Bar, tavern layoffs: Is it the NHL effect? -ON
By JOHN PARTRIDGE AND KEITH MCARTHUR Saturday, February 5, 2005 - Page A2
The National Hockey League players lockout has forced Montreal sports bar owner Ziggy Eichenbaum to turn some of his employees into statistics.
Mr. Eichenbaum had to lay off two of 10 workers because business is down about 25 per cent. The rest of the staff at Ziggy's Pub on Crescent Street near the Bell Centre are working shorter days.
Game nights used to bring 20,000 people downtown. "Now you can take a bowling ball and throw it down Crescent Street on a Monday night and not hit anybody," he said yesterday as supposedly last-ditch talks in New York between National Hockey League owners and their locked-out players ended, apparently without progress.
The latest stalemate came as Statistics Canada unveiled a little more evidence that what might be called an "NHL effect" is taking at least a small toll on the economy, beyond lost salaries for the players and lost advertising revenues.
In reporting the unexpected net loss of 5,700 jobs across the country during January, Statscan suggested yesterday that the silence in NHL rinks may be behind a drop in employment in tavern and bars. When Labatt Brewing Co. Ltd. announced plans in December to cut 20 per cent of its white-collar work force -- 240 jobs -- it partly blamed slumping sales at bars and restaurants, which are also suffering the impact of smoking bans.
Worse is likely to come. Hostelries that cater to a hockey clientele say the biggest hit will be if and when the playoffs are cancelled.
Just before Christmas, Statscan estimated that the hockey freeze was costing the economy about $17-million a month, from ticket and souvenir sales and broadcast revenue. If the entire season is lost, the gross domestic product could be reduced by about $170-million.
"There definitely is an 'NHL effect' " said economist Avery Shenfield of CIBC World Markets, but "what you never know is to what extent it's offset by additional spending on other items," he said.
"What you don't see is whether the guy who would have spent Saturday night at a bar watching the hockey game is instead spending more money on a Valentine's Day present for the wife."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050205/NHLEFFECT05/TPNational/
Bylaw? What bylaw? -ON
Bars are finding creative ways to dodge the smoking ban, and the city is not amused
By LUMA MUHTADIE Saturday, February 5, 2005 - Page M1
A subtle, street-level sign declared the party at Bird to be private. But passersby who strolled into the College Street lounge bar on Wednesday night were definitely welcome to pull up a seat, order a drink and do something that's now forbidden in most Toronto bars: light up a smoke.
Patrons of the small space above Xacutti restaurant were exempt from the city's non-smoking bylaw because the space had been rented out for what was described as a private function -- one of the strategies bar owners are adopting to enable drinkers with a penchant for nicotine to indulge their habit without having to step out into the cold.
"I didn't realize places like this existed," said Gail MacKenzie, exhaling a plume of smoke.
"But I'm happy that they do."
They may not for much longer, however. Public officials say they're concerned about bars blurring the line between commercial establishments and private clubs, and their growing frustration with loose interpretations of the city bylaw is driving them to crack down.
Evasion tactics range from the artful to the downright audacious: Some are offering membership cards, others are willing to risk their patrons' safety by locking their doors to the general public.
But Rob Colvin, manager of healthy environments and the man responsible for overseeing the enforcement of the smoking bylaw, says most of these attempts to dodge the ban won't pass enforcement officers' scrutiny.
"A private club is run by a non-profit corporation and has to demonstrate that it has a purpose," says Mr. Colvin.
"They need to show that they have regular meetings. And they can't advertise or communicate to the public."
Bird owner Brad Moore doesn't classify his venue as a private club, "because we're not. And that would get me into trouble as far as harassment with inspectors."
But he says the hosts who rent his space out for the night (at a minimum cost of $500 an hour) are free to set the parameters of privacy for their events.
"It's used for private functions on a regular basis," he says. "Sometimes they have a guest list with security at the door. Sometimes they're not so concerned about who comes in and who comes out -- there are so many different rules or considerations for each party."
As for bylaw-enforcement officers' opinion of what goes on in his bar, Mr. Moore is resolute. "These guys come in here like whipper-snappers with attitudes. I'm simply a business operator trying to make a dollar.
"If you're suffocating people, that's not good, but if I'm spending $40,000 on a ventilation system, I don't see why I can't offer a service to someone."
Mr. Colvin says the courts are taking a serious view of non-compliance and have been issuing probation orders and summonses with hefty fines. They can even go as far as ordering a venue's closure or jail time for the offender.
Still, a handful of creative club owners remain undeterred.
The Cloak and Dagger on College sells $10 annual membership cards to its so-called Society of Free Thinkers. These laminated photo IDs bear a digital headshot of the cardholder (taken on the spot) alongside a graphic of Einstein -- and they're all you need to get in on Mellow Mondays and smoke your face off.
Then there's Chalker's Pub Billiards & Bistro, on Marlee Avenue in North York, which bills itself as the headquarters for the non-profit Cosmopolitan Multicultural Society.
Members of the society pay a $5 annual fee to earn the privilege of sparking up inside.
Only the society's board of directors is obliged to sit through meetings, owner Steve Greco explains. He's the manager of the board, which has 24 other members.
