Sask. residents urged to petition friends in Alta.
Pamela Cowan Leader-Post July 14, 2005
Saskatchewan's Health Minister is passionately asking the province's residents to lobby Albertan friends and relatives to urge policymakers to "operate as Canadians, not as mavericks" when reforming health care.
John Nilson is concerned that Premier Ralph Klein's new health care reforms, dubbed "the third way" because they fall between the existing public health-care system and a privatized one, will endanger universal medicare.
Health care in the mid-90s took a huge hit when the federal government pulled back a lot of funding, Nilson said. "We're just now getting things back into appropriate balance and I encourage Alberta to operate as Canadians and not as mavericks in the health-care system.
" . . . It's important for each and every Saskatchewan citizen to phone their relatives in Alberta and make sure that publicly in Alberta the Canadian perspective around community responsibility for health care remains at the forefront of what the policymakers are doing."
Although adding elements of private care on to an already stressed public care system is enticing, fairness for all and the overall provision of services at a reasonable cost could be put at risk, Nilson said.
Much of Alberta's 12-point plan unveiled Tuesday echoes Saskatchewan's Action Plan that was released in 2001, he said.
Alberta aims to improve access and efficiency in a year or two, but Saskatchewan set out target time frames for surgery in March 2004, he noted. Alberta's "emasculated smoke-free policy" is yet to go into effect while Saskatchewan's smoke-free policy was instituted Jan. 1, Nilson said. He added that Saskatchewan is also ahead with its crystal meth strategy.
"It was a bit strange to see that they were talking about having medical students and pharmacy students going out and talking to kids in schools . . . when you need a comprehensive plan, you need something bigger than that," he said.
He touted Saskatchewan's Community Net as the best system in North America.
"We've got 800 schools and regional colleges, including First Nations reserves, 310 health facilities, 162 public libraries and 256 government offices all connected on high speed Internet and that includes just about every community with more than 100 people in Saskatchewan," he said. "One of their goals in Alberta is to connect 402 smaller communities and health facilities."
Action 12 of Klein's reforms focuses on health needs of rural communities.
"Our Telehealth system now goes to 26 sites across the sites," Nilson said. "It's being used by doctors, physios and pharmacists because many times assessments can be done over the Internet and that saves patients in our rural areas travel costs."
For a long time, Saskatchewan has had limited versions of Klein's new health reforms that incorporate public and private models, such as options for semi or private rooms, he said.
http://www.canada.com/regina/leaderpost/soundoff/story.html?id=4d330de3-29da-429a-93e3-de0b3b65a4e9
Mohawk Police Seize $269,500 In Contraband Cigarettes At Border-QC
7/14/05
Akwesasne Mohawk police arrested a Cornwall Island man on Tuesday for transporting untaxed cigarettes over the Canadian border.
Police say that at approximately 8:30 PM on Tuesday, they received a tip that “illegal activity” was taking place on Cornwall Island. A surveillance unit was set up and they observed boxes being loaded into a vehicle. When they approached the vehicle, they observed several boxes of contraband cigarettes.
The driver, Stacey Boots was arrested and turned over to the RCMP Cornwall. Boots was charged under the Excise Act and jailed by the RCMP. The vehicle and contraband were seized.
Police continued to monitor the area, and observed two other vehicles in the vicinity. They determined that those vehicles also contained several boxes of untaxed cigarettes. Police called in reinforcements due to a group of 30 to 40 people gathering in the area. When they attempted to move on the two vehicles, vehicles were used to obstruct the laneway so that police could not proceed.
The standoff with the group continued until approximately 6:30 AM on Wednesday, when police were able to remove the vehicles blocking the laneway and safely remove the remaining vehicle containing the contraband cigarettes, which was then turned over to the RCMP.
The police investigation is continuing and they say charges are pending against several people for obstructing police, as well as Excise Act violations. The total amount of contraband tobacco seized was worth $269,500.
http://www.newswatch50.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=2572E581-9618-4086-9E84-7F464A391180
For lung cancer patients, longer life in a bottle
By SHERYL UBELACKER Canadian Press Thursday, July 14, 2005 Page A15
A new drug has been found, for the first time, to prolong the lives of patients with advanced lung cancer, a Canadian-led international research team says.
