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Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Biovail Shares Fall as SEC Widens Probe
Mar 4, 2005 — By Rachelle Younglai
TORONTO (Reuters) - Shares of Biovail Corp. <BVF.TO> fell as much as 12.4 percent on Friday as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission widened its probe into the financial activities of Canada's largest publicly traded drugmaker and made it a formal investigation.
Mississauga, Ontario-based Biovail fell as low as C$18.81 before recovering to C$19.37 by early afternoon on the Toronto Stock Exchange, for a loss of C$2.10, or 9.8 percent. On the New York Stock Exchange, Biovail fell $1.35, or 7.9 percent, to $15.75.
The SEC's informal inquiry, which was initiated in November 2003 and previously disclosed, sought information, including accounting and financial disclosures, for 2002 and up to November 2003.
The formal investigation continues to be primarily about accounting practices, Biovail said, but the scope is broader and the period under review reaches back to June 2001.
"Any time the SEC makes an investigation from informal to formal that's bad. Next they are widening the scope of the investigation. That's very bad," said Duncan Stewart, a partner and portfolio manager with Tera Capital Corp., who does not own any Biovail shares.
"It's complying with these things that are an enormous drain on management … things don't go into a deep freeze, but they definitely slow down."
The SEC zeroed in on Biovail in 2003 after the company said a traffic accident involving a truck carrying millions of dollars' worth of its antidepressant drug Wellbutrin XL would lower revenue and profit.
Around the same time, shareholders filed a class action suit alleging the company artificially inflated its share price and concealed the truth about its finances.
Later, Ontario securities regulators jumped in and said they were investigating Biovail for suspicious trading activity.
Stewart said the investigation, along with the lawsuits, and any fines incurred should the SEC find any wrongdoing, could knock C$4 to C$5 off Biovail's stock.
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=551707
I am polluted
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050305/TOXIC05/TPScience/
*3 pages of info.
http://www.smokersclubinc.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1179
executive summary What we found
In a study led by Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, in collaboration with the Environmental Working Group and Commonweal, researchers at two major laboratories found an average of 91 industrial compounds, pollutants, and other chemicals in the blood and urine of nine volunteers, with a total of 167 chemicals found in the group. Like most of us, the people tested do not work with chemicals on the job and do not live near an industrial facility.
Scientists refer to this contamination as a person’s body burden. Of the 167 chemicals found, 76 cause cancer in humans or animals, 94 are toxic to the brain and nervous system, and 79 cause birth defects or abnormal development. The dangers of exposure to these chemicals in combination has never been studied.
*to add context to polluted article
http://www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden/
Am J Psychiatry 162:619-620, March 2005
Brief Report
Is Cigarette Smoking Associated With Suicidal Ideation Among Young People?
Rob McGee, Ph.D., Sheila Williams, D.Sc., and Shyamala Nada-Raja, Ph.D.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The authors examined the association between suicidal ideation in early adulthood and daily tobacco smoking in a community sample of adolescents. METHOD: Participants were enrolled in a longitudinal study of health and development. The factors of disadvantage, impulsiveness, stress, depressed mood, tobacco smoking, other substance use, and parental attachment were included in multivariate modelling of suicidal ideation. RESULTS: Data on tobacco use were available for 764 participants. Early tobacco smoking was significantly predictive of later suicidal ideation, but there was no longer a significant relationship when high levels of stress and depression and low levels of parental attachment in adolescence were included in the multivariate model. CONCLUSIONS: Tobacco smoking in adolescence does not appear to elevate the risk of later suicidal ideation.
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/162/3/619
Barbour: Take Trust Fund Money For MedicaidMS
03/07/05
Gov. Haley Barbour said Monday that he wants legislators to solve Medicaid's budget problems before the program runs out of money at the end of this week.
"I cannot think of any worse public policy or any bigger dereliction of duties by elected officials than to let this program shut down,'' Barbour said during a news conference. "I cannot imagine what the people of Mississippi would think if that happened.''
Republican Barbour said he still opposes raising cigarette taxes to help fund the health care program for the needy and elderly. He says he thinks there's only one place legislators can find enough money - the state health care trust fund.
He wants them to take $200 million out of the fund's $500 million balance. The fund was created with Mississippi's massive lawsuit settlement against tobacco companies.
House and Senate negotiators continued meeting about Medicaid on Monday.
The program's executive director, Dr. Warren Jones, said there are no requirements for Medicaid to give notice to patients or providers if services stop after Friday. Medicaid has a $268 million shortfall for the budget year that ends June 30.
Barbour, a former tobacco lobbyist in Washington, said a proposed cigarette tax that has passed the House would bring in only about $20 million before June 30. He said he opposes any other kind of tax increase.
One of the House negotiators, Rep. George Flaggs, said during talks at the Capitol Monday that it's "unconscionable'' for Barbour and senators to oppose raising taxes on companies that make harmful products when doing so would help fund Medicaid.
Flaggs, D-Vicksburg, said he voted for the proposed cigarette tax increase because "I couldn't see myself standing up with a killer.''
That brought an angry response from Sen. Terry Burton, R-Newton, who said "not one, single tobacco company'' had contacted him to fight a tax increase.
"Don't say I'm standing up with killers,'' Burton said.
A health advocate said if Medicaid shuts down, she'll blame Barbour because she believes he's keeping the Senate from voting on a cigarette tax increase.
"The biggest Band-Aid initiative of all is to just look at taking money out of the health care trust fund,'' said Oleta Garrett Fitzgerald, regional director of the Children's Defense Fund.
Waurene Roberson of Oxford said she wants state officials to solve Medicaid's problems quickly. She said she received a letter last Friday from the nursing home where her mother lives, saying Roberson would have to start paying $145 a day if Medicaid runs out of money.
"Which is about what my salary is, or more than my salary,'' said Roberson, 58, a graphic designer. "So I would have to quit my job and go on welfare, and I don't know how we would pay for medicine then.
"There are people there (in the nursing home) who have no family,'' Roberson said. "What's going to happen to them?''
http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=3043614
Push For Restaurant Smoking Ban Headed To South MS
by Danielle Thomas 03/07/05
One city at a time. That's the American Cancer Society's newest strategy to put more restrictions on where smokers can light up.
In the past few years, the state legislature has refused to ban smoking in Mississippi restaurants and bars. Meridian, Tupelo and Greenville are considering such laws. Soon, the smoke-free movement may be heading South.
Bob Haddick doesn't smoke, but he usually doesn't mind being in bars with people who do.
"The basic thing for an establishment to have excellent ventilation and I don't think after that it's a problem that much," said Haddick.
Irish Pub manager Ben Kaufman tries to make all his customers happy.
"I do offer an outdoor beer garden and currently a smoking and a non-smoking section, so I try to accommodate everyone."
The American Cancer society says with second hand smoke killing 35,000 to 40,000 people a year separating the non-smokers from the smokers isn't enough.
"It's been proven that ventilation systems within smoking and non-smoking areas do not work," said spokesperson Dana Luquire. "They do not get all of the toxins out of the air."
The push to snuff out tobacco in restaurant and bars is mostly in towns is other parts of the state but not for long.
"Coalitions are being built in South Mississippi," said Luquire. "Public opinion polls are being taken to see how the public feels about non-smoking in public places and things like that."
Many here believe South Mississippi bar patrons would prefer to sip their beers with a cigarette in hand.
"It's just the fact that some people have to smoke when they drink and some people don't," said Haddick.
Kaufman added that when it comes to his customer "over 50 percent smoke when they drink and a lot of them only smoke when they drink. I really think it would affect the way people look at my business as a whole. Granted, if it's the law, then we have to abide by it."
The American Cancer Society says no formal requests for bans have been made in Coast cities yet, but plans are underway.
http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=3043101
Quit smoking with a pill? Researchers say new drugs show promise -CT
GROTON, Conn. The race is on to make a pill that helps people stop smoking.
Drug companies are competing to make treating nicotine addiction as lucrative as treating erectile disfunction, high colesterol and acid reflux disease.
Researchers are tailoring drugs to mimic or block nicotine's chemical reactions in the body.
Drug giant Pfizer has identified a brain receptor that nicotine binds to. The company has designed a new drug, called varenicline (vah-RENN'-ah-klyne), that latches onto the same receptor.
The drug is in Phase Three testing, which is normally the last step before a company applies for approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
Researchers hope that the pills will prevent overpowering cravings when people stop smoking. And if they do reach for a cigarette, the drug will be sitting in nicotine's favorite parking spot, lessening its effect on the brain.
http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=3040253
Changing Conclusions on Secondhand Smoke in a Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Review Funded by the Tobacco Industry
Background. Prenatal and postnatal exposure to tobacco smoke adversely affects maternal and child health. Secondhand smoke (SHS) has been linked causally with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in major health reports. In 1992, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) first noted an association between SHS and SIDS, and both prenatal exposure and postnatal SHS exposure were listed as independent risk factors for SIDS in a 1997 California EPA report (republished in 1999 by the National Cancer Institute) and a 2004 US Surgeon General report.
The tobacco industry has used scientific consultants to attack the evidence that SHS causes disease, most often lung cancer. Little is known about the industry’s strategies to contest the evidence on maternal and child health. In 2001, a review was published on SIDS that acknowledged funding from the Philip Morris (PM) tobacco company. Tobacco industry documents related to this review were examined to identify the company’s influence on the content and conclusions of this review.
Methods. Tobacco industry documents include 40 million pages of internal memos and reports made available to the public as a result of litigation settlements against the tobacco industry in the United States. Between November 2003 and January 2004, we searched tobacco industry document Internet sites from the University of California Legacy Tobacco Documents Library and the Tobacco Documents Online website. Key terms included "SIDS" and names of key persons. Two authors conducted independent searches with similar key terms, reviewed the documents, and agreed on relevancy through consensus. Thirty documents were identified as relevant. Two drafts (an early version and a final version) of an industry-funded review article on SIDS were identified, and 2 authors independently compared these drafts with the final publication. Formal comments by PM executives made in response to the first draft were also reviewed. We used Science Citation Index in July 2004 to determine citation patterns for the referenced SIDS reviews.
Results. PM executives feared that SHS and maternal and child health issues would create a powerful and emotional impetus for smoke-free areas in the home, public areas, and the workplace. In response to the 1992 US EPA report on SHS, the Science and Technology Department of PM’s Switzerland subsidiary, Fabriques de Tabac Reunies, searched for "independent" consultants to publish articles addressing SHS. The first industry-funded article was a literature review focusing on smoking and SIDS, conducted by consultant Peter Lee and co-author Allison Thornton, which stated that the association between parental smoking and SIDS could have been attributable to the failure to control fully for confounders. That first review has only been cited once, in the subsequent industry-funded review.
In 1997, PM commissioned a consultant, Frank Sullivan, to write a review, with coauthor Susan Barlow, of all possible risk factors for SIDS. The first draft concluded that prenatal and postnatal smoking exposures are both independent risk factors for SIDS. After receiving comments and meeting with PM scientific executives, Sullivan changed his original conclusions on smoking and SIDS. The final draft was changed to emphasize the effects of prenatal maternal smoking and to conclude that postnatal SHS effects were "less well established." Changes in the draft to support this new conclusion included descriptions of Peter Lee’s industry-funded review, a 1999 negative but underpowered study of SIDS risk and urinary cotinine levels, and criticisms of the conclusions of the National Cancer Institute report that SHS was causally associated with SIDS. In April 2001, the Sullivan review was published in the United Kingdom journal Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, with a disclosure statement that acknowledged financial support from PM but did not acknowledge contributions from PM executives in the preparation of the review. By 2004, the Sullivan SIDS review had been cited at least 19 times in the medical literature.
Conclusions. PM executives responded to corporate concerns about the possible adverse effects of SHS on maternal and child health by commissioning consultants to write review articles for publication in the medical literature. PM executives successfully encouraged one author to change his original conclusion that SHS is an independent risk factor for SIDS to state that the role of SHS is "less well established." These statements are consistent with PM’s corporate position that active smoking causes disease but only public health officials conclude the same for SHS. The author’s disclosure of industry funding did not reveal the full extent of PM’s involvement in shaping the content of the article. This analysis suggests that accepting tobacco industry funds can disrupt the integrity of the scientific process.
The background of this SIDS review is relevant for institutions engaged in the debate about accepting or eschewing funding from the tobacco industry. Those who support acceptance of tobacco industry funds argue that academic authors retain the right to publish their work and maintain final approval of the written product, but this argument fails to recognize that the tobacco industry funds work to ensure that messages favorable to the industry are published and disseminated.
Clinicians, parents, and public health officials are most vulnerable to the changed conclusions of the SIDS review. The national SIDS "Back to Sleep" campaign has been very successful in reducing SIDS rates. However, estimates of SIDS risk from SHS (odds ratios range from 1.4 to 5.1) have considerable overlap with estimates of risk from prone sleep positioning (odds ratios range from 1.7 to 12.9). With the Back to Sleep campaign well underway, efforts to address parental smoking behavior in both the prenatal and postnatal periods should be intensified. The tobacco industry’s disinformation campaign on SHS and maternal and child health can be counteracted within clinicians’ offices.
Elisa K. Tong, MD*, Lucinda England, MD and Stanton A. Glantz, PhD ,||
* Division of General Internal Medicine Fellowship Program
Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education
|| Institute for Health Policy Studies, Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, California
Division of Reproductive Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, Georgia
Key Words: secondhand smoke • tobacco industry • sudden infant death syndrome
Abbreviations: SIDS, sudden infant death syndrome • EPA, Environmental Protection Agency • SHS, secondhand smoke • PM, Philip Morris • FTR, Fabriques de Tabac Reunies • NCI, National Cancer Institute • ETS, environmental tobacco smoke
accepted Oct 19, 2004.
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/115/3/e356
FULL TEXT http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/115/3/e356
Tobacco companies funded, altered studies:
[World News]: SAN FRANCISCO, March 7 : University of California researchers say studies that denied links between tobacco smoke and infant death were heavily influenced by tobacco companies.
Scientists at the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at University of California San Francisco and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta said the studies were paid for by cigarette manufacturers who also altered conclusions.Their findings appear in the March issue of the journal Pediatrics.
The researchers said one prominent article, commissioned by Philip Morris and published in a respected pediatric epidemiology journal in 2001, discounted the significance of research showing a link between exposure to secondhand cigarette smoke and sudden infant death syndrome.The article has been cited in at least 19 other scientific papers, misleading physicians, their patients and researchers about the risk of secondhand smoke exposure, the scientists said.Philip Morris documents revealed the company paid an author to write the article, guided his writing, and suggested changes in his conclusions, the researchers said.
"Undermining people's understanding of the link between secondhand smoke and SIDS places infants everywhere at increased risk," said lead author Stanton Glantz, director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education.
http://www.newkerala.com/news-daily/news/features.php?action=fullnews&id=81861
Tell Congress to make drugs safer NOW!
Listen to our new song, and send a message during this week's Congressional hearings!
https://secure2.convio.net/cu/site/Advocacy?JServSessionIdr001=mpeqf28ab3.app14b&page=UserAction&cmd=display&id=357
Group Challenges CDC's Obesity Claims
Fox news Tuesday, March 08, 2005
WASHINGTON — Several well-established, incontrovertible, scientific studies conclude that the United States has the fattest people on Earth, with two-thirds of the population overweight or obese.
Those same studies argue that obesity itself is a disease, a position so accepted that even Medicare pays for weight control plans.
But one group, the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Consumer Freedom argues those studies are not up to snuff.
"America is now suffering from an epidemic of obesity myths much more than an epidemic of obesity," said CCF senior analyst Dan Mindus.
Mindus authored a report that attempts to shatter "obesity myths" and takes direct aim at what Mindus says is the principal culprit for obesity hysteria in America — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
Last year, the CDC publicized a study that said 400,000 deaths annually can be attributed to obesity and excess weight.
"The CDC has misled the American public, has compared obesity to the black death, has told us that obesity is going to kill more people than tobacco," Mindus said. "They're completely wrong. They know they're completely wrong and yet they're trying to sweep under the rug all the evidence to support that."
Texas Bill Would Add BMI to Report Cards
CDC officials admit they did make a mistake with the 400,000 figure and later revised the number down to 365,000 deaths, an error they themselves publicized
The CDC "did discover an unintentional computer error in the way that the computer program had been used that caused the intentional reporting of 400,000 deaths due to the combination of diet and physical activity," said Donna Stroup, acting director for the Coordinating Center for Health Promotion at the CDC.
"The fact that we did subject the analysis to independent analysis and peer review shows that we are making every effort to keep our messages correct and scientifically accurate," Stroup said. "The conclusion of the paper did not change."
But other problems exist with the CDC's work, critics say. They point to the agency's reliance on the body mass index chart, which computes only height and weight to determine if one is overweight. Based on the chart, even President Bush, who is a 6-foot, 194-pound fitness fanatic, is considered overweight, as are most world-class professional athletes.
The Center for Consumer Freedom also has its skeptics. The group gets most of its funding from some of the biggest names in food, including fast-food chain restaurants and food manufacturers.
One medical director who treats overweight people full-time as director of George Washington University's weight management program said quibbling about the numbers blurs the true story.
"Let's assume that it's not 65 percent, let's assume that it's 50 percent. Let's assume that it's 40 percent. It's still a lot of people," said Dr. Arthur Frank. "I think [the consumer group is] being petty and I think they're being silly."
Click in the box near the top of the story to watch a report by FOX News' Greg Kelly.
*other links to studies etc.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,149701,00.html
Researchers have found that some children who supposedly outgrew their asthma saw it re-appear by the time they reached their mid-20s.
Common allergies, such as a sensitivity to house dust mites, and those with poor lung function, seem likely to be the culprits.
It is not known why some individuals experience asthma relapse and others do not, but the persistence of asthma and asthma relapse are significantly increased in children with house dust mite sensitivity said Malcolm Sears of McMaster University in Canada; persistent inflammation and genetic factors could also be contributing factors.
Mr Sears and colleagues studied more than 1,000 children born in New Zealand between 1972 and 1973, testing them at ages nine, 11, 13, 15, 18, 21 and 26. Twenty per cent of them had asthma diagnosed by a doctor at some point in childhood. Thirty eight per cent were free of symptoms by the age of 18. By the age of 26, thirty five per cent said their symptoms came back. The patients who relapsed often had allergies to house dust mites, grass, cats, dogs, and mould.
"By not smoking and avoiding occupations that increase the likelihood of developing asthma, patients can help protect themselves from asthma relapse," Mr Sears said.
The study demonstrates the role that specific risk factors have on asthma remission, said Dr Paul Kvale, president of the American College of Chest Physicians.
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=8296
Posted at 3:13 pm by looped_ca
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Goose bingo halls go smoke-free
WebPosted Mar 1 2005 04:00 PM NST
CBC News
HAPPY VALLEY-GOOSE BAY — Bingo operators in Happy Valley-Goose Bay are getting a jump on the provincial government, by banning smoking in their halls.
The provincial government announced late last year it intends to ban smoking in pubs and bingo halls this spring.
It subsequently started a round of public hearings, where bar and club owners said extending a ban would wreck their businesses.
But in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, all three of the town's bingo halls have banned smoking.
Richard Sheppard, a volunteer at nightly bingo games at the Lions Club, says he has noticed a substantial improvement in air quality in a short time.
"It was like you were standing up here and you couldn't even see half the people," Sheppard says.
"It was hard on me and it was hard on my lungs."
Debbie Hutchings, who organizes all the club's bingo games, says a designated area for non-smokers was not working.
However, the ban has appeared to come with a cost.
Bingo caller Joe Tremblett says crowds at all three halls have dropped between 20 and 30 per cent.
"Friday night, I came down for bingo and ended up canceling it. We had 45 people here," Tremblett says.
Hutchings, though, says new customers are coming to the halls because of the ban.
http://stjohns.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=nf-goose-bingo-20050301
Not a matter of taste
By CLAIRE BERGSTROM GALLANT Monday, March 7, 2005 - Page A14
Halifax -- Leah McLaren's March 5 Style feature (No-Smoking-In-The-House Heads Out The Window) left a bad taste in my mouth . . . of second-hand smoke. We in favour of smoke-free homes are not aiming to be impolite, uncivilized or ridiculous.
The article misses the point, which is that if there are any non-smokers at your party, it is far more uncomfortable for them to inhale smoke than it is for smokers to be courteous enough to step outside. Have we suddenly travelled back 20 or 30 years?