"There are a lot of clubs out there that aren't legitimate private clubs, but we're following all the laws -- we have a charter and everything," Mr. Greco says.
And he's prepared to defend this stance in court: Mr. Greco's lawyer is poised to challenge two tickets his client received for smoking violations that could cost up to $5,000 for each infraction.
But counterfeit private clubs are still a rare exception, Mr. Colvin says, noting that compliance with the bylaw has hovered steadily around 97 per cent -- even during the bone-chilling month of January.
It's a sign that bars and patrons are slowly adjusting to the city's new ways, he says.
So much so, in fact, that "private clubs" have become unappealing to some smokers.
"I won't go to them," says Chris Rolfe, while savouring the last drags of his cigarette outside a downtown bar.
"I don't like sitting inside smoky bars any more."
He says he's already cut his habit down from half a pack to three cigarettes a day.
"If I was allowed to smoke indoors, I'd have one going all the time."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050205/SMOKERS05/TPEntertainment/?query=smoking
All in the Family bandits -ON
Wednesday, February 02, 2005 -
Investigators trying to crack a rash of convenience store thefts are seeing a family resemblance among the crimes.
Crime Stoppers along with 55 and 13 Division Major Crime units need the public's help in tracking down a band of thieves that span several generations.
The group were caught on tape.
At each store, five to 10 people, some of them young children, enter the shop all at once, fanning out through the aisles and bringing items one at a time to the counter.
Several suspects distract the owner at the front counter while others make their way into the storage area at the back of the store.
While the storeowner is busy serving the suspects at the front counter, the suspects at the rear removed a quantity of cigarettes, money and jewellery, concealing it on them or in large bags.
In one of the incidents, a woman carrying an infant stood watch at the rear of the store. In another incident, two small children began playing in front of the counter, creating a commotion.
The suspects then all leave the store at once.
This group has stolen approximately $58,000 in cigarettes, cash, computer equipment and jewellery. At one location they removed the victims safe from the living quarters above the store.
If you have information about the identity of these people, call 55 Division Major Crime at 416-808-5506 or at 416-808-1306. If you want to remain anonymous and earn a cash reward, call Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS (8477)
All in the Family bandits
http://www.torontopolice.on.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1505&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
Smoking injunction dismissed for club owners -NL
CBC News WebPosted Feb 5 2005 09:50 AM NST
ST. JOHN'S — The group representing most of the bars and taverns in the province has lost its fight to postpone public hearings on the government's proposed smoking ban.
The Beverage Industry Association applied to the Supreme Court asking for a delay so that a thorough economic analysis of the impact of the ban can be completed.
The provincial government intends to pass legislation this spring that will extend its ban on smoking in public places to include bars, clubs and bingo halls.
Public hearings started this week in Gander, and will conclude Feb. 16 in St. John's.
Marcel Etheridge, president of the Beverage Industry Association, says the government appears to have its mind made up, without assessing the full impact of a ban will bring.
"We are very disappointed, but we're not giving up," says president Marcel Etheridge.
The association may appeal judge David Russell's decision, which was handed down Friday afternoon.
"The timeframe is very, very narrow," Etheridge says.
"You cannot do a social impact study of this industry which is very, very large, which is worth millions of dollars, in a couple of months. It's unrealistic."
Describing many of his members as "ma and pa" operations in rural areas, Etheridge believes numerous clubs will close if they lose regular customers who smoke.
"They're doing it to [our industry], because I guess we're easy to pick on."
Don Burrage, the Crown attorney who fought the application on behalf of government, argued the association has many ways to voice its opposition beyond the public hearings.
Meanwhile, the Beverage Industry Association has another application before the courts, which argues the entire public hearing process is flawed.
http://stjohns.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=nf-clubs-smoking-20050205
RE: Public Health Inspectors-Working to Protect the Health of Your Community -SK
WHITE ROCK, BC, Jan. 21 /CNW/ - Public Health Inspectors in Saskatchewan are an integral part of the Public Health Professional team in your
communities. Possessing a unique skill-set, Public Health Inspectors are on the front-lines of Public Health ensuring safe drinking water, safe food and protection from exposure to communicable diseases to name a few of the program responsibilities.
One of the threats to Public Health in Canada today is the use of tobacco products and the exposure to tobacco smoke. 45,000 Canadians die each year as a result of tobacco related illness. As part of an overall Tobacco Reduction Strategy, many communities are introducing legislation to protect the public from exposure to tobacco smoke in public places. It has also been shown that smokers are more likely to attempt to quit in communities where smoking in public places is restricted.
Public Health Inspectors are responsible for the enforcement of such legislation. Every effort is made to educate business operators on the associated health risks of tobacco smoke exposure and the need to protect the public.
The vast majority of the business community will understand their responsibility and operate their businesses accordingly however, there are a small percentage of business operators who refuse to acknowledge this responsibility and will challenge legislation.
These business operators and the sensationalized headlines they provoke do capture the media and the public's attention. The sober reality of the devastation caused by tobacco use in this country seems to be lost, as does the important role of Public Health Inspectors in protecting your community's health.
The Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors proudly supports Public Health Inspectors in Saskatchewan and urges the citizens of Saskatchewan to stand behind these Environmental Public Health Professionals and look beyond the "smoke screen" of sensationalized headlines.
For further information: Claudia Kurzac, President, Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors, Phone: (604) 714-5683
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/January2005/21/c5901.html
Tougher Ontario smoking laws pledged
DEBORA VAN BRENK, Free Press Reporter 2005-02-04 02:09:07
Mississauga MPP Peter Fonseca gave it up for marathon running years ago. Ontario Finance Minister Greg Sorbara did it cold turkey recently.
Encouraging every other smoker to give up the habit and make healthy choices is one role the provincial government does and should take on, Fonseca insists.
Fonseca, parliamentary assistant to Health Minister George Smitherman, says Ontario intends to enact the toughest non-smoking laws this side of California because it's in everyone's best interests.
"I'd love to see the day where nobody smokes in Ontario," Fonseca said during a stop in London yesterday.
He said that doesn't extend to banning cigarettes outright. But it does mean that as of May 2006, Ontarians should have enough carrots and sticks to encourage them to stop smoking and penalize them if they do.
The tough non-smoking bill is in the legislature and is expected to pass third reading this spring.
It will replace a patchwork of local bylaws with a provincewide ban on smoking in workplaces, including bars and entertainment areas.
Some critics have said the bill is intrusive and harmful to many businesses.
But Fonseca said smoking costs the province's health system $1.7 billion a year and eats up $2.6 billion in productivity.
"The umbrella to this is a healthy Ontario and healthy Ontarians," said Fonseca, who was an Olympic marathoner in 1996.
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2005/02/04/919840-sun.html
Butting out should be Albertans' decision -AB
Love him or hate him, our premier was absolutely bang on with his decision to allow Albertans to decide if a provincewide smoking ban in all public places was right for them.
I ventured out Monday to try to determine if prohibiting smoking would indeed be a death sentence for local watering holes. In a word, according to managers across the city: Nope.
It seems bar managers have resigned themselves to the fact a smoking ban is likely to be put into place, but they aren’t worried about how it will affect their bottom line in the long term.
Some even welcomed the idea.
Customers who smoke, of course, voiced their displeasure with the concept, but said as long as the public is left to decide the issue, they would comply.
ALREADY A HAPPY COMPROMISE
Don Cherry’s manager Brian Simms believes a happy compromise has already been achieved by not allowing smoking in establishments where minors under the age of 18 can be served.
“For a lot of businesses I think, if they were to go to full non-smoking, they would lose a nice few patrons,” Simms said. “Basically (people) want to be able to go out to their favourite place and have a few drinks – they don’t really want to be getting up and going outside every time they want to have a cigarette.”
What is in place now works well for Don Cherry’s because patrons who visit the establishment can do so with their families and not have to worry about second-hand smoke; but if they feel the urge to have a quick puff during their meal, they can simply step into the lounge.
“The setup they have now is a great setup,” said Simms, who agreed customers would eventually learn to accept to an all-encompassing smoking ban.
Red Deer resident Denis Lacroix, 42, said he simply would not frequent any drinking establishment where he was not allowed to smoke.
“They are pushing it too far, where they are trying to make (everywhere) smoke-free, but yet it is a legal substance – because there is good tax money in it,” said Lacroix. “Do you have to make laws about everything?”
While he agrees with not being allowed to smoke in places where children are allowed, prohibiting smoking in establishments that only allow adults is going overboard, he said.
His advice to non-smokers bothered by second-hand smoke was that they can always choose not to put themselves in that environment.
The same goes for those who choose to work where people can smoke, but complain about the effects it has on them physically, he said.
“Government should stay out of it. I’m sure (this place) would be out of business if you couldn’t smoke in here,” he said.
Maddhatters Liquid Lounge manager Mike Lilge would wholeheartedly welcome a full smoking ban in bars.
“I think it would be a great idea,” he said. “I wake up in the morning and it’s just gross. I don’t smoke, but I would rather be smoking than having (to deal with) the second-hand smoke.”
He estimated that about 70 per cent of the people that visit Maddhatters smoke.
“It would be bad for business initially. I think it would (make a lot of business owners angry), but it’s just a matter of adapting.”
Marcel Blais, general manager of Hammerhead Bar and Grill said he thinks it’s only a matter of time before a smoking ban for all public places is implemented.
But what he has seen – Hammerhead is part of a chain in other provinces that have all-encompassing bans – is that business drops off for about the first month.
“People will keep going out. They will modify their lifestyle. They will boycott at first but they usually will come back,” said Blais.n“The ban will come into place for all public places,” he said. “I don’t know when, but it will happen.”
Although customer Gavin Granoien said he would not have come to Hammerhead Monday if he weren’t allowed to smoke he would accept a smoking ban, as long as it wasn’t unilaterally imposed by the province.
He just wouldn’t stay in the bar as long, he said.
“It should be up to the establishment owners and the adults. Let them decide. If most of Grande Prairie wants to say no, then I will abide by that, but if it is one person is saying no to the rest, then I don’t agree with that,” said Granoien.
“It would slow me down,” he said. “Because then I could be going home (to smoke), or I would step out for one and then be going home.”