Patients with end-stage lung cancer who were given Tarceva lived longer than patients given a placebo, according to the study led by researchers at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto.
About one-third of the patients with non-small-cell lung cancer -- the most common type -- were alive for a year or more on the drug, compared with about one-fifth of those on the dummy pill, said principal investigator Frances Shepherd.
"This is very significant because this is the first time that any treatment has been shown to prolong survival for patients with lung cancer after they've failed chemotherapy," Dr. Shepherd said.
Tarceva, known generically as erlotinib, is one of a new class of drugs that slows tumour growth by interfering with a cellular pathway that promotes cell division. It is taken in pill form once a day.
The drug has not yet been approved for use in Canada but was authorized for routine use in patients with advanced lung cancer by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last November.
Tarceva did not just increase survival, it actually alleviated patients' symptoms, said Dr. Shepherd, an oncologist at Princess Margaret Hospital. "This agent has very, very few negative side effects and actually resulted in improved quality of life."
Patients given the drug had reduced symptoms, which include pain, shortness of breath and coughing, and were able to function better. Tarceva's primary side effects are a rash and diarrhea, which are easily managed, Dr. Shepherd said.
The study, published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, involved 731 patients from around the world. All patients had received at least one regimen of chemotherapy and were randomly assigned to one of two groups: 488 received Tarceva and 243 were given a placebo.
Patients on Tarceva survived an average of 6.7 months, while patients on the dummy pill lived an average of 4.7 months, which was a 42.5-per-cent improvement, the study found. Of the patients receiving the drug, 31 per cent were alive after one year, compared with only 22 per cent of patients on placebo.
"It seems like a small amount, but in fact that's a significant improvement really for patients who had no other option," said Dr. Shepherd, noting that up to 15 per cent of patients lived longer than two years on the drug, whereas no one lived longer than two years on the placebo.
Still, she said, "it's not a cure."
The hope is that Tarceva might be even more effective when used for early-stage lung cancer.
"These numbers don't look all that huge at the most advanced stage of disease," she said of the findings. "But they lay the groundwork for studies to come at earlier stages of disease where cure will be the goal.
"It's very exciting."
This is the second groundbreaking study on treating non-small cell lung cancer out of Canada in the past year or so.
Research led by Dr. Timothy Winton of the University of Alberta found that people with an early form of the disease who had their tumours removed by surgery lived longer when treated afterward with chemotherapy.
In his study of 482 patients, 69 per cent who had surgery and chemotherapy were alive five years later, compared with 54 per cent who had only surgery. Overall, patients given chemotherapy lived 94 months, versus 73 months for those who had surgery alone.
Friday, July 15, 2005, Page A2
CORRECTION
A Canadian Press article yesterday reported that the drug Tarceva had not been approved for advanced lung-cancer treatment in Canada. However, late Wednesday, the drug's distributor, Roche Canada, provided updated information that Health Canada had approved Tarceva.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050714/HLUNG14/Health/Idx
Inmates Fuming Over Possible Smoking Ban
Shannon Pasiuk rdtv Thursday, July 14, 2005
Gavin Mandin
I think it's a very bad idea.
Gavin Mandin is one of the few non-smoking inmates at the Bowden Institution south of Red Deer. As the Chairman of the Inmate Welfare Committee, he's worried about a potential backlash...if Canada's Correctional Facilities go ahead with a new smoking bylaw forcing inmates to take their habit outdoors.
Gavin Mandin
One of the major things people do when they're frustrated or when they're aggravated, one of the main calming influences is now going to be removed and as a result I think you're going to see more quarrels, more frustrations, more short tempers.
A non-smoker himself, Mandin teaches fellow angry or frustrated inmates control by isolating themselves in their rooms to have a smoke. But Institution officials say the overall health of the inmates is the focus of the proposed new bylaw.
Rita Wehrle- Assistant Warden
Wherever we reduce the amount of people who are smoking, reduce the number of people exposed to second hand smoke, we're going to reduce medical costs associated with that.
Inmates are currently allowed to smoke by themselves in their cells as long as the door is closed, or outside in designated smoking areas.
Mandin says with 80 percent of the population smoking, he doesn't think the bylaw's new policy will be enforceable.