Smoking has been banned in so many public places because second-hand smoke is, yes, life-threatening.
It is more than just "impolite" to smoke indoors (especially around non-smokers); it can be deadly. Smokers should respect their fellow guests enough to smoke outside; then they might get a little respect from non-smokers.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050307/LETTERS07-11/TPHealth/
Cigarette manufacturer defends retail displays -ON
MARCH 8/05
Recently you published an article which quoted indviduals calling for a total ban on tobacco displays("Tobacco products in plain sight, surveys find, "Mar. 2). In many cases the argument is that they somehow influence teens to start smoking. Health Canada's latest Youth Smoking Survey indicates that the most commonly stated "perceived reason that youth start smoking" is the behaviour of friends. That same survey has various categories of reasons of why youth start smoking--retail displays and impulse buying do not appear amongst them. It does however include: Peer pressure/friends; mother or father smokes; brothers or sisters smoke; popular kids smoke; curiosity; it's cool; something to do; it's not allowed; it's relaxing; weight control; and an unspecific "other" category.
The article also included the totally inaccurate claim that tobacco purchases are frequently impulsive. In actual fact, research conducted by the Meyers Research Centre in 2003 showed that 99 per cent of Canadians adults have already planned their purchase of tobacco products before they even enter the store.
Retail display bans ultimately penalize adult smokers and legitimate businesses. Displays of our products do not influence the decision to smoke, but rather the decision as to which brand to purchase. In some retail outlets adult smokers can choose amongst more than 400 tobacco products. These retail displays are currently the only legal means available to let adult smokers know about price and availability--including information about new brands.
For tobacco companies this is important because it allows us to compete to become the choice of adult smokers--something important in a constantly shrinking market. Banning these displays inevitably penalizes many convenience store owners who rely on the money these displays provide as a key part of their livelihood
Christina Dona Manager, Media relations Imperial Tobacco Canada Montreal
Smoking ban unfair -ON
Don Parker Monday February 28, 2005
Editor:
I disagree with St. Thomas’s implemented smoking ban which comes into effect March 1.
I believe our council should have waited for the government to pass Bill 164 and implement it in 2006.
The city did not go 100 per cent smoke free by exemption of St. Thomas Bingo Country.
I’m a smoker and have been for 30 years now and am in good health. I feel now that one of my civil liberties has been taken away from me by being told that I no longer can go out to my favourite bar and have a smoke and a beer but I have the right to play bingo and light up. This is not right.
The Royal Canadian Legion should have been exempt, after all if it weren’t for our veterans we might not have some of the liberties that we have today.
And is our council going to help some of our restaurant and bar owners when they start losing their customers because they can’t compete with the bigger bars that have patios?
Council should have looked at smoke hogs or smoke eaters which would have solved the smoking problems in bars.
Smoking areas were already in play in most work places and working fine.
I can’t help but wonder if the St. Thomas Health Unit hadn’t said they would take care of the policing of the ban, if council’s decision would have been different since the city would then would be responsible for the $1,000 to $2,000 cost of policing.
I feel this council is not acting on what our residents want. They should have held more public debates before making these decisions. This bylaw is not fair and is a serious issue. And I for one will look forward to my day in court, because this is not a fair playing field that we have been given in this City of St. Thomas
Don Parker
St. Thomas
http://www.stthomastimesjournal.com/story.php?id=145719
Policing costs clarified
Saturday March 05, 2005
Editor:
Re: My letter by Feb. 28 (City’s non-smoking bylaw unfair).
The second last paragraph should have read: “I can’t help but wonder if the St. Thomas Health Unit hadn’t said they would take care of the policing of the ban, if council’s decision would have been different since the city would then would be responsible for the $100,000 to $200,000 cost of policing.”
Don Parker
St. Thomas
Scofflaw bars will be smoked out, mayor vows -YK
CBC News WebPosted Mar 2 2005 08:11 AM MST
WHITEHORSE - The City of Whitehorse says bar owners flouting the anti-smoking bylaw will soon have their day in court.
The city says it will lay charges against them in the next few days.
For the past week, the bar owners have been thumbing their nose at the city by setting out ashtrays and looking the other way as patrons smoke.
Whitehorse bylaw officers ignored the lawbreakers over this past Rendezvous weekend.
But Mayor Ernie Bourassa says that's about to change.
"Bylaw at the moment is gathering evidence and preparing individual cases," he says.
"Charges will be laid hopefully later this week or next week sometime."
Some of the bar owners say they'd like to challenge the validity of the smoking bylaw in court.
Bourassa says bring it on.
"That's what some of the bars want – they want to go to court, and we're prepared to do that."
Bourassa says courts all across Canada have upheld provincial and municipal smoking laws.
He's confident the city will win any challenge to its bylaw.
http://north.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=smoking-bars-03022005
Hospitality industry proposes amendment to Ontario smoking legislation -ON
TORONTO, March 3 /CNW/ - Ontario's hospitality industry is calling for an amendment to the Government of Ontario's Bill 164, The Smoke-Free Ontario Act, saying it supports the intent behind the legislation but the industry needs a longer transition to smoke-free operations.
"We believe Bill 164, as currently drafted, will have severe economic consequences for many of our members," says Douglas Needham, President of the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA), "particularly the small and medium-sized businesses which dominate the pub, bar, tavern and nightclub sector. We're proposing an interim step during which smoking be permitted in designated smoking rooms (DSRs) which would be phased out in 2010."
"We understand the government's desire to ban smoking in all public places, but this shouldn't force small operators to cut jobs or go out of business," says Terry Mundell, President of the Ontario Restaurant Hotel & Motel Association (ORHMA). "We need a transition period so that our members can earn a payback on the capital investments they've made in DSRs, while adjusting their business models to accommodate smoke-free operations. During that transition, we support highly ventilated, designated smoking rooms and occupational exposure limits to protect employees who work in these areas."
More than 700 Ontario hospitality establishments have constructed DSRs to comply with municipal bylaws. Bill 164 places the owners of these businesses
in the untenable position of being penalized by the provincial government for complying with their municipal government. The bill would ban smoking in work
places and public places on May 31, 2006, giving these small businessesinsufficient time to properly amortize the cost of this capital investment.
The call for a longer transition period is accompanied by an industrypublication, The Facts About Designated Smoking Rooms, which explains ventilation and filtration systems used in DSRs and addresses issues such as occupational exposure limits for employees, compliance and enforcement considerations, and myths about designated smoking rooms. The document is available online at www.LastCallOntario.ca.
The industry website LastCallOntario.ca discusses the proposed 2010 phase-out and gives the industry and the public an opportunity to vote on smoking legislation alternatives. The site is sponsored by the ORHMA, CRFA and the Ontario Accommodation Association.
For further information: Jill Holroyd, CRFA, (416) 923-8416, ext. 4217; Michelle Saunders, ORHMA, (905) 361-0268
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2005/03/c0916.html
Patrons light up, but safety first
Only polite reminders
Times-Journal Staff By Michael Jiggins Monday March 07, 2005
St. Thomas bar owner Vince Pileggi knows people lit up cigarettes in his bar in violation of the city’s smoke-free bylaw on the weekend.
Citing safety concerns, however, he told his staff to do no more than politely make customers aware of the new rules.
“Some of my doormen said people were sparking up,” Pileggi, co-owner of St. Thomas Ale House told the Times-Journal.
“Letting them know, that’s as far as we go. I’m not going to put my employees in harm’s way over a cigarette. It doesn’t make sense.”
This past weekend was the first big test for the city’s controversial smoke-free bylaw, which came into effect Tuesday.
St. Thomas’s bylaw is being enforced by Iron Rail Security through the Elgin-St. Thomas Health Unit.
Bylaw officers were seen making their rounds, but reached Sunday Iron Rail official Jayson Chabot would not say if any tickets were issued.
He directed all questions to the city clerk’s office.
Reaction from customers, staff and bar owners, meanwhile, was mixed.
“Business-wise, it’s hurt us,” said Brian Aslani, owner of Ollee’s Sports Bar, saying 95 per cent of his customers smoke.
While conceding the smoke-free environment is better for employees and leaves his bar fresher, Aslani insisted the city should have waited for provincial smoke-free legislation expected in 2006.
“It’s unfair competition between the City of St. Thomas and the surrounding area,” he said.
A group told Aslani on Friday night after eating that they were going to spend the rest of the night in Port Stanley where they could smoke -- regardless of the cab fare.
Ollee’s bartender Cynthia Yates called on bar owners to take a militant stand.
“I personally think all the bar owners should just keep on smoking and sue the city,” she said.
Pileggi admitted business was brisk at the Ale House over the weekend, but cautioned, “One weekend isn’t going to tell the tale.”
Where all those displaced smokers are lighting up is also causing issues.
Stu McDonald, Woody’s and Upper Deck owner, said it looks “unprofessional” to have smokers standing out front of a business.
He said he discussed the issue with smoking patrons prior to Tuesday and asked them to use an area behind each bar.
Aslani said smokers in front of his bar after midnight led to complaints from neighbours -- something he hasn’t experienced even when bands have played.
“We’re surrounded by residential around here, so I might have that problem (to address),” Aslani said.
And Pileggi said with groups as large as 20 congregating for a smoke, “That means now I’m going to have to have more doormen.”
There were those for whom the new bylaw is a breath of fresh air.
Ollee’s regular Rosemary Holden hailed the smoke-free atmosphere, pointing out, “I can come in here and go home and my clothes don’t smell smoky. I just enjoy it more.”
Indeed, McDonald said with smoking no longer an issue, “We’ll be seeing more families in now.”
Sitting across from Holden, though, smoker Larry Ryckman said although he won’t stay home, he doesn’t like being dictated to.
“We’re supposed to be a democratic society,” he said. “And in a democracy you’re supposed to have a choice and we don’t have a choice.”
http://www.stthomastimesjournal.com/story.php?id=147112
Gerry Costello
Council gambling with our future
Editor: Tuesday March 08, 2005
I was pleasantly amused by the cartoon on page 6 “Comment” in the Times-Journal on Saturday, Feb. 26. It struck a humourous chord for me (which it was meant to do).
Imagine all of the local bars licenced to serve alcoholic beverages, being granted the right to run bingos.
The bar menu may look something like this: under the B - beer; under the I - ice wine; under the N - nite cap or natchos; under G - gin; under the O -oysters.
On a more serious note, I believe that our council is “gambling” with our future, by the following: 1) approval of the $12 million (plus, plus) community centre on land not yet owned by the city; 2) expecting to receive grants when they missed the deadline etc., to apply for same, and then tried to blame MPP Steve Peters; 3) approved re-construction of a portion of Wellington Street, then withdraw the project for lack of funding, and, again trying to blame the provincial government.
If this isn’t enough, they want to spend more tax dollars on a deputy mayor. Why not make the mayor’s job full time, and save some money?
When will it all end?
Gerry Costello
St. Thomas
http://www.stthomastimesjournal.com/index.php?id=850
Farm rally ‘too timid’ -ON
Mounting another push to Queen’s Park on Wednesday
By Michael Jiggins Times-Journal Staff Monday March 07, 2005
When 7,000 farmers descended on Queen’s Park last week to demand government pay attention to the crisis on Ontario farms, Tom Kurcz wasn’t among them.
Neither were many other members of the Lanark Landowners Association (LLA) who Kurcz said think last week’s Ontario Federation of Agriculture organized rally was “too timid” to be effective.
“It’s not going to make an impact,” Kurcz observed, noting that after making some speeches “at 2:30 everybody got back on the buses and goes home and it’s over with.”
So Kurcz, a Malahide tobacco and cash crop farmer, spent the week preparing to take part in another protest planned for Wednesday in front of the Ontario legislature.
While there were about 100 tractors involved in last week’s protest (most driven by LLA members), Kurcz said organizers this week expect more than 1,000.
And, he promised, they’re not leaving after a few hours.
Kurcz told the Times-Journal members of the group will remain at Queen’s Park -- and anywhere else Ontario government MPPs are -- until their concerns are addressed.
That includes bringing farm vehicles to Wednesday night’s gala Ontario Liberal Party fundraiser at Toronto’s Harbour Castle Hilton.
“This group are staying until the problem is solved.”
Although the protest is dubbed “The Rural Revolution,” Kurcz rejects suggestions members of the eastern Ontario based LLA are radicals.
He said bringing in so many farm implements isn’t designed to cause chaos on busy roadways, but to make more of an impact than he thinks last week’s busloads of people did.
“With the OFA, they didn’t like tractors at Queen’s Park. We’re not there to raise hell, we’re just there to let the public know what’s going on,” he stressed.
The LLA organized two earlier tractor convoys, including one that shut down Highway 401 near Ingersoll on Jan. 21. The other affected traffic near an international bridge at Prescott.
Lanark Landowners Association represents 17 diverse rural organizations from farm groups to sawmill operators and maple syrup producers.
An LLA press release said Wednesday’s protest is to convince the province to pass 11 resolutions it says will “enshrine and protect the heritage, culture and lifestyle of rural Ontario.
“Furthermore these resolutions will return the millions of dollars stolen from rural Ontario, and ensure that governments and monopolies never have the opportunity to steal farm/rural incomes again.”
Kurcz, who lives on a 130-acre tobacco farm on Glencolin Line with his wife and three children, said the protests are a last option.
“We have all gone the proper route … they’ve all contacted their MPPs and haven’t gotten a response,” a frustrated Kurcz said.
Of his own reasons for hopping on his Case IH tractor Tuesday to begin the nearly eight-hour trip to Toronto, the fourth generation farmer explained, “It makes me feel that I’ve done everything I possibly can without screaming.”
http://www.stthomastimesjournal.com/story.php?id=147111
Tobacco court cases grow -QC
CBC News Last Updated Mar 1 2005 10:32 AM EST
MONTREAL – The list of Quebec smokers signing onto a class action lawsuit against the country's three large tobacco companies is growing.
Last week, the Quebec Superior Court allowed two class action suits to proceed against the tobacco industry.
Most of the people who have since called the Quebec Council on Tobacco and Health have added their names to the suit.
The list is closing in on 300 people.
The council began proceedings for the class action about seven years ago, but had to wait until last week for the proper permission to pursue the case.
Mario Bujold, executive director of the group, said smokers, or their surviving family members, are allowed to sign up for the lawsuit.
"Our class action is for the victims of lung cancer, cancer of the larynx, the throat and emphysema."
That suit, filed by a smoker who lost a lung to cancer, asks for up to $100,000 for each Quebecer who suffered emphysema or cancer of the lungs, larynx or throat between 1995 and 1998.
Bujold said the phones have been busy over the last week, and the list of names grows everyday.
"We can touch something around 40,000 victims, so it's normal that we receive interest from the victims and also calls to person who want to register to that class action," Bujold says.
A second court action concerns people who are addicted to tobacco.
The council said that suit could end up representing up to 2 million smokers.
http://montreal.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=qc-tobacco20050301&ref=rss
FDA seizes batches of two Glaxo drugs
CBC News Last Updated Fri, 04 Mar 2005 19:07:59 EST
LONDON - Officials in the U.S. seized batches of a diabetes drug and an antidepressant medication on Friday because of concerns the drug company didn't meet manufacturing standards.
The drugs are Paxil CR, a control-released formula used to treat depression and panic disorder, and Avandamet, used to treat type 2 diabetes.
A spokesperson for Health Canada said the Paxil CR tablets from Puerto Rico did enter Canada, but the department doesn't consider it a serious health risk.
Likewise, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it does not believe the drugs posed a significant health risk to consumers.
Some Avandamet tablets contained an inaccurate dose of an active ingredient. Health Canada does not believe any of the batch came into the country.
Patients do not have to stop taking the drugs, but the U.S. regulator wanted to stop the product from being distributed until manufacturing problems are corrected.
FDA inspectors found the Paxil CR tablets could split apart, potentially reducing the active dose or controlled-release effect.
The manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline Plc, said it was working to fix the manufacturing problems as quickly as possible, although the U.S. supply would be reduced in the meantime.
Health Canada said it does not intend to issue a public advisory at this time.
The European Medicines Agency also said no recall of products was planned for the continent at present.
Glaxo shares closed down 2.2 per cent at 12.89 pounds in London on Friday. The company's stock also fell on the New York Stock Exchange, down four per cent in afternoon trading.
http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2005/03/04/Glaxo-drugs050304.html
Letter to the Editor Calgary Mar.6/05
Rather than let government decide the smoking fate of private establishments, it would be better to let each individual business make its own decision. If the public wants to go somewhere that's non-smoking, it'll be evident in the types of businesses that prosper.
Thomas Laprade
(That's why they call it "free" enterprise.)
http://www.canoe.ca/CalgarySun/editorial.html#letters
Smoking bylaw with get a test on weekend -ON
By Ian McCallum Times-Journal Staff Wednesday March 02, 2005
On the day St. Thomas smokers were obliged to butt out in public places and work places, compliance at city bars and restaurants appeared not to be an issue. But the bylaw will be put to the acid test this weekend when business picks up substantially over the sparse crowds most premises experienced Tuesday. And several owners of licensed establishments told the Times-Journal they will not place their staff in a confrontational situation in attempts to enforce the bylaw. Meanwhile, on the same day the bylaw became a fact of life for city smokers,
Mayor Jeff Kohler petitioned Ontario’s health care minister George Smitherman to push forward the May 31, 2006, implementation date for provincial smoking legislation.
“Our government would like to applaud the ministry for moving forward with the smoking legislation,” wrote Kohler. “We are only requesting that you implement it sooner than later.”
Owners of two popular eateries at either end of Talbot Street suggested the majority of their lunch time customers are “upset” with the bylaw. “I think our customers are pretty upset,” observed Alex Petro, co-owner of The Ale House. “They’re not happy with the ruling but at this point on day one, they’re abiding by it.”
“My customers are very upset with this issue,” added George Wilson of The Manx Arms. “They’ve become polarized over rights where you have one group (non-smokers) asserting themselves over the other.”
Both agreed they will honour the smoke-free bylaw. But enforcement is another issue. “We will honour the bylaw to its fullest, with one exception,” noted Petro.
“And that will be the enforcement. We will make people aware, but we will not, and I stress not, put our people in a confrontational situation where someone may get hurt. We refuse to do that.”
“We are going to make customers aware of the things we are supposed to do as owners,” said Wilson. “Aside from that we are not going to physically assist or ask anyone to leave if there is going to be a question of liability that arises from it.That will be the duty of Iron Rail Security (which will assist the city with bylaw enforcement) and the City of St. Thomas.” Visitors to Lord Elgin Branch 41, Royal Canadian Legion, quietly sipped their drinks on a snowy afternoon, reminded of the bylaw by the absence of ashtrays on the tables.
EARLY
“It’s early yet,” said vice-president Wayne Donnelly. “We had a meeting on Sunday and the staff are all aware of the bylaw. We’re going to enforce. If anyone lights up they’re going to be asked to take it outside.”
The St. Thomas branch was unsuccessful in its bid to seek an exemption from the bylaw, and Donnelly feels it is only a matter of time before patrons drift away to branches in neighbouring municipalities where smoking is still permitted.
“It’s a very bitter pill to swallow. For a lot of vets this is their home
away from home. They feel very, very comfortable in here. We’re at a disadvantage now with branches in Aylmer and Port Stanley.”
But it was business as usual at St. Thomas Bingo Country where several dozen patrons puffed while dabbing their cards.
“Our regulars are quite happy,” said manager Brenda Burge. “It’s been proven that 70 per cent of our bingo players smoke.”
“I’m a smoker and that’s a big factor,” stressed city resident Robin Meloche who visits two or three times a week.“I would go elsewhere if smoking was not allowed. You have to smoke when you’re playing bingo. You can’t separate them. It’s hard.”
http://www.stthomastimesjournal.com/story.php?id=146478
Whistler workers denied right to speak at council meeting
WHISTLER, BC, March 8 /CNW/ - When Whistler municipal workers got up to speak during public question period at last night's council meeting, Chair Mayor O'Reilly did the unthinkable - he denied them an opportunity to speak.
"We knew our employer was anti-union, but we didn't want to accept that some members on council could also be anti-democratic," said CUPE 2010 President, Pete Davidson, who has been a water operator for Whistler for over 12 years, as well as a taxpayer, resident and volunteer firefighter.