There you have it. About as clear as a smoke-filled bar, wouldn’t you say?
http://www.dailyheraldtribune.com/1bottomline.lasso
Cold turkey: a 'godawful' tactic- ON
Debora Van Brenk, Free Press Reporter 2005-02-05 03:27:43
The road to the nearest cigarette counter is paved with your best intentions. You wanted to quit by the start of the year but didn't.
Then came Stop Smoking Week and you really meant to butt out. But the furnace conked out and your boss handed you new duties. Who could quit at a time like that?
Now, with each puff, a nagging cramp in your gut says you don't want to smoke anymore. But that twitch in your fingers betrays your resolve.
You're not alone.
About 20 per cent of Southwestern Ontarians still smoke, and half of those will seriously consider quitting this year.
The incentives to butt out are growing: the price of some smokes is about $8.75 a pack; places where smokers can puff are becoming increasingly scarce; and now Ontario is eyeing one of North America's toughest anti-smoking laws.
Most ex-smokers try, and fail five times before they quit.
Starting today, a Free Press series -- consider it more a how-to than a why-to -- looks at kicking the habit.
IT DARN NEAR KILLED HER.
In 1997, after 58 years of puffing, great-grandmother Clara Brown stopped smoking.
Cold turkey.
"For three days I lived on hot water, soda biscuits and aspirin," she says.
Then, when she finally heeded husband Bill's pleas to get medical help, she spent nine days in the hospital intensive care unit in nearby Seaforth.
She was fed intravenously and needed regular gulps from an oxygen mask. She lost 15 pounds from her petite frame.
Hers is the kind of story that churns the stomachs of veteran smokers.
Given a choice, Brown says she wouldn't quit that way again. "It's godawful on your system."
Experts say the success rate for people who try to quit cold turkey -- without extra help such as the patch or medication or counselling -- is an abysmal five per cent the first time around.
But Brown beat the odds; she is still smoke-free.
And her story lends credence to those who say it's possible to quit on your own, and at any age.
She was 16 when her boyfriend Bill, now her husband, gave her her first puff on a cigarette. Bill had started a few years earlier, with dried-up chestnut leaves rolled in newspapers.
"I tried it. I liked it and I never stopped," Brown says.
Cigarettes at the time were 36 cents a pack.
The habit continued for both of them.
Their three kids grew up and had kids and grandkids of their own.
Then, about 15 years ago, Bill quit. It wasn't as tough as he thought it would be.
"I did hit the peppermints for a while. My tongue felt like a gravel road and somebody had run a truck over it,"he says.
Clara kept puffing, although rarely in front of the kids. But her young great-granddaughter's ill health made her think.
"I didn't want to take a chance on losing any of them."
So she quit -- part-way through the carton of cigarettes Bill had given her, as he did every December, as a Christmas gift.
She recalls her grandson visiting her in hospital in tears because of her concern for his daughter's health.
And, even though Clara still keeps ashtrays in the house for visitors, she's determined to stay smoke-free. For good.
"I never had that desire to go back," she says.
LEGAL FIREPOWER
New laws, higher taxes.
That's how the Ontario government wants to pull you into the non-smoking majority, with some of North America's toughest no-smoking rules.
Tobacco taxes were recently jacked up $1.25 a carton, raising the per-package price by 16 cents to about $8.75.
But the province isn't just putting the cash squeeze on smokers: It's also cutting down their dwindling elbow room
Queen's Park is promising a sweeping new law to curb smoking, severely restricting where people can smoke and how tobacco can be advertised, and hiking fines for any violations.
The provincial law, expected to take effect May 31, 2006, will override the patchwork of municipal no-smoking bylaws across the province that have crowded smokers out of most workplaces and into increasingly smaller public places.
The province says its coming crackdown will:
- Ban smoking in all workplaces and many public places, including private clubs, restaurants, bars and enclosed, outdoor patios. Many eateries, including some in London, went to great expense building outdoor smoking areas to get around the city's own no-smoking rules.
- Ban smoking at sports and entertainment venues, casinos, bingos and halls.
- Do away with designated smoking rooms, though some residential care facilities could have controlled smoking areas.
- Allow hotels to set aside some rooms for smoking customers.
- Ban smoking in home-based day cares when children are present.
- Allow home health-care workers to ask that no one smoke in their presence and to leave if smokers don't comply.
- Enforce a nine-metre smoking ban around hospital doorways, though that won't extend to other buildings.
- Ban tobacco promotion at entertainment venues.
- Ban store cigarette displays, a move the industry is fighting in the Supreme Court of Canada over a similar law in Saskatchewan.
- Hold store owners liable if an employee sells tobacco to customers under 19.
- Hike minimum fines for violating the law, with new rates of up to $1,000 -- five times the existing minimum.
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2005/02/05/921244-sun.html
hypocritical view -AB
Letter to Editor February 7/05
TO THE sanctimonious hypocrites currently attacking smokers: Most of the pollution in the air we breathe comes from carpets, furniture, plastics, industry and auto exhaust. Cruelly forcing smokers into the cold and rain and snow is the latest form of vicious social apartheid and is not fit behaviour for anyone of conscience or professing of Christian beliefs. You should be very ashamed.