Gavin
Unless a guard's standing outside of the inmate's door who wants to smoke 24 hours a day, you're not going to know if he has a cigarette or not.
Assistant Warden Wehrle says not only will programs be re-structured to allow more opportunities for inmates to be outdoors...assistance will also be provided for inmates who need help in kicking the habit.
Rita
Cessation products will be provided for a period of 3 months and that will be funded by the Correctional Services of Canada.
While Mandin understands the attempt to improve the health of institutions like Bowden...he doesn't think the resulting disruptions will be worth it.
Mandin
We'd like to see no changes at all and I think in terms of mental and physical health of the population in the institution that that's the best course of action.
At Bowden Instution, Shannon Pasiuk, Newscrew.
Correctional Services Canada is planning for indoor smoking to no longer be allowed by January 31, 2006.
http://www.canada.com/reddeer/story.html?id=d24fa2f5-8c0c-4682-9d13-67e0af9f28a3
Partial smoking ban worries corrections staff
Charlene Tebbutt Saskatchewan News Network; Prince Albert Daily Herald
Friday, July 15, 2005
PRINCE ALBERT -- Smoking will soon be banned inside the Sask-atchewan Penitentiary in Prince Albert, but the union that represents federal correctional officers says it is bracing for an increased security risk if the practice isn't completely prohibited.
Kevin Grabowsky, the Prairie region president for the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers, says smoking should be banned on all penitentiary grounds, not just inside the prison. He said a partial ban means correctional officers will have to monitor inmates to make sure they comply.
And, that will pose an increased security risk, he said.
"We're going to end up being the smoke police for a very long time," Grabowsky said Thursday.
"It'll be a continued confrontation between staff and inmates."
Officials with the Correctional Service of Canada announced earlier this week that smoking would be banned inside the walls of all federal institutions starting Jan. 31. Starting next year, smoking will only be allowed outdoors in designated areas.
The CSC says the move is a way to insure the health of both staff and inmates at federal institutions across the country.
Shawn Bird, the acting assistant warden of management services with the Saskatchewan Penitentiary, said inmates have known about the changes for a while. He said a committee looking into the issue has already done a lot of work to prepare everyone for the move.
"This is something they've been aware of for quite a long time," Bird said. "It certainly doesn't come as a surprise to any of them."
Still, Grabowsky said the union will continue to push for a full smoking ban within prisons.
"We'd rather fight this war once," he said.
Wendy Tippett, a policy and planning officer with CSC, said programs and products will be offered to help inmates quit smoking.
The CSC will provide support for up to three months.
The CSC also has a plan in place to reduce any security issues due to the indoor ban, she said.
And while smoking will be banned inside the facility, Bird said officials recognize the importance of tobacco during cultural and spiritual ceremonies. He said officials will work to accommodate those activities despite the indoor smoking ban.
Grabowsky said the union also recognizes the importance of cultural ceremonies.
(Prince Albert Daily Herald)
http://www.canada.com/saskatoon/starphoenix/news/local/story.html?id=397ea019-c82d-4e0e-8136-df6c9d6d1aab
Gov't slinging mud -MB
By TOM BRODBECK Sat, July 16, 2005
Attempts to discredit trustee stories
Staff in Justice Minister Gord Mackintosh's office have spent the past two weeks trying to discredit a Winnipeg Sun series on how the Office of the Public Trustee can arbitrarily take over people's lives, sometimes for no good reason at all.
Some Sun readers who have called the minister's office to share their views on how this totalitarian regime works have been told by the minister's staff that the newspaper stories are misleading and inaccurate.
I verified that by making an anonymous phone call to Mackintosh's office yesterday, which I taped. Not only did a member of Mackintosh's staff try to discredit the newspaper reports, she also gave out erroneous information on how the process works.
"What you read in the paper is not exactly all the truth," said a staff member in Mackintosh's office. "The public has a misconception regarding the power of the public trustee because of the articles in the paper."
Is that so?
She went on to tell me that the public trustee only takes over when somebody is mentally incompetent and where there is no other option, including family, to take over their affairs.
Wrong. Many people have been forced to fight such orders in court, spending as much as $5,000 in legal costs, because their case was not investigated properly in the first place and because there were alternatives to the government taking over their lives. And in many cases they win their freedom back.