The municipal workers, who are currently engaged in a work-to-rule campaign over employer demands to rollback their benefits and eliminate set hours and schedules of work, came to council to describe the negative impact the labour dispute has already had on residents of Whistler and to ask council to urge their staff to get back to the bargaining table.
"It's ironic that the home of the Olympics in 2010 lacks the democratic traditions established in ancient Greece over two thousand years ago," says Davidson. "It's a real embarrassment for Whistler."
"Mayor and council should remember who elects them," says Davidson. "If they don't remember it now, we'll have to remind them in November."
CUPE 2010 represents Whistler's water, wastewater, utilities workers and by-law officers.
For further information: Contact Pete Davidson, CUPE 2010 president, (604) 935-8603; or Diane Kalen, CUPE Communications, (778) 229-0258
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2005/08/c2450.html
CUPE asking Municipal Relations Minister to intervene in CBRM Council's handling of garbage vote -NS
SYDNEY, NS, March 7 /CNW/ - Provincial Municipal Relations Minister Barry Barnet has been asked to rule on the way in which CBRM Council decided to forego a second vote on the issue of trucking garbage.
CUPE Local 759 today wrote the minister responsible for municipal affairs, asking him to rule on whether council's decision was in violation of the Municipal Act.
CUPE National Rep. Jacquie Bramwell says, "We believe that when a member of a municipal council changes their position on a vote, and asks for a motion of reconsideration, then council has an obligation to do so.
"The original vote of 9-8 in favour of trucking garbage to Guysborough County would have gone the other way with the one changed vote. In this case, not allowing a second vote to take place effectively thwarts the democratic process," says Bramwell.
CUPE is citing the decision a couple of years ago by CBRM Council to reconsider a vote on holding a Gay Pride march, which was reversed by council because a single councilor changed his vote.
In her letter to Barnet, Bramwell states, "If someone who voted in the affirmative wanted to bring a motion to reconsider, they have the right to do so. I don't believe the Mayor handled the issue of reconsideration appropriately and I am therefore requesting an investigation be conducted by your office into what I see as irregularities in determining the issue of reconsideration.
"If there is a voting procedure contrary to this in the Municipal Act, please advise," states the letter.
For further information: Jacquie Bramwell, CUPE National Rep., (902) 539-4933 (o); John McCracken, CUPE Communications Rep., (902) 455-4180 (o)
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2005/07/c1979.html
*now the city has learned how to igbore groups, what's one more?
McGuinty Government Moves to Strengthen Democracy
Proposed Bill Would Promote Citizen Engagement, Preserve Northern Ridings, Introduce Real-time Disclosure of Party Donations
QUEEN'S PARK, March 7 /CNW/ - The McGuinty government today tabled democratic renewal legislation that, if passed, would mean moving ahead on electoral reform, preserving our 11 northern ridings, and real-time disclosure of party donations.
"The McGuinty government is continuing its efforts to strengthen Ontario's democracy," said Michael Bryant, Minister Responsible for Democratic Renewal. "Moving ahead on electoral reform, preserving our 11 northern ridings, and real-time disclosure of donations will mean a stronger democracy."
The proposed legislation, if passed, would:
1. Give Elections Ontario the ability to select volunteers for both the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform and the Citizens' Jury on
Political Finance.
2. Preserve 11 northern ridings and increase the number of southern ridings from 92 to 96 to secure strong representation for all
Ontarians in the legislature.
3. Provide for real-time public disclosure of political donations, retroactive to January 1, 2004.
4. Re-introduce fixed election dates so they take place every four years. The next election would be four years from the last election,
on October 4, 2007.
The Citizens' Jury will make further recommendations about how provincial political parties and election campaigns are financed. The government will then introduce a comprehensive plan to reduce the influence of money in politics and provide better transparency for all Ontarians.
The Citizens' Assembly will examine Ontario's electoral system. If it recommends changing how Ontarians elect MPPs to the legislature, the government will hold a referendum on that alternative within its mandate.
Real-time disclosure of donations would apply to political parties and leadership candidates in election and non-election periods and will allow the public to track contributions on the Internet. Within five business days from the time a donation is deposited in the bank, registered political parties must report it to the Chief Election Officer at Elections Ontario. The Chief Election Officer then would post this information on the Elections Ontario web site within five business days. "This legislation would make Ontario a world leader in transparency for political party donations," said Minister Bryant.
"With these measures, we're taking the next step in the most ambitious democratic renewal initiative in this province's history," said Minister Bryant. "We're poised to give Ontarians a stronger voice than ever before by improving the quality of our democracy and modernizing our political institutions."
Disponible en français www.democraticrenewal.gov.on.ca
BACKGROUNDER
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE ELECTION STATUTE LAW AMENDMENT ACT, 2005
The Election Statute Law Amendment Act, 2005, includes provisions that would:
1. Allow Elections Ontario to select volunteers for a Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform and a Citizens' Jury on Political Finance
2. Preserve 11 northern ridings and increase the number of southern ridings from 92 to 96 to secure strong representation for all Ontarians in the legislature
3. Provide for the public disclosure of political donations in real time
4. Set fixed election dates to de-politicize the timing of provincial elections.
1. Citizens' Assembly and Citizens' Jury
----------------------------------------
The Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform will explore new ideas for electing Members of Provincial Parliament. If that assembly recommends an alternative, all Ontarians will have their say on the assembly's recommendations in a province-wide referendum.
A Citizens' Jury will consider changes to Ontario's political spending and contribution limits. Changes will aim to reduce the influence of money in politics.
Participants in the Jury and Assembly will be selected through a process that is non-partisan, open and transparent. If passed, the Election Statute Law Amendment Act, 2005, will allow Elections Ontario to select assembly and jury members using the Permanent Register of Electors. The Chief Election Officer will also ensure the diversity of Ontario is represented.
Individuals whose names are selected from the Register will be contacted by the Chief Election Officer. If they agree, they may be selected to sit on the Citizens' Assembly or the Citizens' Jury.
A similar process was used to set up the British Columbia Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform.
2. Eleven Northern Ridings
--------------------------
Currently, the Representation Act, 1996, makes Ontario's provincial ridings identical to those used in federal elections. As a result of redistribution for the 2004 federal election, the number of Ontario's federal ridings was increased from 103 to 106. However, the number of federal ridings in Northern Ontario was reduced from 11 to 10.
At present, there are 103 MPPs in the legislature; 11 represent ridings in Northern Ontario. Maintaining 11 northern representatives in the legislature will ensure a strong voice for Northern Ontario.
If passed, the Election Statute Law Amendment Act, 2005, would de-link Ontario's northern ridings from the recent federal redistribution and maintain the existing boundaries. The number of southern ridings would increase from 92 to 96, with new boundaries in the south matching those created under the 2004
federal redistribution.
As a result, Ontarians would send 107 MPPs to Queen's Park in the next provincial general election.
Electoral reform through the Citizens' Assembly process may result in changes to how MPPs are elected and how many are elected. If a new electoral system is adopted, Ontario's electoral boundaries and the redistribution process may change.
3. Real-time Disclosure of Political Donations
----------------------------------------------
If passed, the Election Statute Law Amendment Act, 2005, would require real-time disclosure of political donations. It will apply to political parties and leadership candidates in both election and non-election periods. It is the first system of its kind in Canada, and will allow the public to track contributions through the Internet.
The proposed system would apply to contributions over $100. A political party or leadership campaign would be required to report contributions over $100 to the Chief Election Officer within five business days of their being deposited into a bank account. Failure to file the report is an offence that, if prosecuted, may result in a fine of up to double the amount of the unreported contribution.
The Chief Election Officer will be required to post contribution reports on the Internet within five business days.
The proposed system would take effect on the later of the day of Royal Assent or April 1, 2005, and would require all such contributions, dating back to January 1, 2004, to be disclosed if they have not already been reported.
4. Fixed Election Dates
-----------------------
In June 2004, the government introduced Bill 86, the Election Statute Law Amendment Act, 2004, to provide for fixed election dates. The Election Statute Law Amendment Act, 2005, incorporates the provisions of that bill.
If passed, the bill would provide for elections on the first Thursday in October every four years, starting Thursday, October 4, 2007. Political considerations would no longer be a factor in the selection of election dates.
Disponible en français www.democraticrenewal.gov.on.ca
For further information: Greg Crone, Minister's Office, (416) 326-1785; Leon Mar, Communications Unit, (416) 314-7897
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2005/07/c1881.html
McMaster butts out
Mar, 07 2005 - 5:00 AM
HAMILTON (AM900 CHML) - McMaster University is holding a special smoke-free day today, encouraging staff and students not to light up on campus.
As part of the campaign, anti-smoking crusader Heather Crowe spoke to staff and students at the Student Centre Marketplace.
Crowe worked as a waitress for 40 years, and was awarded worker's compensation after being diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer related to her exposure to second-hand smoke.
She has visited with city councils across Canada, and has spoken with Health and Labour Ministers from coast to coast.
Crowe says her message has already led to smoke free workplaces in Ireland, Norway and Italy.
http://www.900chml.com/news/news_local.cfm?cat=7428327912&rem=4445&red=80132723aPBIny&wids=410&gi=1&gm=news_local.cfm
Posted at 8:04 pm by looped_ca
Saturday, March 05, 2005
Court date delayed for man charged in B.C. forest fire
CBC News Last Updated Mon, 21 Feb 2005 15:56:35 EST
KAMLOOPS, B.C. - A lawyer for a former firefighter appeared in provincial court in Kamloops Monday, after his client was charged with dropping a burning substance within a kilometre of a forest.
The accused man, Mike Barre, will be in court on March 7 for an arraignment hearing.
The charge against Barre stems from the McLure-Barriere fire that began in the summer of 2003 and burned thousands of hectares of forest.
The fire destroyed 65 homes and forced 8,500 people from McLure north to Barriere to flee.
It also flattened a local sawmill, which provided jobs for more than 200 people.
Investigators allege that a discarded cigarette started the blaze.
If found guilty, Barre could be fined $1 million and face jail time.
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/02/21/bc-fire050221.html
'Rural revolution' takes to the road -ON
Lanark farmers joined counterparts from southwestern Ontario in a blockade of Highway 401 to bring attention to growing anger at a host of issues affecting rural life. Andy Lloyd reports.
Andy Lloyd The Ottawa Citizen Saturday, January 22, 2005
TILLSONBURG, Ont. - It was 5:30 a.m. when the bus came to an abrupt stop outside the darkened windows of the Putnam Community Centre, just east of Ingersoll, Ont.
A golden sliver of light was growing on the horizon, silhouetting the grain silos that dot the landscape. A regiment of 36 people, some farmers and some rural residents, disembarked from the bus they had boarded in Carleton Place exactly eight hours earlier. They had travelled through the night on a cramped coach to take part in the latest incarnation of the "rural revolution," a cause championed by the Lanark Land Owners' Association to which they belong.
Yesterday, more than 250 farm tractors blockaded Highway 401, shutting down both the eastbound and westbound lanes for hours at a time between Putnam and Ingersoll. The protest was initiated by area tobacco growers who feel the provincial government's anti-smoking legislation is hurting their business. Impressed with the Lanark association's previous demonstrations, Tillsonburg area tobacco farmers asked the organization for help. And the Lanark group answered the call. These self-appointed rural revolutionaries carried placards reading, "This land is our land. Governments back off."
Their message was clear: Governments and bureaucrats are killing rural Canada with excessive regulations and intrusive legislation.
According to the organizers, the protest was a sign of things to come.
"I think you're going to see a very strong, united rural movement throughout Ontario and across Canada," Randy Hillier, president of the Lanark association, said after the blockade. "People are recognizing they can make a difference if they just step up to the plate."
Mr. Hillier says the bureaucracy in this province is bullying farmers and rural people. "Bullies count on people to be fearful. We don't have fear."
Rural Ontario is a diverse expanse of pastoral landscapes, ancient stone farm houses, rusty wire fences that run along lonely roads, quiet villages where everyone knows everyone else, grazing cattle and sprawling fields. Coffee shops and corner stores. It may seem idyllic, but beneath it all tensions are simmering. There's a growing sense that rural Ontario, and indeed the rest of rural Canada, is under attack.
Increasingly stringent government regulations are provoking unrest among farmers and their neighbours. Some accuse politicians of pandering to big-city interests, leaving their rural counterparts in the dust.
The Lanark Landowners' Association says it's tired of waiting for action from governments and interest groups.
The association's emphatic president, Randy Hillier, is leading what he calls the "rural revolution." Ruthless in its accusations and emboldened by a large following, Mr. Hillier and his organization have launched a campaign of civil disobedience to bring attention to the plight of rural Ontario. It's not a strategy everyone favours, but it's one the Lanark group says is necessary. Despite critics who say inconveniencing the public won't garner support for the cause, the Rural Revolution is pushing forward
It started last March when 800 people blockaded a busy Ottawa intersection with farm equipment. Then in April, thousands of farmers and rural residents converged on Parliament Hill, with their livestock and tractors in tow, grinding traffic to a halt. In June, the association staged an illegal deer hunt to protest regulations that prevent farmers from killing nuisance animals on their property. In the fall, it held two food strikes in Pakenham, accompanied by more road blocks. The association even staged a mock trial in Perth, acquitting farmers who sell unregulated meat, produce and dairy products, and convicting government bureaucrats of impeding their freedom.It seems the protests have the attention of at least one high-profile politician. Ottawa Mayor Bob Chiarelli has called for a special summit this spring to address the discontent that has been festering in the city's rural sections since amalgamation in 2001.Yet yesterday's massive blockade of Highway 401 was the first in a series of threats, made directly to federal and provincial politicians, including Prime Minister Paul Martin and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty.The Lanark farmers set Jan. 14 as a deadline for the politicians to respond to demands. Evidently those demands weren't addressed, and the protest went ahead. Along with yesterday's blockade, the association is threatening to block international border crossings and major highways every Friday, culminating with a demonstration at Queen's Park in Toronto on March 9.It's not exactly clear just what would pacify the rural revolution. The Lanark group has asked for an amendment that would enshrine rural lifestyle and property rights in the Canadian Constitution. But that's hardly a short-term goal.It also cites grievances with a variety of legislation, including the Nutrient Management Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Amalgamation Act, the Environmental Protection Act and the Fish and Wildlife Act. Certainly all of this legislation has a major impact on rural communities. In particular, after the Walkerton water tragedy, the Ontario government began developing a litany of stringent regulations to safeguard the province's water. Yet many farmers and rural businesses say they're paying for these regulations, suffering financially and emotionally. Calling bureaucrats and politicians incompetent, ignorant and cowardly, Mr. Hillier and the Lanark association say civil disobedience is the only option left.Yesterday, followers echoed that sentiment. Among them were Bert and Marion Timmins from Almonte. They run a small beef cattle operation. But when they talk about their life's work, they speak with an air of sadness, of resignation." I like to think of farmers as a visible minority," Mr. Timmins said. "We just don't get as much attention as the other ones." When the BSE crisis hit, their livelihood fell through the floor. The Timmins are still holding on to 45 cattle, unwilling to give in just yet. Even as he approaches age 70, Mr. Timmins dreams of better days ahead for the farm.
Like his friends, he's frustrated that governments aren't interested in addressing rural issues. "They think they can ignore it and it'll just go away. Well, it's not going to go away. "Mr. Timmins' cattle are virtually worthless as long as the American border remains closed to Canadian beef. It costs him more to feed them than he'd get for selling them. And he's hardly seen any of the much-anticipated government assistance packages for beef farmers. The Black family of Stittsville shared Mr. Timmins' concerns at yesterday's protest. Laura Black came home after four years of university to find things very changed. "The family farm was not the same as I left it," she said. Her family's steers that once sold for $1,200 a head were only worth $40 after the BSE crisis." You get a nice steak for that price in a restaurant. But you can buy the whole steer for the same price," she said, baffled by the absurdity of the situation. She thinks most urbanites don't have any understanding of the issues facing rural Ontario. And she hopes high-profile protests, like yesterday's, will change that, even if it inconveniences the public."We hope people can see we wouldn't be doing this if we didn't have to," Ms. Black said. "I think we need to have these rural strikes just to let people know we're completely up against a wall. Imagine being told you no longer make $50,000 a year. You now make $10,000 a year. Don't you think there'd be a strike the next day?" And beef farmers weren't the only ones with grievances yesterday. Sawmill owners complained of being shut down because the Ministry of Environment deemed large quantities of sawdust to be toxic. So they are angered when they see sawdust used in Ottawa's public gardens in the summer. A landfill employee from Lanark Highlands said he no longer recycles glass because the same ministry decreed his simple sorting system wasn't up to code. But without sufficient resources, he had to abandon glass recycling altogether. Others are upset about smoking bylaws. Some say they're treated rudely by Ottawa city officials. And the list goes on and on. Yesterday's protest was about rural Ontarians coming together to express their discontent. Decked out in jumpsuits and balaclavas to combat the frigid temperatures, they formed a convoy of tractors several kilometres long on Highway 401. The OPP diverted vehicles onto detour routes, out of sight from the protesters. But the rural revolution did command a heavy media presence.So, do these high profile protests work? The Ontario Federation of Agriculture decided not to participate in yesterday's protest, but rather to take a neutral position. Like most established organizations in the agriculture sector, the OFA advocates dialogue and negotiations with governments, not radical protests. "We appreciate some of their concerns, but this type of activity is against the law to begin with," Gary Struthers, a spokesman for the OFA, said.
"We're encouraging our members to contact their MPs and MPPs, the people responsible for the legislation that is causing us problems. ... If they don't listen to some of what's being said, they might not be re-elected." But Doug Clark, the editor of the Free Press Advocate newspaper, isn't so quick to question the Lanark association's methods." The fact that they keep getting people out speaks for itself. If they were totally without basis, you wouldn't get so many people going out on a cold day to make a statement like this," Mr. Clark said." If I was the government of Ontario, I'd be looking at this very carefully. I think anything that draws attention to the rural plight, that harms no one, is acceptable dissidence. We have the right to dissent, and they're exercising the right to dissent."
http://www.ruralrevolution.com/website/index.php?option=com_content&task=section&id=105&Itemid=158
Sarnia Area Facilities Rank High in Ontario's Top 10 List of Respiratory Polluters
List compiled by Pollution Watch released March 1/05
SARNIA, ON, March 1 /CNW/ - Three Sarnia area companies rank in the Top 10 facilities in Ontario for releasing air pollutants linked to respiratory illnesses, such as asthma and bronchitis. Ontario Power Generation's Lambton facility is at No. 3, Imperial Oil's Sarnia Refinery plant makes the list at No. 5, while Shell Canada Limited's Sarnia Manufacturing Centre ranks No. 8.
A Top 10 Ontario Respiratory Polluters list was released today by Environmental Defence and the Canadian Environmental Law Association. The groups developed the list from their web site, www.PollutionWatch.org, which uses the most recent finalized federal government data to rank facilities reporting releases and transfers of pollutants across Canada. The Top 10 list is based on 2002 data provided by industries to the federal government's National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI).
"This list shows that coal power plants, chemical manufacturing and petroleum refining are responsible for much of the poor air quality across this province, and industries in Sarnia are significant contributors," said Dr. Rick Smith, Executive Director, Environmental Defence.
The three Sarnia area facilities together contribute more than 16% of the over 605 million kilograms of suspected respiratory toxicants released by the Top 10 Ontario facilities.
Top 10 Ontario Facilities Reporting Air Releases of Respiratory Toxicants
2002 (NPRI)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rank Companies Facilities City Air
Releases of
Respiratory
Toxicants
(kg) (NPRI)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Inco Limited Copper Cliff Smelter Copper Cliff 243,097,522
Complex
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 Ontario Power Nanticoke Generating Haldimand 144,122,635
Generation Station
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
3 Ontario Power Lambton Generating Courtright 52,878,144
Generation Station
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
4 Falconbridge Smelter Complex Falconbridge 42,720,942
Limited
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 Imperial Oil Sarnia Refinery Plant Sarnia 30,732,325
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
6 Stelco Inc. Stelco Hamilton Hamilton 26,005,065
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 Ontario Power Lakeview GS Mississauga 22,078,858
Generation
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
8 Shell Canada Sarnia Manufacturing Corunna 15,737,839
Limited Centre
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
9 Imperial Oil Nanticoke Refinery Haldimand 15,277,175
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
10 St. Marys Cement Bowmanville Bowmanville 13,281,723
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(*) These pollutants are suspected respiratory toxicants; the list is derived from www.scorecard.org
In addition to air pollution linked to smog and asthma, facilities in Sarnia are releasing other pollutants to the air that may affect children's health and the environment, including lead, mercury, benzene and nickel. Some, like lead and mercury, can be harmful to children's development. Others, like nickel and benzene, are associated with cancer.