R. Jarvis
(Smokers are being squeezed out.)
-----------------------------------------------
WHY IS everyone getting all worked up about the smoking ban? Don't you realize that soon you'll be able to light up anywhere? If the police try to arrest you, you can tell them it's marijuana, not tobacco. That way, what you're doing will be legal.
G. McLean
(Zing!)
http://canoe.ca/NewsStand/EdmontonSun/Letters/
Playing field uneven for tobacco farmers - ON
February 7/05
Regarding the column, Farmers should have seen it coming (Jan. 29):
Perhaps Ian Gillespie would develop some empathy if the government added $6 of tax to each issue of The London Free Press while turning a blind eye to smuggled newspapers.
What if Canadian newspapers were held to the highest standards in the world while foreign newspapers were imported into this country without inspection? Could you could compete on a playing field that has been tilted by our own government?
Health Canada and the domestic tobacco companies told farmers to "invest for the future" in 2001 by retrofitting their kilns to eliminate nitrosamines. The average tobacco farmer is $400,000 in debt, largely due to the kiln conversion project. As soon as the project was complete, cigarette taxes were raised and Imperial Tobacco Ltd. started importing large quantities of foreign tobacco of such poor quality it could not legally be offered for sale by a Canadian producer.
The tobacco statements made by Rob Cunningham are an assortment of old statistics, incompetent opinions and twisted facts. It's strange how the anti-smoking groups' estimates of the damage of smoking always rise to stay ahead of the revenues generated by cigarette taxes.
Ontario tobacco growers have three problems:
1. Imperial's imported garbage tobacco.
2. smuggled/bootleg tobacco.
3. broken government promises.
There is no grand ball, Mr. Gillespie. You are welcome to attend the foreclosure auctions.
John Stewart
Eden
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/Letters/
Albertans want smoking ban: poll
EDMONTON - The majority of Albertans favour a workplace smoking ban, according to a survey commissioned by
an anti-smoking group.
The Ipsos-Reid poll of 800 Albertans found that overall, 68 per cent would like to see smoking banned anywhere people work, including restaurants, bars, casinos and bingo halls.
The survey, paid for by the Campaign for a Smoke-Free Alberta, should help Premier Ralph Klein make up his mind on the issue, the group's spokesman said.
"He stated he would like to see a full public consultation on this issue, and even suggested we may see provincial legislation this spring," Les Hagen said. "This gives him more ammunition to do that."
Health Minister Iris Evans is working on provincial smoking legislation, which should be in front of the standing policy committee by the end of February and could be ready for a vote in the legislature by April.
" From Jan. 26, 2004: Legislature COULD VOTE ON SMOKING BILL BY April
Evans had initially proposed a province-wide ban, but eased off after Klein made it clear he doesn't support the move. While the premier believes steps should be taken to discourage people from starting to smoke, he opposes forcing bars and casinos to ban the habit
He says individual municipalities should make the decision about whether to permit smoking in their communities. However, the Alberta Association of Urban Municipalities has asked the province to make a rule that everyone would have to abide by.
The poll was conducted between Jan. 20 and Jan. 25, and is considered accurate to within +/- 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
http://edmonton.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=ed-smoking-poll20050207
Alderman wants to fast track smoking ban
POSTED AT 5:23 PM Monday, February 7
A new poll shows the majority of Albertans want a province wide ban on smoking in public places.
And support may be strongest in Calgary.
The Ipsos Reid survey says 70% of Calgarians want smokers to butt out in public places.
That compares with 67% per cent of Edmontonians polled.
Support in the rest of the province is at 65%.
Calgary isn't scheduled to start a smoking ban until January 2008.
Alderman Diane Colley-Urquhart may use the new survey to try to convince her colleagues to move that date forward.
She says other members of city council should sit up and take notice that Calgarians don't want to wait 3 years.
Colley-Urquhart admits this issue will likely have to wait until after the Ward 10 byelection on February 28th.
http://www.cfcn.ca/servlet/RTGAMArticleHTMLTemplate/B/20050207/smoking?brand=generic&hub=&tf=CFCNPlus/generic/hubs/frontpage.html&cf=CFCNPlus
/generic/hubs/frontpage.cfg&slug=smoking&date=20050207&archive=CFCNPlus&ad_page_name=&nav=home&subnav=fullstory
Tobacco growers’ plight getting worse, says Neukamm -ON
High Canadian dollar harms export opportunities
By Patrick Brennan Times-Journal Staff Wednesday February 02, 2005
AYLMER -- Tobacco growers got some mixed messages from the president of the Ontario Flue-Cured Tobacco Grower’s Association on the coming season, at their winter meeting Tuesday.
Fred Neukamm told about 50 growers that while the prospects for the 2005 crop are the same as last year, the challenges facing the industry in Ontario are getting worse, not better.
“We have delivered a top-quality crop and yet conditions on our market continue to fall far short or our expectations,” Neukamm said to growers at the Saxonia Hall.
A Canadian dollar with a higher value and the failure of Dalton McGuinty’s Liberal government to honour a promise for $50 million in funding are just some of the issues Ontario growers are facing, he said.