In fact, Court of Queen's Bench Justice Murray Sinclair ruled in a precedent-setting case last year that the legislation governing the process is deficient.
He also found that the director of psychiatric services did not properly investigate the case of Anne Kotello -- 86 at the time -- before ordering the public trustee to take over her life, including seizing her bank account, confiscating her pension cheques and opening her personal mail.
It turns out Kotello was not mentally incompetent after all, as confirmed by two doctors, whom the director of psychiatric services refused to hear from, court heard. Sinclair quashed the order.
So don't tell me, madame, that those very serious problems don't exist or that I'm putting false information out there.
The staffer also went on to tell me that the province's director of psychiatric services interviews the person in question before ordering the public trustee to take over their lives.
COMPLETELY WRONG
"They're interviewed by the director of psychiatric services," she said.
"Who's interviewed?" I ask.
"The mentally incompe... the person, the person itself," she says.
Wrong. Completely wrong. The director does not interview the person and usually doesn't interview family members, either.
In some cases, they refuse to even talk to the person's lawyer, as we saw in the Kotello case.
So, madame, stop giving out bogus information.
If you don't know what you're talking about, pass the caller on to someone who does. You're not working in an ice cream shop. You're speaking on behalf of the attorney general of Manitoba. Smarten up.
I also asked the staffer if the department was reviewing the legislation, which it is. Mackintosh made the announcement several weeks ago.
She said she didn't know.
"So you're giving out information on this very important issue and you don't even know that the department's reviewing the legislation?" I say.
"Obviously not," she said.
Nice.
If you believe in freedom, call Mackintosh's office Monday at 945-3728.
And ask to speak to someone who knows what they're talking about.
This law has to be changed.
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/WinnipegSun/News/2005/07/16/1134023-sun.html
The fat of the land -ON
Jul. 16, 2005. 01:00 AM
There is a growing problem in our society that is affecting more and more of us, regardless of age or sex.
From children to the elderly, we are increasingly becoming overweight and alarmingly sedentary. Inelegantly put, we are just getting too fat and lazy.
It is long past time to begin reversing this burgeoning trend.
So the McGuinty government's decision to appoint Jim Watson as minister of health promotion last month is a welcome one. Watson has jumped right in to this new role, calling fat the "new tobacco," as great a health challenge in the 21st century as smoking was in the 20th.
Whether that's an overstatement or not, a recent study released by Statistics Canada underscores the concern: From 1979 to 2004 obesity rates have increased to worrisome proportions.
In young people from age 2 to 17, the rate has jumped from 3 per cent to 8 per cent in 25 years. In adults 25 to 34, it has ballooned from 9 to 21 per cent. For those over 75, the rate has gone from 11 to 24 per cent.
Unlike smoking rates, obesity is heading upwards, creating the risk of massive strains on health care and a decrease in quality of life.
The StatsCan study also points out the obvious: those who eat fruit and vegetables regularly and find time for physical activity are less likely to be overweight.
It is cold comfort that compared to our American neighbours, our waistlines have a few belt loops to go. Their adult obesity is almost 30 per cent compared to our 23 per cent.
Watson has ruled out draconian measures in seeking to address the crisis, preferring the carrot to the stick — perhaps a carrot stick approach would be better — to getting Ontarians to slim down.
We all have a stake (and that's not spelled steak) in finding a better balance by eating well and exercising moderately. The message to Ontarians and all Canadians has been around for some time. It is time to get off the couch and get the message.
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid
=1121464222443&call_pageid=968256290204&col=968350116795
Bar owners in two Prairie provinces want smoking bans deemed unconstitutional-AB, SK
http://www.smokersclubinc.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1806
Prairie bar owners want smoking bans overturned-SK, MB
Canadian Press
WINNIPEG — Courts in Manitoba and Saskatchewan will be asked this week to decide whether provincial smoking laws are a violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Bar owners in the two provinces have launched separate battles to overturn the recently enacted laws, which they say have driven away their customers.
"I know guys who have lost half their business," said Gary Desrosiers, a bar owner in Brunkild, Man., who has been the most vocal critic of the smoking ban.
"There are probably 200 to 300 jobs that have been lost because of this law."