"Many of these toxic substances polluting our air pose a serious threat, particularly to children, young people, pregnant women and the elderly," said Dr. James Brophy, Executive Director, Occupational Health Clinic for Ontario Workers/Sarnia. "The community will require the active involvement of the provincial and federal governments to force the reduction of pollutants and ensure the protection of public health."
2002 was the first year that facilities had to report their releases of air pollutants known to cause smog, acid rain and respiratory illnesses. The Sarnia facilities in the Top 10 Ontario Respiratory Polluters list reported releases of sulphur dioxide (associated with acid rain and a respiratory irritant), oxides of nitrogen and Particulate Matter (associated with smog, respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses), and carbon monoxide (harmful to children's development and linked to respiratory illnesses). Many of these chemicals are classified as toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.
"The Aamjiwnaang First Nation is exposed on a daily basis from all sides to chemical emissions from surrounding industry. We are very concerned about the air pollution list released today which includes three area facilities near our community," said Darren Henry, chair of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation Environmental Committee.
The PollutionWatch partners are calling on the Sarnia-based industries and the Ontario and federal governments to focus more attention on measures to prevent pollution, in keeping with a key requirement of Canada's national Pollution Prevention Strategy and the national environmental law the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. "While industry has invested in improving technology to reduce emissions to the environment, more resources and commitment are needed to promote cleaner technology, including a shift from end of pipe controls to looking at the source of the pollution," said Smith.
The groups are also recommending that governments put strong environmental laws in place to address sources of pollution with an effective enforcement component to ensure accountability. One step in the right direction is the Ontario government's Bill 133, which aims to levy penalties against companies that allow spills into the environment.
"The data shows that there's still work to be done. By reducing pollution, facilities will help the environment, the community and the economic bottom line," said Paul Muldoon, Executive Director, Canadian Environmental Law Association. "Both federal and provincial governments will have to work harder to prevent pollution. The federal law, CEPA, needs more teeth to implement pollution prevention. And while Bill 133 is a great first step in Ontario, the province needs a clear strategy for pollution prevention."
About PollutionWatch (www.PollutionWatch.org) is a collaborative project of Environmental Defence and the Canadian Environmental Law Association. The web site tracks pollution across Canada based on data collected by Environment Canada through the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI). NPRI does not include pollution data from all chemicals or sources. Visitors to the PollutionWatch web site can identify polluters in their home towns by searching by postal code, access "quick lists" of the largest polluters in the country, get pollution trends from 1995-2002, or create their own ranked lists of polluters by province, industrial sector, or corporation.
For further information: or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Jennifer Foulds, Environmental Defence, (416) 323-9521 ext. 232, (647) 280-9521 (cell); Fe de Leon, Canadian Environmental Law Association,
(416) 960-2284 ext. 223; Dr. James Brophy, Occupational Health Clinic for Ontario Workers/Sarnia, (519) 331-7558 (cell); Darren Henry, Aamjiwnaang First Nation, (519) 336-8410
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2005/01/c9817.html
Smoke clearing today -ON
But city's enforcement of new tabacco bylaw won't start right away
By Ian McCallum Tuesday March 01, 2005
Times-Journal Staff
While St. Thomas is not quite 100 per cent smoke-free today, proponents anticipate “a positive response” to the city’s bylaw to regulate smoking in public places and work places.
But as city businesses began adapting to a new smoke-free environment, one popular licensed establishment told the Times-Journal it is already counting its losses.
Yet in spite of the vanishing business, the president of Lord Elgin Branch 41, Royal Canadian Legion, assured “we’re not going to be defiant.”
Although the bylaw takes effect today, full enforcement is still several days away, advised Kathy Daniel, tobacco education and compliance officer for the Elgin-St. Thomas Health Unit.
Contracts between the health unit and Iron Rail Security, who will assist the city with enforcement of the bylaw until May 31, have not been finalized, explained Daniel.
“They likely will be completed in the next day or so and I’m not anticipating any difficulties. Probably 90 per cent or better of places will be compliant without any enforcement.”
At the expiration of the three-month term, city council has the option to review the enforcement process.
“You revisit it at the end of that time,” said Daniel. “Most other places with bylaws have found that after the first three months it’s generally not that much of an issue. In other places they find that it’s
maybe five or six per cent of the premises that won’t comply on their own. It’s very low.”
The enforcement process is driven through complaints, explained Daniel.
Those with complaints are encouraged to contact city hall at 631-1680 where they will be prompted through an automated message.
“There are some other site inspections that are going to be done as well,” added Daniel. “And there will be an educational component.”
In the meantime, Lord Elgin Branch 41 president Bill Adams said he has lost patrons to a branch outside the city.
“We’ve already lost Thursday night darts to Port Stanley,” advised Adams. “They’ve already told us they left because of the non-smoking. So it’s already started. They smoke, so they left. About 45 to 50 people who used to patronize our place are gone now.”
One week ago, Adams warned city council his members will have difficulty raising funds for charitable and youth organizations in the city if it is not exempted from the bylaw.
He estimated the St. Thomas branch contributes between $30,000 and $40,000 each year.
“It’s frustrating,” admitted Adams. “You feel like saying. ‘Why don’t you call city hall when you want money next time?’ If we’re not able to raise money, then we’re not able to give it away.”
But, Adams assured the branch will be in full compliance of the smoke-free bylaw.
“We’re not going to do anything silly. We’ll take the ashtrays away and tell people they can’t smoke. The (smoking bylaw) signs are up.”
http://www.stthomastimesjournal.com/story.php?id=146015
Smoking ban unfair
Monday February 28, 2005
Editor:
I disagree with St. Thomas’s implemented smoking ban which comes into effect March 1.
I believe our council should have waited for the government to pass Bill 164 and implement it in 2006.
The city did not go 100 per cent smoke free by exemption of St. Thomas Bingo Country.
I’m a smoker and have been for 30 years now and am in good health. I feel now that one of my civil liberties has been taken away from me by being told that I no longer can go out to my favourite bar and have a smoke and a beer but I have the right to play bingo and light up. This is not right.
The Royal Canadian Legion should have been exempt, after all if it weren’t for our veterans we might not have some of the liberties that we have today.
And is our council going to help some of our restaurant and bar owners when they start losing their customers because they can’t compete with the bigger bars that have patios?
Council should have looked at smoke hogs or smoke eaters which would have solved the smoking problems in bars.
Smoking areas were already in play in most work places and working fine.
I can’t help but wonder if the St. Thomas Health Unit hadn’t said they would take care of the policing of the ban, if council’s decision would have been different since the city would then would be responsible for the $1,000 to $2,000 cost of policing.
I feel this council is not acting on what our residents want. They should have held more public debates before making these decisions. This bylaw is not fair and is a serious issue. And I for one will look forward to my day in court, because this is not a fair playing field that we have been given in this City of St. Thomas
Don Parker St. Thomas
http://www.stthomastimesjournal.com/story.php?id=145719
Butt ban kills, hotelier warns -MB
Causes murder rate to rise
By FRANK LANDRY, LEGISLATURE REPORTER Wed, March 2, 2005
Apparently, there are a lot of people dying for a smoke. Gary Desrosiers, a rural hotel owner who's leading a charge against Manitoba's indoor smoking ban, said yesterday he has extensive research that proves there's a direct correlation between butt bans and higher murder rates.
But the province has called into question the reliability of the data, which was gathered by Desrosiers and his brother Guy.
"This is all carefully researched stuff," said Desrosiers, owner of the Brunkild Bar and Grill. "We've known this for a long time but we wanted to make sure we had all our ducks in a row before we said anything."
Desrosiers said murders have shot up in cities that have introduced indoor smoking bans. For example, there were no murders in Fredericton, N.B., between 2000 and 2002. A smoking ban was introduced in 2003, and there were two homicides that year, according to the Desrosiers brothers.
They have similar figures for several other North American cities. The data is posted on their website, which is dedicated to convincing the province to reverse its ban on smoking in indoor public and work places.
A STRETCH
Healthy Living Minister Theresa Oswald said Desrosiers' conclusion may be a bit of a stretch.
"Certainly, I can understand why people who are very anxious about the smoking ban ... might really wish to see a connection between such things," Oswald said. "I have some personal difficulty seeing the cause-and-effect relationship."
In their research, the brothers note there were 18 homicides in Winnipeg two years ago -- when the citywide smoking ban kicked in. The number of homicides jumped to 34 last year.
According to police statistics, there were 19 homicides in 2003, not the 18 claimed by the Desrosiers.
The Desrosiers also claim to have found a correlation between butt bans and incidents of rape.
"Is voluntary exposure to second-hand smoke worth an increased workload on police, longer response times for police in an emergency, more unregulated drinking and an increase in murder and rape?" reads a portion of the website.
Desrosiers said he believes smoke bans drive people to drink more at home and at house parties. Without the supervision of sober bar staff, violence is more likely to escalate, he said.
Oswald said scientists would probably conclude the research methodology isn't very sound.
"What do you want for scientific evidence?" Desrosiers said. "I don't know what more we can do."
- On the web: www.smokeouthypocrisy.com
I am at a state of incomprehension. In the last few weeks I have witnessed media control, beyond belief. I have tried to cover all sides of this issue. So that the public can be aware, of the methods used. I hope Canadians and people around the world will start to realize that the control of media is a very strong force in the enabling of an advocacy agenda. If you read the newspapers only, you would think there is only one view from scientists and legislatures.
I have witnessed how a government broadcaster (CBC) neglected to mention any support for a person who made one lapse in judgment. If you read the CBC article you will notice that they left out the fact that the public were behind Mike Barre. They don't mention a throng of supporters who turned out to the court date. It took an American newspaper to pick up the amount of support in the court. This is the control they want you to think they have. What I would like to see is people being being the news so that they are the news, not a reaction to the news.
In Ontario the press had one article about the Rural revolution. It has shut down two expressway's for hours. The news reported where you should avoid and who it was by, not the fact suffering that the tobacco and other farmers were enduring. This from the policies that government has pushed through! In Saskatchewan, there were over 500 protestors to the smoking ban, during a court hearing. They took the opportunity to let the judge know, by making noise, enough to distract the judge. In the National papers nothing. You would think there's a love fest for the Saskatchewan nonsmoking legislation.
I am asking all readers to make the editors bring balance to this issue. Instead of saying, "oh it's them again", be the news. Gather friends and ask for a reporter to come from your local paper. they can't ignore you for ever. We are making ground and editors are beginning to realize, they aren't serving the public, just a few anti smoking advocates. The editors are the innocents, according to Michael McFadden's book "dissecting Anti Smoking Brains" They don't think there is any opposition. Make them aware of the opposition!
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/WinnipegSun/News/2005/03/02/947301-sun.html
New law closes cigarette 'loophole'-VA
Tobacco giants say it will end the unfair advantage for smaller rivals
BY JOHN REID BLACKWELL TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Feb 26, 2005
Virginia this week became the 38th state to pass legislation that Philip Morris USA and other cigarette companies say will end an unfair advantage for some of their competitors.
Gov. Mark R. Warner on Wednesday signed the bill supported by tobacco giants Philip Morris and Reynolds American Inc., ending a lengthy lobbying battle that had pitted those companies against some smaller, regional cigarette manufacturers -- notably Keysville-based S&M Brands Inc., the maker of Bailey's cigarettes.
The smaller companies say consumers could be hurt under the change, since their cigarette prices may rise. They also see the legislation as being aimed at quashing their sales.
However, the General Assembly also passed legislation intended to help smaller Virginia cigarette makers that buy a large amount of U.S.-grown tobacco.
The dispute between large and small cigarette companies arose from the impact on cigarette prices caused by the 1998 national tobacco settlement. Under that landmark legal agreement, the nation's top cigarette makers agreed to pay $206 billion to 46 states, including Virginia, over 25 years to cover smoking-related health-care costs. The settlement also imposed some marketing and advertising restrictions on the companies.
Philip Morris and other companies increased cigarette prices to pay for the settlement. That resulted in discount-cigarette companies grabbing market share from the major manufacturers.
After the settlement, Virginia and other states passed laws requiring so-called nonparticipating manufacturers -- mostly regional cigarette companies that didn't join the settlement, such as S&M Brands -- to put a portion of their annual cigarette sales into escrow accounts in the states where they do business.
The escrow requirement was meant to cover any future legal claims against those companies, but some nonparticipating companies say the law punishes them for wrongs they never committed.
The law also allowed those companies to obtain early refunds under certain circumstances. Philip Morris, Reynolds and the National Association of Attorneys General argued that a "loophole" in the law gave those cigarette makers such large refunds that they were able to cut prices and unfairly grab market share from the major companies, whose declining sales translated into smaller tobacco-settlement payments to the states. The National Association of Attorneys General said the declining sales cost Virginia about $13 million in settlement payments in 2003.
The bills closing the so-called loophole, sponsored by Del. David B. Albo, R-Fairfax, and Sen. Walter A. Stosch, R-Henrico, passed both houses of the assembly by wide margins, a major turnaround from the 2004 session when similar legislation stalled in committee after opponents fought it.
Jamie Drogin, a spokeswoman for Richmond-based Philip Morris USA, said the company is "extremely pleased" that the legislation passed this year.
"The enactment of this legislation will help ensure that the commonwealth continues to receive all of the financial and public-health benefits of the master settlement agreement," she said.
S&M Brands and other nonparticipating companies have argued that no loophole exists, and that attempts to change the law were merely an effort by the dominant cigarette companies to protect their market share by forcing competitors to raise prices.
A spokesman for S&M Brands could not be reached for comment. The family owned company proposed legislation that supporters said was more equitable. It would have placed an excise tax of $4 per carton on all cigarettes sold in Virginia, and companies would have received a credit on that tax for any settlement or escrow payments made to the state.
Instead, lawmakers passed legislation sponsored by Del. Clarke N. Hogan, R-Halifax, aimed at providing a soft landing for nonparticipating manufacturers that agree to give their escrowed money to the state and surrender rights to any refunds.
The legislation allows those companies to declare a tax deduction for the money, and it provides tax incentives for small manufacturers whose cigarettes contain at least 75 percent U.S.-grown tobacco.
The total amount of incentives is capped at $9 million the first year and decreases through 2012, when the incentives will end.
Any ideas? Staff writer John Reid Blackwell can be reached at (804) 775-8123 or jblackwell@timesdispatch.com
http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031781252
239&path=!business&s=1045855934855&tacodalogin=no
La. litterbug campaign has zero tolerance -LA
By AMY WOLD Advocate staff writer
Think twice before throwing that cigarette butt or fast food wrapper out the window next weekend. Law enforcement across the state will be watching for you.
Starting March 4 and running through March 6, the state will be running it's first "Zero Tolerance for Litter" campaign to raise awareness about the cost of littering and to educate people that not littering not only helps the environment, but it saves taxpayers' money.
Coordinated by Keep Louisiana Beautiful, the event involves local law enforcement as well as Louisiana State Police, the Department of Corrections, the Department of Transportation and Development and the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Law Enforcement Division.
"The program's main focus is to raise the awareness of people about littering," said Major Jeff Mayne, with Wildlife and Fisheries Law Enforcement Division. "We need to get to where people look down on people who litter. We need to get that kind of feeling in the public."
Mayne said litter can hurt fish breeding grounds and cause other problems in the environment. It's also costly.
According to a fact sheet from Keep Louisiana Beautiful, litter costs Louisiana taxpayers more than $15 million a year, discourages tourism, decreases property values and attracts more littering.
"The whole community has to be educated about the cost of litter," said Leigh Harris, executive director of Keep Louisiana Beautiful. "Neighborhood decline starts with one broken window or one piece of trash. It's an indication of a lack of respect and lack of pride."
Of course, there's also the possibility of legal action against someone who litters.
According to a news release from Wildlife and Fisheries, littering in Louisiana could result in fines from $50 to $5,000 and from four to 100 hours of community service, suspension of driver's license for one year, and possible jail time of up to 30 days.
Although part of the effort is public awareness through press conferences and events, another part requires help from residents in Louisiana.
"Law enforcement can't do all the work all the time," Mayne said. "We need the eyes and ears of the public to let law enforcement know what's going on."
Anyone seen littering can be reported through the Department of Environmental Quality's 24-hour litter hot-line at (888) LITRBUG -- (888) 548-7284.
Callers can remain anonymous, but should give as much information about what they saw, including the car's license plate and the date, time and location of the littering, said Karen Fisher-Brasher, environmental scientist supervisor with DEQ.
On Cingular phones, the call can be made by dialing *LITTER.
Fisher-Brasher said that people already use the hotline and they have calls on the answering machine every morning.
"Most frequently, people are throwing trash out the windows, and most frequently it's cigarette butts," Fisher-Brasher said. "Most people don't think of cigarette butts as trash."
License plate numbers are used to find the owner of the car, and DEQ then sends a letter to the registered address advising that someone in that car on a certain date was seen littering.
"People are increasingly aware that it's not the right thing to do," Fisher-Brasher said.
Public education is important because many people think that if they throw something into their pickup bed or in their boat, that they've taken care of the trash, without realizing that the trash eventually blows out onto the road or water.
"A lot of them are oblivious. They think that the trash fairy came and took it away," Fisher-Brasher said.
http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/022605/new_litter001.shtml
Avoided cigarette taxes spur mailings
Increase of 45 cents aims to help budget, hinder smoking
by Nicole Bonomini
Staff Writer
In response to residents of Ohio attempting to avoid taxes on cigarettes by ordering them on the Internet, the government is sending out letters asking for more than $5,000 in tax money. Gov. Bob Taft has also recently proposed a 45-cent tax increase on each package of cigarettes.
"The state has sent 25 letters out to Ohioans asking for about $5,000 in tax dollars. Another 1,000 letters will be going out soon," said Gary Gudmundson, an Ohio Department of Taxation employee.
The Jenkins Act of 1949 requires that cigarette venders provide each state with customers' names and purchase amounts, Gudmundson said. The government then sends out letters to customers who have not paid their state taxes.
If there is no response from the letters, the department will then send out a bill and try to collect the taxes that are due.
"The Internet is not a tax-free zone. Whether it's cigarettes or other items purchased over the Internet, if the retailer that you're buying from does not collect tax, it doesn't mean you don't owe it," he said.
Gudmundson said collecting taxes is essential because it generates revenue and is a matter of fairness to other taxpayers.
"These people are trying to escape the tax and are dumping the burden back on the other tax payers who are following the law," he said.
The cigarette tax, currently at 55 cents per pack, would rise to $1 per pack if the proposal is accepted.
Ohio Rep. Jimmy Stewart, R-Athens, said he has mixed feelings about the cigarette tax, but has to keep in mind that the proposal is part of the larger budget, which includes things he agrees and disagrees with.
"On one hand, discouraging people to smoke cigarettes is certainly positive; the illnesses that are caused by long-term use of cigarettes ultimately costs the state millions of dollars in Medicaid expenses, which are paid for by taxpayers," Stewart said.
But he added that cigarette smokers tend to be people with lower incomes, so the tax would affect the poor disproportionately. He also does not agree with the Medicaid cuts the budget proposes.
Taft submitted the proposal in an effort to improve the economy, said spokesman Mark Rickel. "This is the governor's plan to unleash our economic potential and reinvent the base of which the state's revenues will be generated," he said.
The tax system is antiquated and leaves little incentive for businesses to remain in Ohio, he said. "It adds costs and makes Ohio unattractive to talented workers that would stay or work here because their income is taxed at a high rate."
Ohio House Minority Leader Chris Redfern, D-Port Clinton, said he opposes the tax.
"You have got to remember, two years this governor ran for re-election saying that he was not going to increase taxes. Then he did the exact thing he said he would not do. I'm opposed to the tax because the revenue from the tax goes into the state budget instead of health care and Medicaid," he said.
Though the Tax Reform Plan is in the House, the budget has to be in place by July 1. Rickel expects the proposal to be passed by early spring.
Ohio University freshman David Debol said he disagrees with the cigarette tax.