The latest projections for the 2005 crop are that growers will be expected to deliver approximately 50 million pounds, plus or minus, Neukamm said. Of that, 18 to 25 million pounds will go to Imperial Tobacco.
On the export scene, Neukamm said that while China is seen as a strong potential market, the strength of the Canadian dollar is a factor.
Add to that black market activity and two increases in tobacco taxes, totalling $6.25 a carton by the Ontario government since it took power.
TAKES AIM
Neukamm took aim at Ontario Agriculture Minister Steve Peters, MPP for Elgin-Middlesex-London, for delaying the $50 million promised to growers.
“Although we have been assured by both the premier’s office and that of Minister Peters that ‘they are working on a program,’ there is definitely cause for concern regarding both the delivery and structure of a program,” Neukamm said. “You’ve all heard from Minister Peters in the media -- he says the money is coming. These are the same messages we’re hearing in our discussions and we have spent countless hours at Queen’s Park and at constituency offices pushing our case to anyone who would listen.”
Neukamm summed up the frustration farmers are experiencing.
“We are tired of empty promises and lectures about tobacco use -- it’s long past time for governments to be responsible and accountable and contribute enough dollars to help relieve some of the chaos it creates,” he said.
Neukamm said Ontario growers had invested time in studying the U.S. buyout offered to certain tobacco farmers as to how it affects world markets and what a grower would receive.
“Circumstances for tobacco growers in Ontario are extremely fragile,” Neukamm said. “We are involved with discussions with customers and with governments that will set our future course as an industry.”
Neukamm said the long-term goal for the Ontario Flue-Cured Tobacco Grower’s Marketing Board is to come up with an industry solution that stabilizes farming, and a long-term exit plan.
As long as Canadians continue to consume tobacco, it should be made from leaf grown in Southwestern Ontario, he said. Neukamm reminded growers the board needs their solidarity to avoid others exploiting any divisions.
http://www.stthomastimesjournal.com/story.php?id=140966
Casino spokesman says employees' smoking room is being phased out -SK
Veronica Rhodes The Leader-Post Thursday, February 03, 2005
Despite firm legislative action to stop smoking in all public places, a government-run casino has an indoor smoking room for its employees.
Bill Davies, spokesperson for Casino Regina, said there is currently a smoking room for employees at the gaming institution, but it is in the process of being phased out.
The casino has a policy that floor employees can't leave the building in their uniforms, even to have a cigarette. Davies said changes will be made in an "orderly fashion" -- the policy will soon be revised and then the smoking room will be shut down.
Since December, employees have known the room would be closed, which Davies said would happen "in the near future."
Establishments are not in violation of the Tobacco Control Amendment Act by having a smoking room for employees, as long as the room is in an area restricted from the public.
But government policy states that smoking is not allowed in any government building.
Health Minister John Nilson said he had no idea the casino had a smoking room until recently.
"I didn't know about this one until it was told to us in the last couple weeks. As far as I know, there aren't other ones," said Nilson.
Rumours have been flying that a smoking room exists in the Saskatchewan Legislative Building, with news of the room even being published in a weekly newspaper recently.
But Nadine Sisk, spokesperson for Saskatchewan Property Management Corp. (SPMC) said there is no smoking room in the home of the provincial government.
Nilson said the casino did not exist when the government policy was instituted in 1994. Recently, operators of the casino raised some questions about whether it was indeed a government building, despite being owned by the province.
"I guess they didn't realize the policy applied to them. So practically, they are correcting that issue that has been identified," said Nilson.
The minister did not believe the casino smoking room should cast any doubt on the province's commitment to the smoking ban.
"Our legislation around smoke-free public places is very clear and it speaks to public places and will continue to do that," he said.
Nilson said an Occupational Health and Safety committee is currently reviewing the issue of smoking in the workplace, among other policies.
http://www.canada.com/regina/leaderpost/news/story.html?id=cbc77460-5aaf-4750-b147-4b9c76226a1e
Tobacco talks are ‘uphill climb,’ growers told -ON
Tiffany Mayer - SIMCOE REFORMER Friday February 04, 2005
Simcoe Reformer — Tobacco farmers have been given every indication so far that they can expect a repeat of last year’s crop size for 2005.
That message was delivered by Fred Neukamm, chair of the Ontario Flue-Cured Tobacco Growers Marketing Board, at the growers annual winter meeting in Delhi yesterday.
After two days of crop size negotiations, Neukamm told hundreds of growers that industry and manufacturing stakeholders have indicated their need for domestic leaf will stay at about 50 million pounds for 2005. Exporters have also expressed interest in maintaining their levels in the 35 to 40 million pound range.
Producers grew 87.9 million pounds of leaf in 2004 for domestic and foreign markets.
“Although just meeting last year’s crop size is not our objective, these indications are a far cry from some of the rumoured doomsday scenarios being thrown around on the warehouse floor this winter,” Neukamm said.
Rumours circulating within the tobacco community suggested the crop size could be as low as 60 million pounds. Crop sizes have been dramatically reduced as more Canadian smokers quit the habit and cigarette companies increasingly turn to cheaper imports to meet remaining demand. The Canadian tobacco crop has been virtually cut in half in the past seven years, dropping from 151 million pounds in 1998 to just under 88 million last year.