Desrosiers and other Manitoba proprietors have helped raise $30,000 for Robert Jenkinson, a Treherne bar owner who will stand trial Monday on charges of allowing smoking in his establishment.
Jenkinson's lawyer, Art Stacey, will argue the provincial smoking ban violates the charter because it does not apply to native reserves.
"Section 15, which is the equality right under the charter, ...says that essentially all people are entitled to be treated equally under the law without discrimination," said Stacey.
The province has said it does not have jurisdiction to enforce the law on reserves, some of which have recently opened smoker-friendly gambling halls to attract more customers.
Stacey disagrees, pointing out that the province already enforces many laws on reserves, including speed limits under the Highway Traffic Act.
A similar argument will be heard in a Regina courtroom Thursday, when the Hotels Association of Saskatchewan is scheduled to ask the Court of Queen's Bench to declare the smoking law unconstitutional.
"Our members are chatting with the public all the time, and they believe that whether a law is good or bad, it should apply to everyone," said association president Tom Mullin.
Manitoba and New Brunswick were the first provinces to ban smoking in virtually all enclosed public places, including bars and restaurants, last October.
Saskatchewan followed suit in January and other provinces including Ontario are preparing similar bans.
Many bar owners, especially those in rural areas near reserves, were quick to complain they were losing customers to aboriginal establishments.
The Manitoba government is confident its law can withstand the court challenge, and said most people support it.
"What we heard ... was that the ban was what Manitobans wanted," said Healthy Living Minister Theresa Oswald.
"We also can say that the majority of Manitobans are complying with the legislation."
A constitutional law expert at the University of Manitoba believes the bar owners will have a hard time getting the smoking bans overturned.
"The fact that the legislation may apply here, there and elsewhere but not everywhere does not of itself create a breach of the equality rights of the charter," said Prof. Roland Penner, who is also a former provincial minister responsible for constitutional affairs.
"Within the right that the province has ... to restrict hunting, it can say, 'There can be hunting here and not there.'"
Only a handful of bar owners in Manitoba have been charged with breaking the smoking ban, and just one has been convicted.
Finley Michaud, a restaurant owner in Selkirk, north of Winnipeg, pleaded guilty in June to letting his customers smoke.
He was ordered to pay $1,560 in fines and surcharges.
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1121626536673_14/?hub=Canada
WHY SHOULD smokers get respect when they flick their lit cigarettes onto the streets whether driving, walking, standing or sitting; or they smoke while sleeping, which causes forest, bush, and house fires? Or how about when smokers use the ground as an ashtray, which looks disgusting aroun d doors, entrances or anywhere, especially at malls, and should be considered littering.
Jon Quartly
(Happy Monday!)
-----------------------------------------------------------
RE: "TARBOX'S hubby butts up against smoke ban," July 14. As a country, we pride ourselves on the fact that we have the freedom to choose. The government is now regulating people's freedom of choice.
Cassie Krentz
(The government has always done that.)
-----------------------------------------------------------
I HAVE travelled extensively in California, which has had a smoking ban for years. After the initial shock, the bars and restaurants are full. Also there is no smoking within 20 feet of the restaurant or bar doors. As a former smoker, I am so grateful for the clean air that I can now breathe.
Darlene Balzer
http://www.edmontonsun.com/Comment/Letters/2005/07/17/1136066.html
Living off the fat of the land -ON
Editorial for Monday, July 18, 2005
“Fat is the new tobacco.”
With those words, Ontario’s new Health Promotion Minister Jim Watson announced last week the province is ready to fight obesity as aggressively as it fought tobacco.
It’s certainly a worthwhile objective. The health problems associated with obesity have been well established: heart disease and stroke, diabetes, joint problems, some cancers.
We also can’t deny more Canadians are overweight now than ever before — the number of obese children aged 12-17 has more than doubled in the past 30 years, Statistics Canada reported earlier this month. Adult obesity rates rose to 23 per cent from 14 per cent in the same period.
The reasons for the increases are also well-known: we’ve become more sedentary. Adults drive to their workplaces, many spending their workdays sitting in front of computer screens. They go home and spend more time at the computer or watching TV. Kids are doing the same things — sitting for much of the day at school, then watching TV, playing video games or surfing the Internet.
