the original intent of the use of these funds."
He said that to avert any conflict of interest former legislators should be appointed to seats reserved for legislators on MPAAT's 19-member board.
"This organization has essentially become a political action committee and is using taxpayer dollars to accomplish political goals," Wilkin wrote in a Dec. 6 resignation letter to House Speaker Steve Sviggum. "This may even put its tax-exempt status in jeopardy."
In addition, Wilkin said, the move back to lobbying will produce bad public relations for MPAAT's goals. "A lot of the initiatives they want to push have some political legs on their own without their help," he said. "I think it will backfire."
Rukavina said a better use of MPAAT's resources would be to fund ventilation systems for bars and restaurants that might lose business under smoking bans. Its latest move, he added, will only "start fights among people with the people's money."
Conrad deFiebre is at cdefiebre@startribune.com
http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/5175479.html
Studies Fueling Hope
Research into therapeutic uses of nicotine could be boon for local company, but the road is slippery
By M. Paul Jackson JOURNAL REPORTER Sunday, January 9, 2005
Call it two sides of the same coin. A scientist studies a molecule's ability to treat diseases of the central nervous system. It is the same molecule that has been known to cause addiction and health risks to millions of people.
Sound far-fetched? Think again.
The molecule is called nicotine, and according to growing national and local research, it could have positive effects on a number of illnesses, including Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia and chronic pain ailments.
But the research has an uphill battle. Nicotine, the main ingredient in cigarettes, is still a poisonous, addictive drug that contributes to the death of more than 400,000 people annually in the United States.
In addition, researchers and doctors remain concerned that the public could confuse the drug's promise with its threat, giving people the idea that tobacco is not dangerous. The federal government has also been slow to provide money in support of therapeutic nicotine research, officials said.
In dealing with a drug that can interact with the body's complicated nervous system, "the possibility of toxicity that you don't fully understand exists," said Michael Thun, the head of epidemiological research for the American Cancer Society.
As a drug, nicotine works by interacting with the body's maze of nerves and chemical signals, which send different kinds of information to the brain.
Studies on the drug's effect on the body's central nervous system stretch back to the early 1900s, and more information emerged through pharmaceutical studies by companies such as Merck & Co. Inc. in the 1940s and '80s. In Winston-Salem, the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. has performed numerous animal studies on nicotine's effects, particularly during the late '80s.
In fact, Big Tobacco's research over the years into the drug's hold on the central nervous system continues to be controversial. Last week, a former employee testified that during the '80s, Philip Morris USA deliberately shut down studies on nicotine's effect on the brain. The testimony was part of the government's $280-billion racketeering lawsuit against cigarette-makers that is under way in Washington.
Now, a growing number of pharmaceutical companies - including Targacept Inc., based in the Piedmont Triad Research Park - are betting their financial futures on nicotine in the belief that it could bring financial benefits to the health-care industry.
"It's exciting, because the nicotinic system is potentially involved in so many areas of physical and mental functions," said Jack Henningfield, the former chief of the Clinical Pharmacology Research Branch of the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Nicotine, derived from tobacco leaves, works by stimulating nerve receptors in the brain. It also increases levels of dopamine in the body, which can improve mood and stimulate concentration.
Nationwide, research into its therapeutic potential is well under way.
In 1984, the Food and Drug Administration approved the sale of nicotine gum, which helps people to quit smoking. In 1992, the government approved sale of a nicotine patch. Both work by administering small doses of nicotine into a patient's system, which can help smokers quit.
But researchers also found that the patch could be used to alleviate the neurological symptoms typically associated with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
Patients who suffer from these illnesses tend to smoke more - in many cases, dramatically more - than regular cigarette smokers, said