"It doesn't make sense to place the burden of the taxation on one group of people," he said.
OU sophomore Brittany Boyer said although she is a smoker, the tax might be a good idea because it could encourage people to stop smoking. Boyer said if the government is increasing the tax as a way to decrease smoking, people should be fairly accepting of it.
The governor's top priority is to reform Ohio's tax code, which includes an income tax reduction of 20 percent across the board by five years time; eliminate the physical personal property tax; and increases tobacco products taxation, Rickel said.
http://thepost.baker.ohiou.edu/show_news.php?article=N2&date=022805
Smokers Could Pay $1 More Per Pack -WI
Rep. Hines: 'It's Not About Money, It's About Getting People To Quit'
UPDATED: 2:39 pm CST February 28, 2005
MADISON, Wis. -- A controversial cigarette tax bill could bring in up to $340 million in state revenue. Supporters will circulate the proposed cigarette tax bill around the Capitol soon, but it's already drawing criticism.
Smokers now pay a 77-cent tax on every pack. If the proposed cigarette tax passes, the cost will jump to a $1.77 per pack.
State Rep. J.A. Hines, R-Oxford, is spearheading the tax increase as a way to get people to stop smoking. Opponents say the proposed tax is a political move against Gov. Jim Doyle's budget.
"It doesn't really matter if you're dealing with the property tax increase, cigarette increase or a beer increase or a fee to drive a car -- it's all the same," said state Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton. "It's an increased revenue that the state's generating, bringing in, that's coming from someone's pocket."
Hines said it's not about the money.
"It isn't about how much money we can raise," Hines said. "We would just have people quit smoking. They wouldn't start smoking."
Hines said the money earned by the tax would go into a medical assistance budget for programs already funded by the state.
Doyle does not support the increase. Since 1997, the cigarette tax has increased 33 cents. Over the years, Wisconsin has steadily raised the cigarette tax.
Survey results
Smokers now pay a 77-cent tax on every pack. If the proposed cigarette tax passes, tax would jump $1 to $1.77 per pack. What do you think? 9:54 feb28/05
Choice Votes Percentage of 740 Votes Yes, increase it -- the state needs the money. 119  16% Yes, increase it -- it will encourage people to quit. 259 35% No, do not increase it. 322 44% I don't care. 28 4% Other. 12 2% Thanks for participating. Please check back for results. http://www.themilwaukeechannel.com/health/4239487/detail.html
Cigarette sales decline for some retailers -OK
TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- Oklahoma's new cigarette tax may be contributing to a decline in sales for some Oklahoma retailers and an increase for tribal smoke shops.
According to a story in Tulsa World, convenience store chain QuikTrip saw a 25 percent decline in cigarette sales and a 30 percent decline in overall profits in January. Other retailers such as Kum-and-Go and Albertson's also report decreases in their tobacco sales.
QuikTrip spokesman Mike Thornbrugh says the tax is killing the store's tobacco sales and may result in fewer stores opening this year.
The tobacco tax increase eliminated the sales tax on cigarettes but raised the state tobacco excise tax from 23 cents to one-dollar and three-cents per pack of cigarettes.
According to Oklahoma Tax Commission data, 62 percent of the tobacco tax stamps were sold to nontribal retailers and 38 percent to the tribes in January 2004. Last month, 51 percent were sold to nontribal retailers compared with 49 percent to the tribes.
Creek, Cherokee and Osage tribes officials said they aren't seeing growth in tobacco sales.
http://www.kokh25.com/uploads/local/oklahoma_ok/20229385.shtml
GOP: Budget built on fluffed numbers Lawmakers skeptical of Lynch's plan
By NORMA LOVE The Associated PressFebruary 27. 2005 8:00AM
Many in House and Senate say spending cuts are more realistic than governor's revenue projections.
During the campaign, Gov. John Lynch insisted he could produce a balanced budget without tax increases despite a projected $300 million revenue shortfall.
He criticized the Republican he unseated for using gimmicks that created the budget hole and vowed not to do the same.
Now, Lynch has filled the hole with optimistic revenue estimates from predictions of a robust economy and from a yet-to-be enacted cigarette tax hike.
Not surprisingly, Republicans are skeptical and say he's using gimmicks of his own.
"They fluffed the revenue numbers so they wouldn't have to do any cuts," Senate Majority Leader Bob Clegg said of Lynch and his budget team.
Not so, insists John Dolan, Lynch's budget adviser. Lynch's estimates are reasonable, prudent and draw on the experience of a much-respected retired state revenue commissioner who helped lawmakers forecast revenues for years, he says.
The dispute over the estimates is important because they determine how much the state can spend. As much an art as a science, the estimates aren't exact because they are predicting tax receipts two years into the future.
Last week, the House committee that sets the House spending limit settled on much more conservative estimates than Lynch. Soon after, House and Senate budget committee chairmen sent agency chiefs a letter telling them to prepare for a 10 percent spending cut to the budget Lynch released Feb. 15.
The gap between the House and Lynch is sizable - just under $300 million, including $87 million from Lynch's proposed 28-cent per pack cigarette tax hike.
Not just smokers should care about what happens next.
Everyone affected by state spending could feel the effect if programs are cut to close the revenue gap - from the mentally ill in peer support groups to children getting subsidized health insurance.
The House gets the first crack at modifying Lynch's budget. House Speaker Douglas Scamman believes his budget committee can find $100 million a year to cut once it begins its intense scrutiny of proposed spending next month.
The House will begin with its lower spending limit and only increase spending if it feels March's tax receipts reflect a rosier economic future. The House has until mid-April to pass a budget to the Senate.
The Senate will come up with its own estimates. The spending limit will be revised repeatedly as it gets closer to June, more tax receipts are analyzed and a final budget deal is negotiated with the House.
In the meantime, agency chiefs told budget writers this month that Lynch was not overly generous with them. If anything, the freshman governor's budget simply maintains existing programs and restores spending in some areas cut from the current budget, they said.
For example, this year's budget pays about 70 percent of what the state owed towns for catastrophic special-education cases. Lynch recommends adding $9 million to the account next year so the state pays its full share.
Scamman and other Republican leaders may prefer deep spending cuts to accepting Lynch's revenue predictions or a cigarette tax hike, but they may not get their way.
Two years ago, House budget writers defied a threatened veto from Republican Gov. Craig Benson and proposed a 39-cent cigarette tax hike to pay for spending.
House Republican leaders rejected the committee's budget proposal and muscled one through the House with cuts instead of the tax.
Scamman won his job in large part due to his pledge to support decisions made by his committees. A coalition of moderate Republicans and Democrats backed him -two groups that don't usually favor deep budget cuts.
Asked if he would back a budget committee decision to raise taxes, Scamman hedged:
"I think the committee will cut the budget as much as it needs to . . . I see no reason to think about a tax increase at this point."
If Lynch is right about the future health of New Hampshire's economy, the finished budget in June may be closer to the one he presented lawmakers this month than will leave the House in April.
Lynch spokeswoman Pam Walsh - a veteran of the last Democratic administration - knows a final budget won't be finished until June and not until after much more is said by both sides about spending and revenue estimates.
"When Governor Lynch presented his budget, he made it clear he didn't consider his work done," she said. "It's not an overnight process."
Dolan believes time will prove Lynch's revenue estimates are no gimmick.
"Right now, we're talking about everybody's guess. In the next few months we'll know," he said.
http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050227/REPOSITORY/502270388/1037/NEWS04
Cigarette smokers have an increased risk of experiencing rotator cuff tears
Medical Study News Published: Sunday, 27-Feb-2005
Cigarette smokers have an increased risk of experiencing rotator cuff tears in their shoulders than their tobacco-free counterparts, according to study results presented today at the 72nd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Previous studies analyzed the correlation between tobacco use and musculoskeletal injuries, but did not focus specifically on the impact smoking has on this unilateral shoulder injury.
A team of researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine - Barnes Jewish Hospital interviewed 586 patients ages 18 years and older who had a diagnostic shoulder ultrasound for shoulder pain with no prior history of shoulder surgery. Of this group, 375 patients had a rotator cuff tear and 211 patients did not.
Lead author of the study, Keith M. Baumgarten, MD, orthopaedic surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery, New York City, and his team from Washington University developed a standardized questionnaire that was administered to all 586 patients to determine the demographic, medical, pharmaceutical and lifestyle factors that may pose an increased risk for rotator cuff tears. Patients who did, indeed, have rotator cuff tears were compared to patients without this injury to determine if there was any correlation between rotator cuff tears and demographic risk factors.
"Our questionnaire data show that significantly more patients with rotator cuff tears had a history of daily tobacco smoking compared to patients without rotator cuff tears," said Dr. Baumgarten. "Patients with rotator cuff tears were also more likely to have smoked regularly within the ten years before arriving at our clinic for evaluation of their shoulder pain. This data clearly suggests that tobacco use increases the risk for rotator cuff tears."
The study demonstrated a dose-dependent relationship between tobacco use and rotator cuff tears, since patients with rotator cuff tears had a statistically significant increase in 1) the average number of packs of tobacco consumed per day; 2) the duration of smoking history; and 3) the average number of pack-years of tobacco use.
According to Dr. Baumgarten, the results of this study are biologically plausible because smoking has been shown to impair healing of other biologic tissues, specifically bone and skin. Nicotine has been shown in previous studies to decrease production of fibroblasts (the main cells responsible for tissue repair). In addition, the carbon monoxide found in tobacco smoke reduces cellular oxygen tension levels, which are vital for cellular metabolism and tissue healing.
Taking into consideration medical conditions, the study also found that there was a statistically significant increase in rotator cuff tears among patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Between the two groups, there were no significant differences found in frequency of exercise or weightlifting. While manual labor has been previously been associated with shoulder tendonitis, there was no difference between the two groups when comparing sedentary work environments to occupations requiring manual labor in regards to the impact on rotator cuff tears.
"Advanced age, tobacco use and rheumatoid arthritis are risk factors that increase a person's chances of experiencing a rotator cuff tear," said Dr. Baumgarten.
An orthopaedic surgeon is a physician with extensive training in the diagnosis and non-surgical as well as surgical treatment of the musculoskeletal system, including bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and nerves.
http://www.aaos.org/
Doctor who spoke out on public health issue is sued -AU
Sydney Christopher Zinn
A doctor who claims he was doing his job according to the tenets of the Hippocratic oath when he spoke out about risks to health from the operations of a major logging company in Tasmania is being sued for causing alleged damage to the company’s business activities.
Dr Frank Nicklason, a staff specialist physician at the Royal Hobart Hospital, is one of 20 defendants, including prominent environmentalists and another doctor, named in the writ by Gunns Ltd, which is seeking almost $A6.3m (£2.6m; $5m; €3.8m) in damages.
Dr Nicklason said the case may stop doctors raising legitimate health concerns because of fear of being involved in prolonged and expensive legal action. He said that although the case would not silence him it had already affected the forestry deba Posted at 1:46 am by looped_ca
Saturday, February 26, 2005
Another Gas Bar robbed of smokes -MB
Winnipeg Free Press- Feb 22/05
Gas bar robbed
POLICE made a quick arrest after a Domo gas bar at 177 St. Anne's Rd. was robbed Sunday morning.
A man, disguised in a hoodie and indicating he had a weapon, demanded cash and cigarettes from an attendant and then fled in a vehicle with the stolen items. No one was injured.
Richard Karpenko, 23, faces a number of charges. He was detained at the Winnipeg Remand Centre
www.winnepegfreepress.com
Motion calls for taxation of legal marijuana
Tuesday, February 22nd, 2005
OTTAWA -- Delegates to the Liberal party convention next month will debate a motion to legalize and tax marijuana sales, saying it would bring in billions in new tax revenue.
Parliament is already debating legislation to decriminalize marijuana, but a resolution by Alberta Liberals would go much further. It would tax the proceeds of legalized pot sales, which the resolution says would bring in $3 billion in revenue each year.
"Legalizing marijuana would be a serious blow to drug dealers and organized crime financially," says the resolution for the March 5-6 gathering.
"Resolved that a portion of these tax revenues be used to educate youth against drug use and to provide treatment for those who are adversely affected by use of marijuana."
It's just one of dozens of policy proposals obtained by The Canadian Press that will be debated by delegates to the Ottawa convention.
Another resolution, from British Columbia, asks for stiffer sentences for those involved in marijuana grow-ops.
Meanwhile, a party group called the Senior Liberals Commission is asking delegates to urge the government to enact legislation to respect "alternative forms of social lifestyle," but to not alter the definition of marriage.
But Liberal youth activists are working on a campaign called "It's the Charter, Stupid," with rallies and demonstrations to lobby delegates to support the government's same-sex marriage legislation before Parliament.
Some resolutions will be chosen as priority issues and will automatically be included for a vote by all delegates. Others must make it through debate in a workshop in order to be presented for approval or defeat by all delegates.
www.winnepegfreepress.com
Vehicles pollute -MB
Letter to the editor Feb 22/05
Re: the Feb. 19 letter Which is easier?
The potential harm from second-hand smoke is minimal compared to the very real illnesses caused by industrial and environmental pollution.
If, as the letter writer states, he is concerned about his health his question should more accurately read: "Is it easier for people to stop driving their vehicles or for me to stop breathing"?
He may not like the answers.
ADELINE SHOUP, Winnipeg
www.winnepegfreepress.com
Can we not implement common sense laws in regards to smoking ? -AB
Letter to the editor- Calgary Sun - Feb 22/05
("Cafe banking on smokin' resistance," Feb. 12.) It makes sense to ban smoking in public places. It also makes sense to allow private business owners the right to make their own decisions, which will reflect the demand of the market. If statistics are correct, most establishments will become smoke-free. This allows choice of work place for adult bar employees. By taking a lead and offering choices in our city we may even increase our tourism.
Sharon Thomson
(Businesses should not be left in the lurch.)
http://www.canoe.ca/CalgarySun/editorial.html#letters
RE: Which is easier? Feb. 19 letters. -AB
Letter to the editor - Edmonton Sun - Feb 22/05
It is a lot easier for me that you stop breathing than it is for me to stop smoking.
Thomas Laprade
(Sucks to be him, then.)
http://canoe.ca/NewsStand/EdmontonSun/Letters/( published in Calgary sun, Winnepeg Free press, Edmonton Sun)
SWAT attack on Hollywood -MB
Student anti-smoking group organizes Black Lung Award
By DEAN PRITCHARD, STAFF REPORTER Wed, February 23, 2005
Students at Kildonan Collegiate are putting Tinseltown puffers on notice -- they are kicking butts and taking names. As Hollywood's elite await this year's Oscars, members of the school's SWAT (Students Working Against Tobacco) team are planning to hand out a statue of their own -- the Black Lung Award to the movie or performer guilty of the most flagrant example of glamourizing smoking.
"In the movies, no one ever gets sick. In the real world smoking kills," said SWAT team member Blair Molinski at a press conference yesterday announcing the award.
During the next three months, the SWAT team's 30 members will be hunkering down at the cineplex with popcorn, pens and pads.
On their movie checklist, students will note how many times a person is seen smoking, what kind of smoking is done and whether the smoking is glamourized.
The worst offenders will be announced at an "award" ceremony in May.
Team members say they want to see smoking banned from movies targeted at children and teenagers.
"You see your favourite actor, they are your role models, so you want to be like them in any way that you can," Molinski said.
'NO DOUBT'
"If they smoke you might start smoking because you want to be like them so much."
The Manitoba Medical Association is a partner in the project and helped purchase 100 movie passes for students.
"There is absolutely no doubt that Hollywood is complicit with the tobacco industry in trying to influence kids to smoke," said Dr. Mark Taylor, chairman of the MMA's public health issues committee.
"(Students) told us what they planned to do and we said 'We want to help you.' "
Some research shows that movies are responsible for recruiting as much as 52% of new teen smokers, Taylor said.
In Canada, where tobacco advertising is illegal, smoking in movies is a way around the law, he said.
"The tobacco industry knows that if they don't get kids to smoke they are out of business. Ninety per cent of smokers start when it is illegal for them to purchase cigarettes and the industry knows that."
Team member Lori Beach has been smoking for more than two years. While she blames peer pressure for her habit, Beach says there is no question movies have a strong influence on teen smoking.
"When people come back from school the first thing they want to do is watch TV or movies.
"You watch movies, and it's right there."
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/WinnipegSun/News/2005/02/23/939355-sun.html
Neighbours support man charged with blaze that destroyed town
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/213038_canadafires22.html
Ad in my Local Paper -AB
My local paper, the Edson Leader, had a special this month on one page ads for only $299.00. (Small Paper.) The local anti group bought an ad. So I bought an ad. I have attached a link to it:
ftp://www.bbdsedson.com/anti-hitler.pdf
23 February 2005
TORONTO - The federal budget announcement of $300 million over five years for an integrated strategy to encourage healthy living and to prevent and control chronic diseases is welcomed by the Canadian Cancer Society.
“We are disappointed, however, that the federal budget didn’t specifically include funding for the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control,” says Dr. Barbara Whylie, CEO, Canadian Cancer Society. “Cancer causes immeasurable suffering. It is already straining our healthcare system and it’s going to get worse as the population grows and the risk of getting and dying from cancer increases for aging baby boomers.”
The World Health Organization and international best practices show that comprehensive, integrated national cancer control strategies are necessary to effectively reduce the burden of the disease.
“Canada can’t wait any longer to take action to fight cancer in a coordinated way coast to coast,” says Whylie. “We look forward to working with the federal government to ensure that the funding and implementation of a national cancer control strategy moves forward.”
Implementing a national strategy to control cancer would mean, over the next 30 years:
- preventing over 1.2 million Canadians from developing cancer;
- saving the lives of more than 420,000 Canadians;
- preventing the loss of more than $101 billion in wage-based productivity;
- preventing the loss of more than $34 billion in total government tax revenues.
http://www.cancer.ca/ccs/internet/mediareleaselist/0,3208,3172_343093094_375048881_langId-en,00.html
The Canadian Cancer Society is a national community-based organization of volunteers whose mission is to eradicate cancer and to enhance the quality of life of people living with cancer. When you want to know more about cancer, visit our website www.cancer.ca or call our toll-free, bilingual Cancer Information Service at 1 888 939-3333.
-30-
For more information, please contact:
Kerstin Ring
Senior Manager, Communications
Canadian Cancer Society
(416) 934-5664
Gov't targets eating habits In remote areas -MB
By FRANK LANDRY, LEGISLATURE REPORTER Thu, February 24, 2005
The NDP government wants to improve the eating habits of Manitobans living in remote communities. Aboriginal and Northern Affairs Minister Oscar Lathlin said yesterday he's rolling out a pilot project that will encourage aboriginals in isolated areas to stop consuming so much junk food and instead return to traditional foods like moose and rabbit meat.
HUNTING, FISHING
"Most people there, they know how to hunt, they know how to fish, it's just that people have been so programmed to depend on potato chips and soft drinks," Lathlin told The Sun.
Lathlin said the high price of food in the north is also a concern.
Details of the $250,000 pilot project are still being worked out, but the idea is to get more members of the community out hunting and fishing. The food could be shared with others in the area, he said.
"This funding will be used to assist northern communities to do things like harvest traditional foods -- moose meat, fish, birds, rabbit, beaver and so on," Lathlin said. "Hopefully they'll also get into community gardens."
Four or five communities are expected to be selected to participate. Already Red Sucker Lake First Nation is on board.
David McDougall, chief of the St. Theresa Point First Nation, located about 440 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, said he likes Lathlin's idea. Aboriginal people have been slowly moving away from traditional foods, he said.
"To try to get back to a healthy lifestyle will be a challenge," McDougall said.
The chief noted food is also very expensive on isolated First Nations like St. Theresa Point
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/WinnipegSun/News/2005/02/24/940628-sun.html
Go after screen drunks
February 24, 2005
So, the students from Kildonan Collegiate are monitoring smoking in films and want to give out a "Black Lung Award" (SWAT attack on Hollywood by Dean Pritchard). Good for them. But how about also monitoring alcohol consumption? For some reason this is far more socially acceptable than smoking despite the health risks (not only physical, but also mental). And yes, I do realize that breathing in alcoholic fumes is not a health risk to the general public, but what about all the other risks to the public's safety such as drunk drivers, violent behaviour not to mention fetal alcohol syndrome and cirrhosis of the liver?