Neukamm said the board pushed stakeholders to provide information early about this year’s crop after negotiations in 2004 dragged on into late May when many growers had planted a crop without knowing what to expect. That was because Imperial Tobacco refused to accept a concession package from growers that would make domestic leaf more appealing for the cigarette company to purchase.
Despite the early indications, Neukamm isn’t expecting negotiations to be easy.
“These negotiations will be an uphill climb. None of what I’m reporting to you today has been finalized. However, we felt it was important to get a preliminary indication out to the farmers as soon as possible,” he said.
Negotiating price will be the next step in the process as the “nitty gritty of negotiations” begin.
Neukamm also reassured the crowd that the board is doing what it can to secure government funding for growers wishing to leave the industry while maintaining production for those who wish to continue growing leaf.
“Farmers, we are tired of empty promises and lectures about tobacco use. It’s long past time for governments to be responsible and accountable and contribute enough dollars to help relieve some of the chaos that it continues to create,” he said.
But governments aren’t the only ones stirring up potential troubles for tobacco growers. Wednesday, a group of producers refused to leave a closed-door portion of a tobacco board meeting about crop negotiations. The growers’ lack of co-operation forced the cancellation of the meeting
Tobacco board meetings were opened to producers last month, but the board stipulated at the time that there would still be issues that required closed sessions. Meetings involving appeals, human resources and negotiations are not open to the public.
Incidents, such as those Wednesday, make it difficult for the board to function, Neukamm said. They also represent a lack of respect for the electoral process and the bodies governing that process.
Joe Barzo, a tobacco grower from Tillsonburg, said farmers should be supporting the board, not working against it.
“I’m quite satisfied that they’re approaching every possible avenue. They’re fighting an uphill battle with government,” Barzo explained.
He also expressed relief at having some idea about crop sizes so early in negotiations. However, Barzo is still not happy with the prospects for this year’s growing season.
“I’d like to see (crop size) get bigger but I don’t think it will. I don’t know how long we can continue growing with the amount of tobacco we grow now,” he said. “It’s hard to stay in business.”
http://simcoereformer.ca/story.php?id=141483
The Chronicle Journal Feb. 7/05
Letters to the Editor re: bus driver charged in smoking Violation Jan31/04
A Thunder Bay bus driver was fined 60$ and lost a day's wages for the crime of smoking a cigarette ("First smoking ticket issued." Feb 1) He was apprehended due to an anonymous phone call made to public authorities.
Think about it!
Frank Zaniol
Niagra Falls, Ont.
http://www.chroniclejournal.com/
The price to pay for smoking ban in pubs -UK
IAN SWANSON SCOTTISH POLITICAL EDITOR
SCOTLAND’S smoking ban is set to cost an initial 2300 jobs, force nearly 150 pubs to close and rob the Chancellor of £59 million a year in tax revenue, a new report claims.
A study commissioned by the licensed trade says the ban would also see turnover drop by £105m and annual profits slump by £86m.
The figures will fuel controversy over the impact of the Scottish Executive’s ban on smoking in enclosed public places, including pubs and restaurants, which is due to be introduced in just over a year.
The Scottish Licensed Trade Association will present its analysis of the costs involved to MSPs next week.
And the Scottish Parliament’s finance committee will also hear evidence from local authorities estimating the cost of implementing the ban at £6m a year. The assessment by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities includes £403,000 for implementing the ban in Edinburgh and £75,000 for West Lothian.
In a written submission to the committee, the SLTA argues that pubs not serving food should be exempt from the ban, in line with proposals south of the Border. It urges a phased approach and claims the economic effects of an outright ban have not yet been fully considered.
Official research released by the Executive at the time the Bill was published claimed the effect of the smoking ban on the hospitality trade could be anything from a loss of £104m a year to a gain of £137m a year.
But the SLTA says the study was "incomplete, irrelevant and rushed". And it claims: "Independent research suggests the financial impact will be far greater than stated."
A study commissioned from the Centre for Economics and Business Research concludes that once a ban is introduced the annual turnover in the licensed trade would decline by £105m, annual profits in licensed premises may decline by £86m and employment could be expected to decline by 2300 jobs initially. About 142 average-sized licensed premises may close as a result of decreased trade and the Exchequer could lose out on a total of £59m in annual tax revenues from Scotland.
Alistair Don, president of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association, said the hospitality industry in Scotland employed around 200,000 people. "The Executive doesn’t appear to want to look at the financial implications. There are jobs at risk, not just in the licensed trade but all the ancillary trades."
He added that the eventual job loss total could be ten times the 2300 expected to go when the ban is first introduced. "Ireland has already lost 7500 jobs since their ban was introduced in March 2004 - and that’s government figures."
The Cosla submission to the committee highlights the costs councils will incur in recruiting new wardens, training staff and councillors, publicising the ban and even extra street cleaning because they expect there to be more discarded cigarette ends.
Cosla calculates the start-up costs for introducing the ban in April 2006 and the first year of implementing it will be £6m.
The Executive has said it will make some cash available to local authorities to help ease the financial burden of implementing the ban. But Cosla said: "There are concerns the Executive will fund enforcement for an initial period and funding will then decrease, with revenue consequences for councils."