Among the few people who aren’t getting fatter — in North America at least — are the Old Order Mennonites. Recent studies have pointed out something that should be obvious: living life the way our ancestors did, before cars and computers, TV and junk food, keeps you lean.
Junk food, of course, is the other culprit in our increasing waistlines.
As our lives got busier in the last half of the 20th century, we saw the rise of the fast food industry. Suddenly we were gobbling up hamburgers and french fries, greasy fried chicken and pizza as we lived on the run.
Soon vending machines in schools and workplaces offered potato chips, chocolate bars and sugar-laden soft drinks.
We’ve known for quite a while that we can’t keep living this way. But change isn’t going to be easy — just ask the people who’ve tried, and failed, to give up smoking.
The war against smoking involved more than convincing smokers to quit. There were major skirmishes with the tobacco companies as governments first banned tobacco advertising, then insisted on putting graphic warnings on cigarette packages. There’s been an ongoing battle to abolish smoking, first in workplaces and then most public places.
Something along those lines should happen with junk food, especially for children.
Mr. Watson suggested that extending the elementary school ban on junk food vending machines to high schools could be a start. That sounds good, but he should go one step further and ban unhealthy foods from school cafeterias. Instead of fries and gravy, schools could offer fresh fruits and vegetables.
Mr. Watson said he plans to offer a “quite aggressive” plan of action within a few months. But he also said he won’t recommend a tax on junk food that was originally contemplated by his government, then abandoned.
Why not? Governments haven’t hesitated to tax tobacco products heavily in an effort to discourage smoking.
Obviously taxation wouldn’t be popular with the junk food manufacturers. But in the battle to make Ontarians less obese and more healthy, his government might have to take on some of the big businesses.
How about putting restrictions on how foods high in fats and sugars are advertised — especially to children? Maybe warnings should go on bags of potato chips and cans of pop.
At the same time, the minister should look at incentives to encourage people to become more active.
The government could offer tax breaks to people who join fitness clubs and to employers who set up exercise areas for their workers and encourage employees to be more active by cycling or walking to work.
Sales taxes could be dropped from sports gear for adults and children.
There’s a lot government could do if it’s really serious about improving the health of its constituents.
Still, we also have to take responsibility for our own health. We have to make healthier food choices and work more exercise into our lives. Anyone who has battled the bulge knows that being overweight certainly doesn’t make life any easier or more enjoyable, both physically and emotionally.
It’s not just about reducing the burden on our health-care system. It’s about improving the quality of our own lives.
http://www.stratfordbeaconherald.com/editorials/editorial.html
Tobacco board to examine operations -ON
Jeff Helsdon - Staff Writer Monday July 18, 2005
Reducing size of board among changes to be discussed
The Tillsonburg News — The tobacco board may be a changed entity by the end of 2006.
Board general manager Jason Lietaer is currently interviewing consultants to conduct a review of the board. It will look at the governance structure and information flow in the board. The dual goals of the review are efficiency and optimizing performance.
“We see it as the next step in the board serving the farmers the best way we can,” he said.
Parameters of the review are:
- the organizational structure of the Board must be financially sustainable
- the board and staff’s operation must be optimized, focusing on key priorities and doing so in the most efficient manner possible
- producers must be adequately represented, and consulted during the review.
One thing that will be on the table is downsizing the board in the wake of the recent quota retirement program. That is something a portion of growers were calling for board downsizing over the winter.
Lietaer said he has already consulted with the Farm Products Marketing Board and it’s unlikely there will be any reduction in board size for this fall’s election, if that is what the consultant recommends and the board ultimately decides.
“They said it’s difficult, if not impossible, to implement for this fall’s election,” he said. “They’re eying next year’s election and would be more comfortable with that.”
The commission has overseen changes in a number of marketing boards and Lietaer felt they have ample experience to guide the tobacco board through changes, if necessary.
One thing Lietaer did say was in at least some ways it’s in the board’s vision to move away from a working board to a policy board. He explained the first steps in this area are to identify what the board wants to do and then focus on the priorities.
Lietaer pointed out the per diem paid to directors for each meeting attended has been frozen for seven years. Where he saw savings was through reducing the number of meetings.