I am not a party-pooper and do not believe that alcohol consumption should be banned in any way shape or form (but then, neither should smoking). However, if you are going to expose smoking as the potential health risk that it is, then you should look at all hazardous addictions, particularly alcohol, as it too is legal and comparatively cheap.
So how about awarding an "Obnoxious Drunk Award" to make people aware that alcohol consumption is not to be treated lightly?
C. D. McLeod Winnipeg
(Fine, but we still miss Dean Martin.)
http://www.winnipegsun.com/NewsStand/WinnipegSun/Letters/
Province being urged to crack down on smokers
Last Updated Feb 24 2005 02:13 PM EST
MONTREAL – The Quebec government is being asked to consider a set of hard-hitting smoking laws.
Nine lobby groups have been working to revise provincial smoking policies.
Louis Gauvin of the Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control, one of the groups advising the government on updating its smoking laws, wants corner stores to no longer put cigarettes on display.
"You're a customer, you're a smoker and you want to know what kind of cigarettes are sold. Well, you have a document with the name of cigarettes and the prices," Gauvin explains.
Eliminating cigarette advertising is only one of a long list of recommendations being delivered to the government.
The most obvious will be a complete smoking ban in all public places, including outdoor patios.
François Damphousse says although the recommendations may seem heavy-handed, Quebec could catch up with other provinces and some countries by implementing them.
"We even have countries now, Norway, has banned smoking now completely. Ireland! In Ireland pubs, smoking is banned. So a lot of jurisdictions have moved a lot quicker than Quebec," Damphousse said Thursday.
The province has already said it will introduce a bill than bans smoking in restaurants, and then, in bars.
The recommendations will be handed to the government on Friday.
http://montreal.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=qc-smoke20050224
Groups urge Quebec gov't to ban cigarette ads
Canadian Press
MONTREAL — A coalition of anti-smoking groups urged the Quebec government Thursday to ban all forms of cigarette advertising when it passes amendments to tobacco laws.
"If it's a problem to enforce the legislation as it is right now, we believe that the government should go ahead with a total ban on indirect or direct types of advertising," said Francois Damphousse, a spokesman for the provincial non-smokers' rights association and a member of the coalition.
He said Quebec would be catching up with other provinces and jurisdictions with such a ban.
While supporting already announced amendments to Quebec's 1998 tobacco law, the coalition of anti-smoking and health groups said Quebec should crack down on the promotion and availability of cigarettes.
Damphousse noted that Quebec Superior Court had recently supported the federal law banning tobacco sponsorship advertising and the court said in a recent ruling that Ottawa could have gone further.
He said the Quebec government should go ahead with a total ban because of "the misbehaviour of the tobacco industry."
"They do not want to respect the legislation. The only thing they want to do is attach imagery to their products and we say that's unacceptable."
The coalition did note the Quebec law has had some effect since it has been in force, pointing out that 25.9 per cent of Quebecers now smoke. When the law was passed in 1998, 34 per cent of Quebecers said they smoked.
The coalition was asked by the provincial government to give its opinion on how the new law should be shaped. There has been no specific date set for a vote on the legislation.
The coalition's demand comes less than a week after a judge in Montreal gave the green light to two class-action suits against a trio of Canadian tobacco companies.
No date has been set for a judge to hear the suits against Imperial Tobacco, Rothmans, Benson and Hedges, and JTI-MacDonald.
The plaintiffs are suing on behalf of an estimated 45,000 Quebecers who have suffered emphysema or cancer of the lungs, larynx or throat between 1995 and 1998.
Earlier this month, the B.C. Supreme Court also certified a class-action suit against Imperial Tobacco over its marketing of cigarettes labelled "mild" or "light."
The anti-smoking also coalition decried such activities as cigarette company involvement in tobacco parties in bars and at sporting events, where the company trademark is displayed on posters and so-called "cigarette girls" circulate selling tobacco.
The use of what are known as "power walls," which are massive displays of tobacco products in stores, was also criticized.
The group said the tobacco parties violate federal law which has banned sponsorship advertising since October 2003. The power walls have already been banned in other provinces.
"What we want in Quebec is the same kind of initiative we saw in Saskatchewan," Damphousse said.
"Saskatchewan has banned those power walls. All tobacco products cannot be seen by customers that go into a corner store.
"That measure was so important in Saskatchewan, the tobacco industry has challenged that in court. They've recently lost in the Supreme Court of Canada."
Louis Gauvin, co-ordinator of the Quebec coalition on tobacco control, said large cigarette displays and advertising downplays the dangers of smoking and puts tobacco in the same league as gum or candy.
"The visibility and accessibility of tobacco runs contrary to the efforts to fight smoking," he said. "The multiple points of sale are windows to promote tobacco.
"The new law should prevent all promotion in points of sale and limit their number."
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1109270812577_5/?hub=Canada
Anti-tobacco groups want Quebec ban on all cigarette ads -QC
Nelson Wyatt Canadian Press February 24, 2005
MONTREAL (CP) -- A coalition of anti-smoking groups urged the Quebec government Thursday to ban all forms of cigarette advertising when it passes amendments to tobacco laws.
"If it's a problem to enforce the legislation as it is right now, we believe that the government should go ahead with a total ban on indirect or direct types of advertising,'' said Francois Damphousse, a spokesman for the provincial non-smokers' rights association and a member of the coalition.
He said Quebec would be catching up with other provinces and jurisdictions with such a ban.
While supporting already announced amendments to Quebec's 1998 tobacco law, the coalition of anti-smoking and health groups said Quebec should crack down on the promotion and availability of cigarettes.
Damphousse noted that Quebec Superior Court had recently supported the federal law banning tobacco sponsorship advertising and the court said in a recent ruling that Ottawa could have gone further.
He said the Quebec government should go ahead with a total ban because of ``the misbehaviour of the tobacco industry.''
"They do not want to respect the legislation. The only thing they want to do is attach imagery to their products and we say that's unacceptable.''
The coalition did note the Quebec law has had some effect since it has been in force, pointing out that 25.9 per cent of Quebecers now smoke. When the law was passed in 1998, 34 per cent of Quebecers said they smoked.
The coalition was asked by the provincial government to give its opinion on how the new law should be shaped. There has been no specific date set for a vote on the legislation.
The coalition's demand comes less than a week after a judge in Montreal gave the green light to two class-action suits against a trio of Canadian tobacco companies.
No date has been set for a judge to hear the suits against Imperial Tobacco, Rothmans, Benson and Hedges, and JTI-MacDonald.
The plaintiffs are suing on behalf of an estimated 45,000 Quebecers who have suffered emphysema or cancer of the lungs, larynx or throat between 1995 and 1998.
Earlier this month, the B.C. Supreme Court also certified a class-action suit against Imperial Tobacco over its marketing of cigarettes labelled "mild'' or "light.''
The anti-smoking also coalition decried such activities as cigarette company involvement in tobacco parties in bars and at sporting events, where the company trademark is displayed on posters and so-called "cigarette girls'' circulate selling tobacco.
The use of what are known as "power walls,'' which are massive displays of tobacco products in stores, was also criticized.
The group said the tobacco parties violate federal law which has banned sponsorship advertising since October 2003. The power walls have already been banned in other provinces.
"What we want in Quebec is the same kind of initiative we saw in Saskatchewan,'' Damphousse said. "Saskatchewan has banned those power walls. All tobacco products cannot be seen by customers that go into a corner store.
"That measure was so important in Saskatchewan, the tobacco industry has challenged that in court. They've recently lost in the Supreme Court of Canada.''
Louis Gauvin, co-ordinator of the Quebec coalition on tobacco control, said large cigarette displays and advertising downplays the dangers of smoking and puts tobacco in the same league as gum or candy.
"The visibility and accessibility of tobacco runs contrary to the efforts to fight smoking,'' he said. "The multiple points of sale are windows to promote tobacco.
"The new law should prevent all promotion in points of sale and limit their number.''
http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=3c82eda9-b9cb-4dbd-b009-d1edf5e7b561
It's time for Canada to legalize cannabis
Feb. 25, 2005. 01:00 AM
The use of cannabis is widespread and there is intermittent talk from the government of Canada regarding "decriminalizing," but not about legalizing, it. Cannabis has much in common with both alcohol and tobacco products. Each at various times has been demonized, banned, criminalized and targeted as a health risk. We can learn from these experiences.
What can we learn from alcohol? First, banning doesn't work. As attempts at prohibition proves, it turns this area of the economy over to criminals and gives ordinary citizens criminal records.
Second, although there are definite health hazards for some, there are also putative benefits and people for millennia have ignored any claimed risks. Accordingly, we have decided that such a large group has a right to make its own decision.
Third, the system the Liquor Control Board of Ontario uses to control alcohol distribution is effective. Alcohol is available to adults, its purity is assured, there is a minimal black market and the province gets considerable revenue.
We also know there is a downside to alcohol and assistance is given to problem drinkers. There are protections against drunk drivers, for example. Controlled distribution is an effective compromise for this product.
What can we learn from tobacco products?
All the evidence from the last 30 years indicates that tobacco is dangerous for the health of both smokers and anyone who regularly inhales second-hand smoke. Despite these risks, some will still smoke and we have decided adults have the right to make their own decisions.
Accordingly, tobacco products remain legal for adults. Tobacco products are also extremely addictive, so we put many controls on them. Smoking in public places has been restricted, tobacco products are taxed heavily to reduce the demand and promotion has been virtually eliminated in an effort to reduce the number of new smokers, especially among the young.
We are reaching an effective compromise that protects smokers, non-smokers, and minors.
What lessons can we draw from these experiences for cannabis? Concerning health, as far back as 1972 the LeDain Royal Commission on the Non-Medical Use of Drugs reported that "the physical and mental effects of cannabis would appear to be much less serious than those which may result from excessive use of alcohol."
This statement appears true 30 years later. More recently, there are claimed health benefits, especially to some who suffer from certain illnesses. All in all, this is a situation that calls for personal choice, but with appropriate controls.
So what should be the preferred path?
First, the federal government should make the use of cannabis products legal: Decriminalization is not sufficient.
Second, a safe, regulated supply should be made available, perhaps through a CCBO or Cannabis Control Board of Ontario.
These steps would guarantee product purity, take criminals out of this area of the economy, provide tax revenues, allow police to concentrate on more serious crime and stop the harassment of ordinary citizens.
Existing R.I.D.E. programs can be used to help control irresponsible drivers, and the use of designated drivers can be adopted from our experience with alcohol.
One of the major benefits will be to reduce the availability of pot to minors. If this seems counterintuitive, just ask any teenager which is more available to them, alcohol or cannabis? Drug dealers don't ask for proof-of-age.
Cannabis use is so pervasive that its use may go almost unnoticed if it were legalized. It will have benefits all around, not the least of which will be the capture of money that now goes to criminals.
Naturally, moralists will object to this "sin" being legalized and wish to impose their beliefs on others. Surely, we can overcome this attitude in modern Canada.
The other issue is the reaction of the United States, whose absurd, counterproductive "war on drugs" is opposed to any tolerance for recreational drugs. Controlled distribution in Canada should minimize the amount of legal cannabis that goes to the U.S., as it does with alcohol. Perhaps, in time, Americans will learn from our experience and soften their attitude.
Most arguments against cannabis legalization are moralistic, whereas the arguments in favour are pragmatic and would help to protect minors, users, and society.
The time has come to legalize cannabis.
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Articl
e_Type1&c=Article&cid=1109285421877&call_pageid=968256290204&col=968350116795
Big Tobacco battle -MB
Province joins fight for health-care bucks
By FRANK LANDRY, LEGISLATURE REPORTER Fri, February 25, 2005
The Manitoba government is joining a legal battle to recoup what could amount to billions of dollars in legal damages from Big Tobacco, The Winnipeg Sun has learned. Healthy Living Minister Theresa Oswald will announce today Manitoba is backing British Columbia in its court fight to recover health-care costs from the country's largest tobacco companies.
"We're going to go for it," Oswald said yesterday. "Cigarettes are one product that if used exactly as directed cause death. We think it's time for Big Tobacco to step up and start paying for these things that are ultimately their responsibility."
Today is the cutoff for Manitoba to file notice with the Supreme Court of Canada that it will intervene in the case.
Tobacco companies and industry groups have challenged a piece of B.C. legislation known as the Tobacco Damages and Health Care Costs Recovery Act that targets cigarette companies. B.C.'s Liberal government is trying to recover $10 billion from Big Tobacco.
The decision of the country's highest court will determine whether provinces like Manitoba can claim damages against tobacco manufacturers.
New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and Alberta have also said they would join B.C. Other provinces may sign on before the end of the day.
"What we hope is in very short order all Canadians will recognize the use of tobacco is just not worth the cost to their long-term health care," Oswald said.
Tory health critic Heather Stefanson said the NDP government is hypocritical for joining this legal battle. The New Democrats want money from Big Tobacco and yet are afraid to extend the provincewide smoking ban to workplaces on First Nations, she said.
HYPOCRITICAL
"How can the NDP condone one aspect of smoking and condemn the other?" Stefanson said. "It's hypocritical, but that's the way this government does business."
Oswald refused to speculate on how much Manitoba would seek from tobacco companies if the Supreme Court rules in favour of the provinces. However, she noted a 2001 Manitoba Health analysis estimated it costs the province about $128 million a year to treat tobacco-related illnesses. That represents about 4% of Manitoba's $3.2 billion annual health budget.
"This is now 2005," Oswald said. "There's no question those costs have risen."
Oswald said there have been significant payouts in the United States. In the late 1990s, 46 states struck a landmark, $206-billion settlement with the tobacco industry.
The B.C. Court of Appeal has unanimously ruled the tobacco legislation is constitutionally valid.
The appeal of that decision to the Supreme Court was launched by Imperial Tobacco Canada, Rothmans, Benson and Hedges, JTI-Macdonald, the Canadian Tobacco Manufacturers' Council and several foreign tobacco companies.
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/WinnipegSun/News/2005/02/25/941762-sun.html
Community Stories
Cross-border partying: the City of Windsor plans for prevention
The City of Windsor is located immediately to the southwest of Detroit. It has a population of 250,000. Another 5 million people live in the surrounding suburban municipalities.
The geographic location of Windsor and differing alcohol policies on both sides of the border are creating problems. Large numbers of young Windsorites cross the border for entertainment at US bars where cheaper drinks are served. Similarly, large numbers of young Americans under 21 years of age crossing the border to Windsor to take advantage of the lower drinking age.
The tremendous amount of cross-border "partying" has resulted in the development of an entertainment strip in the downtown area of Windsor with at least six bars catering to a young U.S. clientele. Noise and anti-social behaviour by intoxicated patrons in this retail strip has disrupted the lives of apartment dwellers-many of them seniors-and occupants of residences on adjacent streets.
Numerous neighbourhood complaints prompted Mayor Mike Hurst of Windsor to strike a committee comprised of bar owners, area residents, municipal departments and agencies responsible for local regulation. Group members developed a voluntary Code of Conduct calling for minimum security, restrictions on patio operations, supervision of waiting lines and additional late-night policing funded by the bar owners. According the Windsor City Clerk, Thomas Lynd, adherence to the Code has improved the situation dramatically.
The City of Windsor is now examining the possibility of introducing a special class of business licences for establishments which serve food and liquor. This will not only assist in the regulation of the City's smoking by-law, but will also have a secondary benefit of requiring all businesses serving alcohol to ensure all their service staff complete the SmartServe training program offered by the provincial hospitality training association.
For more information on Windsor's initiatives call Thomas Lynd, City Clerk, 519-255-6212.
http://www.apolnet.org/actpacks/co_pol2.html
Landmark Tobacco Treaty Takes Effect on February 27th
OTTAWA, Feb. 25 /CNW Telbec/ - Sunday, February 27th 2005 is an historic moment for global public health. On this day, the world's first modern health treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), comes into force.
"This is a day to celebrate the achievement of the first modern public health treaty and the leadership of Canada in its development," said Ken Kyle of the Canadian Cancer Society. The FCTC requires a comprehensive tobacco ad ban (except in countries with constitutional impediments), large package warnings and protection against second-hand smoke, among other measures.
The World Health Organization states that tobacco is, with HIV/AIDS, the fastest growing cause of death in the developing world and predicts that the number of tobacco-caused deaths will double from 5 million to 10 million a year by the year 2020. Seventy per cent of those deaths will be in developing countries. The FCTC comes into force three months after it has been ratified by 40 countries. Canada ratified the treaty on November 26, 2004, shortly before the 40th ratification occurred. Currently, 168 countries have signed and 57 have ratified.
"Canada was a leader in the development of the treaty," said Dr. Atul Kapur of Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada. "The Government of Canada was an early supporter of the treaty, pioneered many of the treaty measures (like picture health warnings), and promoted effective measures during treaty negotiations."
"This is a day to look forward to a time when one in six of the world's population is no longer addicted to tobacco industry products and one-in-ten is no longer killed by them," said Sally Brown, CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
"The treaty will help countries put in place the comprehensive policy measures which have been proven effective at reducing smoking," Brown said. Apart from ad curbs and health warnings, the Convention requires ratifying countries to end misleading packaging and advertising. Other FCTC measures include protecting the public from second-hand smoke, using taxes to reduce consumption, curbing cigarette smuggling and supporting smokers who want to quit.
The Convention also aims to increase research collaboration and support to developing countries for implementing effective tobacco control measures. "Because the treaty establishes minimum standards in a number of areas, and encourages countries to go even further than their treaty commitments, it will provide for continuing progress against this global public health problem," Arango added.
"This is a day to ask, what more can Canada do to make this treaty work?", said Francis Thompson of the Non-Smokers' Rights Association.
"The Framework Convention offers great promise that the spread of tobacco use can be contained," said Thompson. "But the treaty will be less effective if countries with both expertise and resources - like Canada - fail to support and assist the developing world in implementing the treaty provisions."
"It has only recently become widely recognized that tobacco is a major health problem for developing countries, and a major financial drain, particularly for the poorest of the poor. Having played a major role in convincing developing country governments of the need to tackle this issue, Canada now has a moral obligation to 'walk the talk' and supply meaningful assistance," said Thompson.
For further information: Ken Kyle, (613) 565-2522 extension 301; Cynthia Callard, (613) 233-4878 or cell (613) 850-5594; Manuel Arango, (613) 569-4361, extension 328; Francis Thompson, Non-Smokers' Rights Association, (613) 230-4211 or cell (613) 355-6532
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2005/25/c8707.html
NOTICE TO THE MEDIA - Health Canada
OTTAWA, Feb. 25 /CNW Telbec/ - Parliamentary Secretary Mr. Robert G. Thibault will speak on behalf of Minister Dosanjh, at the National Forum on Youth and Young Adult Tobacco Control Issues.
Mr. Thibault will be available to answer questions from the media following the event.
Date Saturday, February 26, 2005
Time TBC
Location Crowne Plaza Hotel 101 Lyon Street Ottawa (ON)
For further information: Media Inquiries: Adele Blanchard, Office of the Minister of Health, (613) 954-4971
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2005/25/c8712.html
Media Advisory - Media itinerary for Ontario PC Party AGM
QUEEN'S PARK, ON, Feb. 25 /CNW/ - The Ontario PC Party will hold its Annual General Meeting in Ottawa. Please note that media planning to attend must pre-register.
Registration forms are available upon request. Times are subject to change.
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2005/25/c8617.html
Canadian Association of Journalists Code of Silence Award
OTTAWA, Feb. 25 /CNW/ - The Canadian Association of Journalists is requesting nominations for its fifth annual Code of Silence Award recognizing the most secretive government department in Canada.
"The far-from-coveted Code of Silence award honours, or should I say dishonours, Canada's rich bureaucratic culture of secrecy," said Paul Schneidereit, CAJ president. "Governments and their agencies, at all levels, exhibit mind-numbing, determined resourcefulness when it comes to hiding vital information, stalling or denying access to information requests, destroying documents and persecuting whistleblowers.
"This award strives to ensure that those who work hardest to uphold a strict code of silence in dealing with journalists and the public receive appropriate recognition.
"The Code of Silence Award is handed out annually at the CAJ's gala award ceremonies which take place during the association's annual conferences. This year, the conference is being held May 13-15 in Winnipeg.