An Executive spokesman said no decision had yet been made on what funding would be available. He added: "We will be discussing the financial implications with Cosla shortly."
http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=138622005
There is powerful evidence that an outright ban on public smoking would save lives, doctors' leaders from across the world say.
A report by the British Medical Association's Tobacco Control Resource Centre describes the success of such anti-smoking laws in other countries.
Ireland has seen drops in cigarette sales and the US state California has reported fewer lung cancers.
But pro-smoking groups called evidence for passive smoking deaths a "myth".
Partial measures don't work Dr Vivienne Nathanson from the BMA
In the recent White Paper on Public Health for England, Health Secretary John Reid announced plans for a partial ban smoking in enclosed public places.
For example, while pubs that serve food would have to enforce a ban, other pubs would not.
The BMA says this is insufficient and doomed to fail.
Dr Vivienne Nathanson, the BMA's head of science and ethics, said: "I hope John Reid listens to these doctors' testimonies.
"These doctors are telling us that partial measures don't work.
"It's time for the UK Government to play fair, and protect everyone from exposure to second-hand smoke at work."
But a Department of Health spokeswoman said: "As John Reid has made clear, we need to strike a balance between the rights of those who want to be protected against the harmful effects of other people's smoke and the rights of those who choose to smoke.
"That is why we are taking action to deliver a big increase in the number of smoke-free pubs and restaurants in places where food is served while ensuring that people who still want to smoke in the pub can still do so."
Smoke-free law
According to the Californian Medical Association, lung cancer rates have fallen six times faster in California than in US states without smoke-free laws since 1998.
In Ireland, cigarette sales fell by almost 16% in the first six months of the ban, according to the Irish Medical Organisation.
Others oppose an outright ban.
Simon Clark, director of the smokers' lobby group FOREST, said: "The idea that people are dying in their hundreds or even thousands from passive smoking is a myth based on estimates, calculations and statistics which are in turn based on extremely dubious research.
"The evidence falls far short of justifying a total ban on smoking in every public place.
"Most people want no-smoking offices to be the norm, but in pubs, clubs and bars there is clear support for a choice of smoking and no-smoking areas and better ventilation."
BMA chairman, Mr James Johnson, said: "Powerful vested interests peddle myths that smoke-free legislation is unnecessary.
"They say that it is unworkable, unpopular, and will lead to economic ruin.
"Such predictions are little more than scaremongering. The evidence shows that smoke-free laws save lives."
He said if all UK workplaces were smoke-free, the tobacco multinationals would lose an estimated £310 million in sales every year.
Ian Willmore, from ASH, said: "A comprehensive end to smoking in work places and enclosed public places is essential to protect the health of non-smokers and encourage smokers to quit."
The evidence falls far short of justifying a total ban on smoking in every public place Simon Clark, director of the smokers' lobby group FOREST
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4244233.stm
New Legislation Being Drafted to Ban No Smoking Policy -MI
Lori Dougovito
New legislation is being drafted by State Senator Virg Bernero, legislation that would make it illegal for an employer to fire employees for engaging in legal activities, like smoking, outside of the workplace.
It stems from Okemos based Weyco Inc. banning smoking. In January Weyco began giving mandatory smoking tests, if an employee tests positive then they're fired. Four female employees say they were fired, Weyco says they signed a waiver admitting they were smokers in turn dismissing themselves from the company. Three employees admit signing the waiver, one says she did not.
Bernero hopes to have the legislation introduced in a few weeks.
http://www.wilx.com/news/headlines/1238657.html
Fired For Smoking -MI
Okemos, Michigan. Feb. 7, 2005 — Four women who were fired from their jobs because they wouldn't quit smoking - are fighting back tonight.
The women worked at Weyco Incorporated in Okemos, Michigan. In November of 2003, their employer told everyone they had to quit smoking -and submit to nicotine tests, or else risk losing their jobs. The policy went into effect last month and four women were fired.
They say it's not a matter of health care, or insurance costs like Weyco says.They say it's infringing on their rights. So - they've enlisted the help of a state senator, (State Senator Virg Bernero/(D) MICHIGAN) who wants to make a law to prevent this from happening again. Weyco says, on its web site, the company would not fire anyone because of their weight. Either way, Bernero says he plans to introduce his legislation in the next few weeks.
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/news/2705-smokingfired.html
Public-Smoking Ban Again To Be Considered For Indianapolis
Ordinance Covers 'Public Places,' Enclosed Workplaces
February 4, 2005
INDIANAPOLIS -- City-county council members will again consider a ban on smoking in public places -- including restaurants and bars -- and enclosed workplaces in Marion County.
Council President Steve Talley said the proposal will be introduced on Monday. A similar proposal was killed in a council committee in November 2003.
The new proposal, which was shown to the news media Friday, defines a pub
58% No 506 
Since the Clean Indoor Air Act went into affect in 2003, many bar owners have complained about how it's hurt their business. In Oswego County the health department wanted to give them every opportunity to comply with the law so it's just given first time offenders warnings. But now the health department says no more. News 10 Now's Nick Cowdrey explains.