Last year, Health Canada won for denying any meaningful access to a database of prescription drugs that could harm or even kill Canadians. The department refused to release information on adverse drug reactions in a format that would allow researchers to study the records electronically in order to spot trends and identify which drugs are causing problems, despite similar information being readily available in the U.S. through the Food and Drug Administration. A parliamentary all-party standing committee on health eventually slammed the department for failing to effectively protect Canadians who take prescription drugs. Health Canada finally relented more than five years after it was challenged.
Previous winners include the entire Nova Scotia government for a pattern of secrecy, including instituting the highest fees in the country for access to information requests, the federal Department of Justice for giving itself the power, under Bill C-36, to override the Access to Information Act on some documents, and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment for withholding information about the Walkerton water tragedy that claimed seven lives and sickened hundreds.
Nominees can include municipal, provincial or federal government departments as well as public agencies that work in the public interest with public money. Nominations can be submitted to the CAJ in the following ways:
E-mail: caj@igs.net (write "Code of Silence" in subject line)
Phone: 613-526-8061
Nominations close May 1, 2005.
The Canadian Association of Journalists is a professional organization with more than 1,400 members across Canada. The CAJ's primary role is to provide public-interest advocacy and quality professional development for its members.
For further information: Paul Schneidereit, CAJ president, (902) 426-1124; John Dickins, CAJ executive director, (613) 526-8061, Cell phone (613) 290-2903
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2005/25/c8818.html
Posted at 10:13 am by looped_ca
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
UFO sightings soar, researchers puzzled
By PAUL TURENNE, STAFF REPORTER, Mon, February 21, 2005
Either aliens are visiting Manitoban airspace more frequently, or the smoking ban has forced people to spend more time staring at the sky. Whatever the reason, a report released yesterday by Ufology Research of Manitoba states that there were 112 UFO sightings in Manitoba last year, which more than doubles the previous record for sightings and is more than four times as many as in 2003.
In fact, the 882 sightings across the country last year also constituted a record, but UFO researchers are baffled as to why.
"It is puzzling. We know things are up all over Canada. In fact several provinces saw all-time records last year," said Chris Rutkowski, the research co-ordinator for Ufology Research of Manitoba, a group of about a dozen people who compile UFO sighting statistics for all of Canada.
"We're way past X-Files now and there aren't a lot of UFO-type movies out there so we can't blame media," said Rutkowski. "It could be something as simple or obvious as there are more objects in the sky to be seen."
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/WinnipegSun/News/2005/02/21/937545-sun.html
Smoking showdown -ON
Both sides set to ignite council chambers tonight
By Ian McCallum Times-Journal Staff Monday February 21, 2005
City hall is bracing for a tobacco tempest tonight as both sides in the smoking debate plan to pack the public gallery as council deals with St. Thomas’s smoke-free bylaw.
And with just one week remaining until the implementation date, members will hear deputations for and against the granting of exemptions to the bylaw to regulate smoking in public places and work places.
In its presentation to council, Smoke-Free St. Thomas-Elgin Coalition chairman Laura Wall says her organization will reiterate the smoking bylaw is strictly “about health.”
Now, Bill Adams says Lord Elgin Branch 41, Royal Canadian Legion will have “a bit of trouble” continuing to raise funds for charitable and youth organizations in the city if it is not exempted from the bylaw, scheduled to take effect March 1.
And the Times-Journal has learned at least two members of the St. Thomas Police Service will be at city hall to maintain order as council wrestles with the emotion-charged issue.
“This is only about health,” stressed Wall. “It is first and foremost a health policy.”
Two weeks ago council handed an exemption from the bylaw to St. Thomas Bingo Country.
That exemption stands until provincial smoke-free legislation comes into effect May 31, 2006 or should the Municipality of Central Elgin (home to a recently re-opened bingo facility) pass a smoking bylaw prior to that enactment.
In arguing for the bingo hall exemption, Jordan Gnat, president of Boardwalk Gaming and Entertainment Inc., warned council the hall could lose $2.5 million in revenue over the next 16 months.
Further, Gnat said 44 jobs would be jeopardized.
But Wall notes there are 170 Ontario municipalities which have not exempted bingo halls from their smoking regulations.
“Our contention all along is if you do provide an exemption to one type of business that’s where you create an uneven playing field and it will open up the whole bylaw.”
Wall told the T-J she has had no response from Mayor Jeff Kohler following her letter of Feb. 11 expressing the coalition’s disappointment at “your decision to approve a motion to allow Bingo Country an exemption from the 100 per cent smoke-free bylaw.”
She said she expects members of the coalition, along with family and friends, in the gallery tonight because “the politicians need to hear from the voters.”
“Our focus has been to tell the public this is not the time to be the silent majority.”
Meantime Adams says Lord Elgin Branch 41 should be exempt from the bylaw for the same reasons cited by Bingo Country.
“We’re a charitable organization. And the money that we raise within the legion stays entirely within the city of St. Thomas from the veterans to youth organizations to the hospital,” he explained.
“I think we’ll definitely have a bit of trouble raising those funds if we’re not exempted.”
Without an exemption, Adams added his branch will face competition from legions in neighbouring communities.
“If you want a parallel, there’s a legion in Aylmer and a Legion in Port Stanley which aren’t affected by it (a municipal smoking bylaw). So as far as I’m concerned it’s quite similar. The only difference is we’ve been there longer and a charitable organization a lot longer.”
Adams says other communities in the province have excluded Royal Canadian Legion branches from municipal smoking bylaws.
Legion branches were exempted from Toronto’s smoking ban when it was implemented because they are considered private clubs.
http://www.stthomastimesjournal.com/story.php?id=144367
Hundreds rally to support hotelier -SK
Veronica Rhodes, Leader-Post, Tuesday, February 22, 2005
WEYBURN -- A local bar owner took his fight against the provincial government's smoking ban to court Monday, with the boisterous support of hundreds of Saskatchewan proprietors.
Rob Joyal's appearance in a Weyburn courtroom Monday morning was preceded by a lively demonstration when roughly 500 business owners and supporters marched to the courthouse.
"I think we're sending a message out, hopefully to this government, that you have to listen to us. Negotiate with us. There are two groups involved in this whole situation, not only the FSIN but the hoteliers of Saskatchewan," said Joyal, the owner of the Royal Hotel.
Joyal pleaded not guilty to eight charges of violating the province's Tobacco Control Amendment Act. Since the ban on smoking in enclosed public places took effect Jan. 1, Joyal has repeatedly stated the need for a level playing field, which he feels doesn't exist as long as First Nations-run casinos can allow smoking in designated areas.
If Joyal and his lawyer decide to make a Charter application, Joyal's case will return to court June 13, with written briefs to be submitted by May 31. His trial is set for Aug. 22.
"Discrimination reigns in Saskatchewan" and "Butt out of business" were just a few of the signs raised by Joyal's supporters during the march.
The procession to the courthouse was led by four men carrying a make-shift coffin with a three-foot nail sticking out of the top and a sign on the side that read "the year the hotels died 2005."
The rally was organized by the Hotels Association of Saskatchewan, which has lobbied the government for months to allow ventilated smoking rooms for bars. Following the court appearance, demonstrators packed a hall to continue the rally inside, often bursting into cheers and applause during speeches.
"We're revved, no question about it ... This rally has just been fantastic. It's beyond our biggest dreams for the turnout. It just goes to show you it is the most important issue to the hotels association and the hospitality industry," said Tom Mullin, executive vice-president of the association.
Packed buses and vehicles brought supporters from around the province to the rally.
Restaurant owner Scott Krienke made the six-and-a-half hour drive south from La Ronge to take part.
"We believe that we should have our right to decide what we want to do in our own businesses," said Krienke.
"I think we're getting a raw deal, business owners, especially hotels. If (the government) figures that we shouldn't have smoking allowed in bars and wherever, then they shouldn't sell the cigarettes," said Dodsland Hotel owner David Hogg, who left his home at 3:30 a.m. to make it to the morning rally.
Not everyone who attended Joyal's court appearance sided with the defendant. Lynn Greaves, chair of the Saskatchewan Coalition for Tobacco Reduction, travelled to Weyburn to monitor the rally and the efforts of the hotels association.
"They have spent a large amount of money promoting designated smoking rooms, and it is quite odd that they would create an uneven playing field, which is the opposite of what they say they are going to do. Rich businesses can afford them, poor businesses can't," said Greaves, on the steps of the courthouse.
The hotels association has retained the services of lawyer Alan McIntyre, who said he hopes to facilitate discussions with the provincial government.
If it goes to court, McIntyre said they will launch a challenge under the Charter of Rights, claiming it is an unequal application of the law.
"Some kind of resolution by agreement or conciliation or whatever we wish to call it would, in my view, be the most appropriate disposition because then everyone is equally happy or unhappy.
"That's what we'd wish to try now. If we don't get a response and can't get things sorted out, we will resort to the courts," said McIntyre.
http://www.canada.com/regina/leaderpost/news/story.html?id=5de1d15e-b063-48d0-b6cb-af8d30d01ac3
Tackling “selective reporting” of randomised controlled trials
As part of its ongoing endeavours to improve the reporting of medical science, BioMed Central now requires authors of randomised controlled trials to register their trial in a publicly accessible registry before submitting their manuscript.
We believe that this will help to reduce “selective reporting” of trials. Traditionally, trials are more likely to be published if they show that a new treatment has a large effect, or if two approaches are equivalent; trials are less likely to be published if the new treatment is shown to be inferior, or if they are inconclusive. This selective reporting leads to “selective awareness”, making it impossible for researchers to be aware of the full body of evidence needed for clinical decision-making.
To combat this, BioMed Central will now only consider protocols or reports of randomised controlled trials if they are registered in a publicly accessible trial registry. The trial number must also be included in the title of the manuscript. We plan to make this part of our manuscript submission system by 1st June 2005, but the policy is in force as of now.
One such registry is the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN) Register, which registers a trial and assigns an ISRCTN. An ISRCTN can be obtained by completing the online application form.
http://www.biomedcentral.com/info/update
Liquor sag puts cork in December retailing
NHL lockout, Quebec strike play roll in drop Still, sales had solid gain for the full year
Feb. 22, 2005. 01:00 AM
OTTAWA—Two labour disputes took the "spirit" out of holiday retail sales in December.
"Sales plunged 2.7 per cent in the food and beverage sector in December, as ongoing labour disputes at the Société des alcools du Québec and in the National Hockey League contributed to a 12.1 per cent sales drop in beer, wine and liquor stores," Statistics Canada said yesterday.
"Sales in this trade group also include alcoholic beverage sales to other retail establishments, such as bars, restaurants and supermarkets."
The agency also said the increasing popularity of gift cards, which are considered as sales only when they are redeemed, may have played a role in December's weak retail sales.
The cards are usually used in January.
Consumers also backed off buying cars in December.
Overall, shoppers reduced their spending by 1.4 per cent to $29.2 billion in December, after essentially no change in November.
"Nonetheless, December's retail sales were 6.6 per cent higher compared with the same month of 2003," the agency reported.
It added that in 2004, retailers experienced their fifth best annual sales gain of the last 10 years.
Sales advanced 5 per cent compared with 2003, when sales rose 3.8 per cent.
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1109027
411756&call_pageid=968350072197&col=969048863851&DPL=IvsNDS%2f7ChAX&tacodalogin=yes
Butt out -ON
Smoking ban a go for March 1
Times-Journal Staff By Ian McCallum, Tuesday February 22, 2005
The city’s bylaw to regulate smoking in public places and work places will be implemented one week from today.
But the city will not be 100 per cent smoke free as council Monday upheld an amendment to exempt St. Thomas Bingo Country from municipal regulation.
The bylaw survived a friendly amendment tabled by Ald. Cliff Barwick calling for suspension of the legislation until May 30, 2006 to coincide with the planned introduction of province-wide regulations.
That motion was defeated 5-3 with Barwick, Ald. Bill Aarts and Ald. Terry Shackelton in favour of a 15-month suspension.
Council’s decision earlier this month to exempt Bingo Country from the bylaw is going to result in court cases, warned Barwick.
“This is a very serious issue,” he noted. “It’s an issue of fairness.”
The priority of the Elgin-St. Thomas Health Unit, argued Barwick, should have been a county-wide regulation to ensure a level playing field for bingo halls, licensed establishments and branches of the Royal Canadian Legion.
“I fully support the Elgin-St. Thomas Health Unit. But they fluffed up. Elgin is not smoke-free.”
“The issue before us tonight is where people can smoke,” countered Ald. David Warden who first proposed the bylaw one year ago.
“I have always respected the other side. But this is for the good of the whole of St. Thomas.”
The motion to uphold the Bingo Country exemption was approved 5-3 with support from Mayor Jeff Kohler, Ald. Heather Jackson-Chapman, Ald. Terry Shackelton, Barwick and Warden.
The votes followed impassioned presentations from both sides of the smoking debate.
Paul Lovelock, representing the Smoke-Free St. Thomas-Elgin Coalition, warned council “a proactive, forward thinking bylaw will be weakened by any exemption.”
And he urged members not to bow to pressure from a “narrow interest group.”
Bill Adams, president of Lord Elgin Branch 41, Royal Canadian Legion, noted members will have difficulty raising funds for charitable and youth organizations in the city if the Legion is not exempt from the bylaw.
The Branch 41 contributes $3,000 annually to air and army cadet programs in the city and last year supported St. Thomas-Elgin General Hospital with a $6,000 donation, said Adams.
“Is the (Smoke-Free St. Thomas-Elgin) Coalition willing to spend thousands of dollars to help veterans and sports teams? It’s something we’ve been doing for decades.”
Council took no action on the Legion’s exemption request.
http://www.stthomastimesjournal.com/story.php?id=144568
Butt out, francophones told
By Lara Bradley/The Sudbury Star Local News - Saturday, February 19, 2005 @ 11:00
Francophones tend to smoke more than other people in Ontario
Celine Poitras, 19, has been smoking for five years and although she’s never tried to quit, one day she hopes to.
“It’s expensive when you smoke one pack a day,” said the College Boreal student.
Looking over an advertisement created by young francophones for young francophones aged 19-24, she gives it a favourable review.
“I think it’s good,” she said.
The print advertisement, which will be mounted on billboards, appear in youth-oriented publications and on buses throughout Northern Ontario, mimics a “for sale by owner” car ad, the kind you’d find pinned to a laundromat bulletin board.
It says (in French) that the car needs to be sold so that the owner can buy cigarettes. The excellent price for this good-looking car includes burn marks and a yellowed interior.
At the bottom are two hands breaking a cigarette with the slogan, “Enrichis ta vie et ton portefeuille” (enrich your life and your wallet), linking smoking cessation with both financial and health benefits.
Radio ads based on this theme will also play throughout Northern Ontario.
The Program and Training Consultation Centre, in conjunction with College Boreal and Northern Ontario’s four public health units, designed the media campaign.
They relied on the input of 37 young francophones who participated in focus groups, said Anne Meloche, project officer.
Their advice was for the advertisement to “give us a positive message to encourage us,” she said.
That’s why the campaign has a financial focus rather than one that stresses the dire health impacts of smoking.
This is the first time an anti-smoking media campaign has been designed by Franco-Ontarians. While ads have been in French in the past, they’ve just been translated versions of English ads.
“It’s never been done before,” she said.
There is an “urgent” need to address the problem of young francophones smoking.
More francophones smoke and they start at a younger age, said Isabelle Michel, manager of professional practice and development at the Sudbury and District Health Unit.
Of all the age groups, the 20-40 year-old category has the highest number of smokers. Francophones top the charts for smokers at 32 per cent of this age range, compared to 26 per cent of non-francophones who smoke in Ontario.
Numbers of francophones smoking are also higher in the north of the province than in the south, she said.
http://www.thesudburystar.com/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?contentid=98733&catname=Local+News
Teens invited to create anti-smoking message
Teens who have had enough of the messages sent out by the tobacco industry have the opportunity to speak out and win prizes by making a video or a radio ad and entering it in the second-annual Youth Stomp Out Tobacco Media Project.
"Kids know that the tobacco industry targets them, so this contest gives them a chance to answer back and be creative with their own anti-tobacco media messages," says Dr. Mike Gaspar, chairperson of the Simcoe County Action on Tobacco and Health (SCASH). "We had great response from youth last year and we know that this year will bring an even better response."
This year, in addition to the commercials, the project has been expanded to include the creation of radio ads. As part of this category, local youth bands and musicians will be invited to craft songs to be part of the messages. Last year 17 commercials were entered in the contest from youth from eight local high schools.
The community initiative is modeled on the highly successful Truth Campaign in the state of Florida that had a significant impact in reducing the incidence of teen smoking through the production and broadcast of youth generated anti tobacco commercials. Several of these television commercials are being aired nationally on prime time television.
The preregistration deadline is Feb. 28, with the entries due on May 20. A screening party at a local theatre showcasing the work of youth will be held as part of World No Tobacco Day on May 31. More than $1,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded to the best advertisements. In addition to SCASH and the Simcoe County District Health Unit, the contest is sponsored by the Barrie Community Health Centre, Health Canada, Centre for Advancement of Video Excellence, (radio station) and the New VR.
http://www.simcoe.com/sc/barrie/v-scv2/story/2581063p-2992685c.html
Nighbours support man charged with blaze that destroyed town
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/213038_canadafires22.html
Another Gas Bar robbed of smokes -MB
Winnipeg Free Press- Feb 22/05
Gas bar robbed
POLICE made a quick arrest after a Domo gas bar at 177 St. Anne's Rd. was robbed Sunday morning.
A man, disguised in a hoodie and indicating he had a weapon, demanded cash and cigarettes from an attendant and then fled in a vehicle with the stolen items. No one was injured.
Richard Karpenko, 23, faces a number of charges. He was detained at the Winnipeg Remand Centre
www.winnepegfreepress.com
Motion calls for taxation of legal marijuana
Tuesday, February 22nd, 2005
OTTAWA -- Delegates to the Liberal party convention next month will debate a motion to legalize and tax marijuana sales, saying it would bring in billions in new tax revenue.
Parliament is already debating legislation to decriminalize marijuana, but a resolution by Alberta Liberals would go much further. It would tax the proceeds of legalized pot sales, which the resolution says would bring in $3 billion in revenue each year.
"Legalizing marijuana would be a serious blow to drug dealers and organized crime financially," says the resolution for the March 5-6 gathering.
"Resolved that a portion of these tax revenues be used to educate youth against drug use and to provide treatment for those who are adversely affected by use of marijuana."
It's just one of dozens of policy proposals obtained by The Canadian Press that will be debated by delegates to the Ottawa convention.
Another resolution, from British Columbia, asks for stiffer sentences for those involved in marijuana grow-ops.
Meanwhile, a party group called the Senior Liberals Commission is asking delegates to urge the government to enact legislation to respect "alternative forms of social lifestyle," but to not alter the definition of marriage.
But Liberal youth activists are working on a campaign called "It's the Charter, Stupid," with rallies and demonstrations to lobby delegates to support the government's same-sex marriage legislation before Parliament.
Some resolutions will be chosen as priority issues and will automatically be included for a vote by all delegates. Others must make it through debate in a workshop in order to be presented for approval or defeat by all delegates.
www.winnepegfreepress.com
Vehicles pollute -MB
Letter to the editor Feb 22/05
Re: the Feb. 19 letter Which is easier?
The potential harm from second-hand smoke is minimal compared to the very real illnesses caused by industrial and environmental pollution.
If, as the letter writer states, he is concerned about his health his question should more accurately read: "Is it easier for people to stop driving their vehicles or for me to stop breathing"?
He may not like the answers.
ADELINE SHOUP, Winnipeg
www.winnepegfreepress.com
Can we not implement common sense laws in regards to smoking ? -AB
Letter to the editor- Calgary Sun - Feb 22/05
("Cafe banking on smokin' resistance," Feb. 12.) It makes sense to ban smoking in public places. It also makes sense to allow private business owners the right to make their own decisions, which will reflect the demand of the market. If statistics are correct, most establishments will become smoke-free. This allows choice of work place for adult bar employees. By taking a lead and offering choices in our city we may even increase our tourism.
Sharon Thomson
(Businesses should not be left in the lurch.)
http://www.canoe.ca/CalgarySun/editorial.html#letters
RE: Which is easier? Feb. 19 letters. -AB
Letter to the editor - Edmonton Sun - Feb 22/05
It is a lot easier for me that you stop breathing than it is for me to stop smoking.
Thomas Laprade
(Sucks to be him, then.)
http://canoe.ca/NewsStand/EdmontonSun/Letters/( published in Calgary sun, Winnepeg Free press, Edmonton Sun)
SWAT attack on Hollywood -MB
Student anti-smoking group organizes Black Lung Award
By DEAN PRITCHARD, STAFF REPORTER Wed, February 23, 2005
Students at Kildonan Collegiate are putting Tinseltown puffers on notice -- they are kicking butts and taking names. As Hollywood's elite await this year's Oscars, members of the school's SWAT (Students Working Against Tobacco) team are planning to hand out a statue of their own -- the Black Lung Award to the movie or performer guilty of the most flagrant example of glamourizing smoking.
"In the movies, no one ever gets sick. In the real world smoking kills," said SWAT team member Blair Molinski at a press conference yesterday announcing the award.
During the next three months, the SWAT team's 30 members will be hunkering down at the cineplex with popcorn, pens and pads.
On their movie checklist, students will note how many times a person is seen smoking, what kind of smoking is done and whether the smoking is glamourized.
The worst offenders will be announced at an "award" ceremony in May.
Team members say they want to see smoking banned from movies targeted at children and teenagers.
"You see your favourite actor, they are your role models, so you want to be like them in any way that you can," Molinski said.
'NO DOUBT'
"If they smoke you might start smoking because you want to be like them so much."
The Manitoba Medical Association is a partner in the project and helped purchase 100 movie passes for students.
"There is absolutely no doubt that Hollywood is complicit with the tobacco industry in trying to influence kids to smoke," said Dr. Mark Taylor, chairman of the MMA's public health issues committee.
"(Students) told us what they planned to do and we said 'We want to help you.' "
Some research shows that movies are responsible for recruiting as much as 52% of new teen smokers, Taylor said.
In Canada, where tobacco advertising is illegal, smoking in movies is a way around the law, he said.
"The tobacco industry knows that if they don't get kids to smoke they are out of business. Ninety per cent of smokers start when it is illegal for them to purchase cigarettes and the industry knows that."
Team member Lori Beach has been smoking for more than two years. While she blames peer pressure for her habit, Beach says there is no question movies have a strong influence on teen smoking.
"When people come back from school the first thing they want to do is watch TV or movies.
"You watch movies, and it's right there." http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/WinnipegSun/News/2005/02/23/939355-sun.html
House committee signs off on cigarette-tax hike -MN
Updated: 02-22-2005 07:02:29 PM
ST. PAUL (AP) - A House committee has signed off on legislation that would increase Minnesota's cigarette tax 99 cents a pack.
The bill also would cut three health-care taxes for small businesses.
The House Health Policy and Finance Committee sent the bill on to another committee.
Supporters say the proposal would deter 60,000 youth from smoking and more fairly spread the costs of insuring high-risk patients.
The bill would increase the cigarette tax from 48 cents to $1.47 a pack. The money would be used to eliminate an assessment for the Minnesota Comprehensive Health Association and two health care premium taxes.
MCHA insures patients who have been turned down by other insurers because of pre-existing conditions.
http://www.kaaltv.com/article/view/85565/
Smoking ban bill squeaks through Senate committee -MN
Updated: 02-22-2005 09:35:58 AM
ST. PAUL (AP) - A Senate committee approved legislation today that would create a statewide smoking ban in restaurants, bars and private clubs.
The ban survived the Commerce Committee on a 9-to-7 vote after cigar lounges were excluded, and an attempt to exempt veterans clubs failed on a tie vote. The committee also turned down an amendment that would have allowed smoking in bars.
The next stop is the Senate floor, where both sides say the outcome could be too close to call and that more attempts to narrow the ban are likely.
Even if the complete ban survives the Senate floor intact, the Senate and House versions of the bill have to be reconciled. The House version was already narrowed to prohibit smoking only in restaurants, while permitting it in bars and private clubs.
http://www.kaaltv.com/article/view/85546/
Study: Anti-smoking "truth" campaign helped slash youth smoking rates
WASHINGTON Smoking among young people is at a 28-year low -- and a new survey credits a nationwide ad campaign for a big drop over a recent two-year period.
The American Legacy Foundation's "truth" campaign has been funded largely by tobacco money from the industry's 246 (b) billion-dollar legal settlement with the states. The new study credits the campaign with preventing 300-thousand youths from becoming smokers between 2000 and 2002.
But the foundation says campaign money is drying up because the settlement allowed the tobacco companies to stop paying after five years if their market share was below 99 percent. And small manufacturers are making inroads.
In addition, some state legislatures are diverting the settlement money to other programs.
The study, in the March edition of the American Journal of Public Health, looked at surveys of teens conducted annually.
http://www.ktvotv3.com/Global/story.asp?S=2983563
Gaming briefs for February 22, 2005 -MT
House approves exempting casinos from smoking bans
HELENA -- The Montana House on Monday reiterated its desire to exempt casinos from any local smoking bans.
By the same 58-42 margin used to pass a similar measure two years ago, representatives endorsed a bill exempting any business with a gambling license from being subject to local ordinances more strict than the state laws governing indoor air.
The vote was a victory for the casino industry, which has pushed for the exclusion since Helena imposed a sweeping smoking ban on all public places in 2002. Various legal challenges have left that ban in limbo, but casino owners have contended that outlawing smokers would cripple their business.
The 2003 Legislature passed an exemption for casinos, but the Montana Supreme Court overturned it in December because it failed to specifically forbid such bans when it comes to casinos.
Familiar arguments over the bill Monday pitted private property rights against the dangers from secondhand smoke.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/gaming/2005/feb/22/518331527.html
State Senate to Vote on Smoking Ban
Reported By: Denis O'Hayer Web Editor:Manav Tanneeru Last Modified: 2/22/2005 7:19:10 PM
The state Senate is expected to vote Wednesday on a bill that would ban smoking in nearly all public places in the state.
The ban would even apply to some outdoor smoking spots.
Willie and Alyson Brown couldn't believe their outdoor table could become a no-smoking zone because it's within 25 feet of the door. “To tell me that I can‘t smoke in front of where I work – that’s ridiculous,” Alyson Brown said.
The bill's author, who is a doctor, said the idea's not as crazy as they might think. “The people that are going into the buildings, they’re inhaling the smoke and we’re getting a tremendous number of complaints,” said Republican Senator Don Thomas of Dalton, Georgia.
On a big patio like the one at the Brewhouse restaurant in Little Five Points, the bill would still allow smoking at tables farther from the door. But indoors, even at bars and restaurants, the ban would be total.
No-smoking signs would also go up at retail stores and shopping mall, public transportation facilities, including ticketing and waiting areas, and aquariums, galleries, libraries and museums.
The sponsor said his ban is so sweeping because of the dangers of secondhand smoke.
“We all know it causes asthmatic attacks, but it also causes cancer in non-smokers, it causes heart attacks, it causes strokes and in children that are exposed to secondhand smoke, they’re 3.6 times as likely to get cancer as adults,” Thomas said.
The ban is expected to easily pass the state Senate, but may run into opposition in the state House.
Several other states have banned smoking at indoor public places, including bars. Those states include California, Delaware, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and New York. Maryland's general assembly is considering a similar ban
http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=59363
Kids and Taxpayers Will Win if North Carolina Increases Cigarette Tax, Says Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
2/22/2005 4:44:00 PM
To: State Desk
Contact: Jennifer Friedman of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, 202-296-5469
WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following is a statement by William V. Corr, executive director, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids:
Governor Easley's proposal to increase the state cigarette tax by a "significant" amount is an important step toward protecting North Carolina's kids and taxpayers from the devastating toll of tobacco. Increasing the cigarette tax is a win-win-win solution for North Carolina. It is a public health win that will reduce smoking and save lives, a fiscal win that will raise much-needed revenue and reduce smoking-caused health care costs, and a political win because cigarette taxes have the strong support of the public. North Carolina currently ranks next to last in the nation with a cigarette tax of just five cents a pack. To make the most of this opportunity, we call on North Carolina's leaders to pass a 75-cent cigarette tax increase, which will bring significant health and revenue benefits and raise the state's cigarette tax close to the national average, which is currently 84 cents a pack. We are encouraged that State Representatives Larry Womble (D-Forsyth), Jennifer Weiss (D-Wake) and others have introduced a bill that would increase North Carolina's cigarette tax by 75 cents per pack.
North Carolina can expect a 75-cent cigarette tax increase to prevent some 101,000 kids alive today from becoming smokers; spur 70,000 current adult smokers to quit; save 47,700 North Carolina residents from premature, smoking-caused deaths; produce $1.8 billion in long-term health care savings; and raise $347 million in new revenue each year. Studies show every 10 percent increase in the price of cigarettes reduces youth smoking by about seven percent and overall cigarette consumption by about four percent. In recent years, every state that has significantly increased its cigarette tax has enjoyed significant increases in revenue even while reducing cigarette sales. A Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Fact Sheet listing all the projected benefits for North Carolina from a 75-cent cigarette tax increase is attached.
A cigarette tax increase is also popular with North Carolina residents, with 63 percent expressing support, according to a poll released last week by Elon University's Institute for Politics and Public Affairs.
North Carolina can achieve even greater reductions in smoking and even greater health and financial benefits by dedicating a small portion of the new cigarette tax revenue to tobacco prevention. North Carolina has made significant progress in funding tobacco programs over the past two years by increasing prevention funding from $6.2 million to $15 million. Still, North Carolina currently spends just 35.2 percent of the minimum amount of $42.6 million recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It would take just a small percentage of the new cigarette tax revenue to increase funding for tobacco prevention, leaving plenty for other purposes.
Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in North Carolina, claiming more than 11,500 lives each year and costing the state $2.3 billion annually in health care bills, including $708 million in Medicaid payments alone. Government expenditures related to tobacco amount to a hidden tax of $556 on every North Carolina household. In addition, 24.8 percent of North Carolina high school students currently smoke, and 23,700 more kids become regular smokers every year. By increasing the cigarette tax, North Carolina can protect its kids from tobacco, save lives and save money. By properly funding tobacco prevention, it can achieve even greater benefits.
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BENEFITS FROM A CIGARETTE TAX INCREASE IN NORTH CAROLINA
Current State Cigarette Tax: 5 Cents Per Pack (50th among all states)
Smoking-caused costs in state per taxed pack sold: $6.59
Average retail price per pack: $3.33 (state share from excise and sales taxes: $0.27)
Annual health care expenditures in the North Carolina directly caused by tobacco use: $2.26 billion
Total state Medicaid program smoking costs each year: $707.8 million
State cigarette tax revenue each year: $38.8 million (2003)
Last North Carolina Cigarette Tax Increase: 8/1/1991
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Projected Benefits From Increasing the State Cigarette Tax By 75 Cents Per Pack
-- New state cigarette tax revenues each year: $346.5 million
-- Pack sales decline in state: -316.5 million
-- Percent decrease in youth smoking: 15.7 percent
-- Increase in total number of kids alive today who will not become smokers: 101,000
-- Number of current adult smokers in the state who would quit: 70,000
-- Number of smoking-affected births avoided over next five years: 13,100
-- Number of current adult smokers saved from smoking-caused death: 15,400
-- Number of kids alive today saved from premature smoking- caused death: 32,300
-- 5-Year healthcare savings from fewer smoking-affected pregnancies & births: $15.0 million
-- 5-year healthcare savings from fewer smoking-caused heart attacks & strokes: $31.7 million
-- Long-term healthcare savings in state from adult & youth smoking declines: $1.79 billion
These projections are fiscally conservative because they include a generous adjustment for lost state pack sales (and tax revenues) from new tax avoidance efforts after the tax increase by continuing in-state smokers, fewer sales to smokers from other states, and fewer sales to supply informal smugglers, criminal smuggling organizations, or multistate internet sellers. The projections are based on research findings that a 10 percent cigarette price increase reduces youth smoking rates by 6.5 percent, adult rates by 2 percent, and total consumption by 4 percent (but adjusted down to account for tax evasion effects), and assume that the state tax will keep up with inflation. Nevertheless, the tax increase will both reduce smoking levels and increase state revenues because the higher tax per pack brings in more new revenue than is lost from the drop in the number of packs sold. Sales tax is 7.0 percent. Because of the generous assumptions re lost state pack sales to smugglers and tax avoiders, cigarette-related sales tax revenues are projected to decline despite the fact that the cigarette tax increase will increase state sales tax revenue per pack sold (the state sales tax percentage applies to the total retail price of a cigarette pack, including the cigarette-tax portion of the price). Kids stopped from smoking and dying are from all kids alive today. Long-term savings accrue over lifetimes of persons who stop smoking or never start because of tax increase.
Sources. Chaloupka, F, "Macro-Social Influences: Effects of Prices and Tobacco Control Policies on the Demand for Tobacco Products," Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 1999, and other price studies at http://tigger.uic.edu/ 7/8fjc and www.uic.edu/orgs/impacteen. Orzechowski & Walker, Tax Burden on Tobacco, 2003. USDA Economic Research Service, www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/tobacco. State tax offices. Farrelly, M. et al., "Cigarette Smuggling Revisited," U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), in press. CDC, State Highlights 2004: Sustaining State Programs for Tobacco Control, 2004, http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/datahighlights/index.htm. Miller, P., et al., "Birth and First-Year Costs for Mothers and Infants Attributable to Maternal Smoking," Nicotine & Tobacco Research 3(1): 25-35, February 2001. Lightwood, J. & S. Glantz, "Short-Term Economic and Health Benefits of Smoking Cessation - Myocardial Infarction and Stroke," Circulation 96(4): 1089-1096, August 19, 1997, http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/96/4/1089. Hodgsen, T., "Cigarette Smoking and Lifetime Medical Expenditures," The Millbank Quarterly 70(1), 1992. U.S. Census. Nat'l Center for Health Statistics.
For more information, see the Campaign fact sheets -- including Raising State Tobacco Taxes Always Reduces Tobacco Use (& Always Increases State Revenues) - at http://tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/index.php?Category ID=18 and http://tobaccofreekids.org/reports/prices.
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids 1.7.05 / Eric Lindblom, January 31, 2005
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=43420
Anti-smoking group submits petition to strengthen ordinance
By: News 8 Austin Staff 2/22/2005 3:19 PM
A group called Onward Austin is asking the city to tighten its anti-smoking ordinance.
They submitted a petition Tuesday with 4,000 signatures, in addition to 36,000 they turned in earlier.
Onward Austin wants a referendum in May to strengthen the smoking ordinance and set penalties for breaking the rules.
As of June 2004, bars and restaurants must get a special permit that restricts the hours of smoking and provide its own specially designated smoking area with a ventilation system.
The city clerk said it will take about a week to verify the latest batch of signatures.
Onward Austin needs support from 10 percent - or about 37,000 - of the city's registered voters to get the issue on the ballot for May.
The American Cancer Society backs the petition effort.
http://www.news8austin.com/content/your_news/default.asp?ArID=131776
Study: Parents mellowing over drug use
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
NEW YORK (AP) -- While today's parents were more likely to have used drugs than in previous generations, they see less risk in drug experimentation and are less likely to speak with their children about it, according to a survey released Tuesday.
The study of parental attitudes toward teen drug use, conducted by The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, found that barely half of the parents would be upset if their children experimented with marijuana.
The number of parents who have never spoken with their children about drugs was 12 percent, double what it was just six years ago, the survey found.
While most parents no longer use drugs -- 11 percent reported marijuana use in the last year -- they still carry attitudes fostered during their teen years, researchers found. This is particularly true about parents who were teenagers in the late '70s and early '80s, when teen drug use was at a high point.
"While the vast majority of parents have left old habits behind, they're carrying old attitudes and beliefs forward," said Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of the Partnership. "If old habits die hard, the data suggests lax attitudes about drugs die even harder."
Among other findings in the survey:
While parents believe it's important to discuss drugs with their children, only about three in 10 children say they've learned a lot about drug risks at home
Only 18 percent of parents believe their children have smoked marijuana, but the number of teens experimenting with it is 39 percent.
Just 21 percent of parents believe friends of their teen are smoking marijuana, but 62 percent of teens report friends who use the drug.
The study was conducted among 1,205 parents nationwide, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points. The survey was conducted in households with children under the age of 18.
The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, launched in 1987, is a coalition of communications professionals aimed at reducing the demand for illegal drugs.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/parenting/02/22/drug.survey.ap/
Cigarette Tax Poll -WI
Madison Feb 21, 2005
A newspaper says that a new poll of state residents shows more than three-quarters support a major increase in cigarette taxes.
The Capital Times says the poll will be released this week. Several legislators are aiming to raise the tobacco tax, which is now 77 cents per pack. According to the non-partisan state Legislative Fiscal Bureau, that's about average. State cigarette taxes range from three cents a pack in Kentucky to ($2.46) in Rhode Island.
Republican representative J-A Hines is promoting a measure to increase the tax by one-dollar a pack. Hines' bill estimates that would raise an extra 250 to 340 million dollars. He says that for every 10 percent increase in cigarette taxes, seven percent fewer children begin to smoke.
http://www.wxow.com/news/publish/articles/article_1513.shtml
Cigarette Makers Object to U.S. Penalties
By HILARY ROXE Wednesday February 23, 2005 12:46 AM
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - Cigarette makers on Tuesday objected to penalties the Justice Department is seeking against the tobacco industry in a civil racketeering trial, saying they fail to meet the standards set by an appeals court ruling.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit barred the government from seeking $280 billion in a lawsuit alleging the industry engaged in a five-decade conspiracy to deceive the public about the health hazards of cigarettes.
The panel ruled this month that the 1970 civil racketeering statute under which the government filed its case required forward-looking remedies, which did not include ``disgorgement,'' or the pursuit of the $280 billion the government claims the industry earned through fraudulent activities.
In a brief ordered by U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler, defendants argued that other penalties the government is seeking are not forward-looking and are ``strikingly in conflict with the Court of Appeals' unambiguous holding.''
The government last week outlined other potential remedies that Kessler could impose on the industry, including requiring tobacco companies to pay for smoking cessation programs, a public education campaign about the dangers of smoking, and a long-term campaign to prevent youth smoking.
``Like disgorgement, these anti-smoking efforts will have no effect on whether defendants 'act unlawfully in the future,''' defendants wrote in the brief filed Tuesday.
The Justice Department had no comment on the tobacco companies' brief, department spokeswoman Kimberly Smith said.
The government has said it intends to appeal the disgorgement decision to a full panel of the appeals court. It has until March 21 to do so.
The defendants in the lawsuit are: Philip Morris USA Inc. and its parent, Altria Group Inc.; R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.; Brown & Williamson Tobacco Co.; British American Tobacco Ltd.; Lorillard Tobacco Co.; Liggett Group Inc.; Counsel for Tobacco Research-U.S.A.; and the Tobacco Institute.
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On the Net:
Justice Department tobacco litigation: http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/cases/tobacco2/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4819301,00.html
Brewers' profits lose their fizz -UK
Heineken and Carlsberg, two of the world's largest brewers, have reported falling profits after beer sales in western Europe fell flat.
Dutch firm Heineken saw its annual profits drop 33% and warned that earnings in 2005 may also slide.
Danish brewer Carlsberg suffered a 3% fall in profits due to waning demand and increased marketing costs.
Both are looking to Russia and China to provide future growth as western European markets are largely mature.
Currency moves
Heineken's net income fell to 537m euros ($701m; £371m) during 2004, from 798m euro a year ago. It blamed weak demand in western Europe and currency losses.
It had warned in September that the weakening US dollar, which has cut the value of foreign sales, would knock 125m euros off its operating profits.
Despite the dip in profits, Heineken's sales have been improving and total revenue for the year was 10bn euros, up 8.1% from 9.26bn euros in 2003.
Heineken said it now plans to invest 100m euros in "aggressive" and "high-impact" marketing in Europe and the US in 2005.
Heineken, which also owns the Amstel and Murphy's stout brands, said it would also seek to cut costs. This may involve closing down breweries.
Heineken increased its dividend payment by 25% to 40 euro cents, but warned that the continued impact of a weaker dollar and an increased marketing spend may lead to a drop in 2005 net profit.
Smoking gun
Carlsberg, the world's fifth-largest brewer, saw annual pre-tax profits fall to 3.4bn Danish kroner (456m euros).
Its beer sales have been affected by the sluggish </F Posted at 11:56 pm by looped_ca
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