The general manager saw reviewing the board structure as the next step in streamlining the board operations. With the buyout plan complete, he said it was the appropriate time to complete such a task. Lietaer pointed out the board has already been trimming costs and it now costs less to sell a pound of tobacco than it did years ago, despite the rising cost of wages. The board has trimmed its public relations costs from $66,000 last year to $38,000 this year and cut operations by $90,000 to $3.85 million.
Langton-area farmer Diane Meulemeester doesn’t think restructuring is necessary. She said the directors are drained and overworked as it is.
“If farmers want the issues dealt with as soon as they come, then this isn’t the time for restructuring,” she said, adding there are just too many issues out there now.
Instead, Meulemeester said the governance of the board should be dealt with on a year-to-year basis.
quote:
“If farmers want the issues dealt with as soon as they come, then this isn’t the time for restructuring”
-- Diane Meulemeester
http://www.tillsonburgnews.com/story.php?id=173010
Smoking ban dampens VLT earnings -NL
CBC News Last updated Jul 18 2005 09:15 AM NDT
The Atlantic Lottery Corporation says it's making less money on video lottery terminals in the province since a ban on smoking in bars and bingo halls went into effect earlier this month.
Corporation spokesperson Robert Bourgeois says the drop was expected, based on experience from other provinces.
"We would expect that VL sales in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador will go down between 10 and 15 per cent," he said. "However, it is also our experience that those numbers would after a while go back up."
Bar owners say the finding confirms what they've been saying all along – kill smoking and you kill half of what has made the smoking/drinking combination such a great money-maker.
They claim their business is down 30 to 60 per cent, and say the situation will get worse before it gets better.
They fear they'll lose even more business when the weather turns colder.
Rick Young, who owns the Bella Vista in St. John's, warns there are tough times ahead for some of the smaller bars.
"There's gonna be lots of closures. Lots of people that just aren't gonna ride the weather. They're not going to be able to weather the storm," he said.
Bar owners are still trying to convince the government to allow designated smoking areas – something the government has so far rejected.
http://stjohns.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=nf_lottery_20050718
MD adopts smoking policy -AB
By Darby Gilbertson Tuesday July 19, 2005
Pincher Creek Echo — Municipal District of Pincher Creek employees who smoke will need to go outside to light up, with MD council adopting a no-smoking policy for all municipal buildings.
Under the policy, smoking will be prohibited in all municipaly-owned buildings and equipment, with the exception of vehicles with only one occupant.
Prior to implementing the smoking ban, council presented a draft policy to employees and users of the municipal buildings.
Although the majority of responses were favourable, employees expressed concern about not being able to smoke in the shop and in vehicles when the smoker is alone or with another person if that other person does not object.
Although council approved allowing smoking in equipment when there is a single occupant, they decided not to allow smoking when passengers were in the vehicle.
“It always puts the onus on the non-smoker to object,” remarked Councillor Brian Hammond, with council noting that a ban would remove the pressure from non-smokers.
Among the municipally owned buildings are the fire halls in Beaver Mines and Lundbreck, Coalfield School, Willow Valley Hall, Fishburn Community Hall, the Beaver Mines gazebo, the airport terminal building and shop, the water treatment plant, sand shed, Public Works and the M.D. Office.
Council has arranged to meet with municipal employees during a safety meeting to inform them of the accepted policy.
http://www.pinchercreekecho.com/story.php?id=173032
Couple fumes over asphalt plant emissions -NS
By RENEE STEVENS
LIVERPOOL - George Norman has been waiting almost 27 years for someone to help him lift the dark cloud that has been hanging over his home, but he say no one seems to hear his cries for help.
The dark cloud that haunts him consists of thick, gritty, brown emissions that come from an asphalt plant that was built behind his backyard the same year as his home went up.
http://www.herald.ns.ca/stories/2005/07/19/fNovaScotia.html
Hotelier defied smoking ban to stay in business, he testifies -MB
By Aldo Santin Tuesday, July 19th, 2005
PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE -- Treherne hotel operator Robert Jenkinson admitted in court yesterday that he openly violated the provincial smoking ban but argued he had no alternative if he wanted to stay in business.
Jenkinson said he began losing customers to neighbouring First Nation bingo halls and gaming halls in Swan Lake and Long Plain when the smoking ban came into effect last October.
Jenkinson said it's unfair that the province is only enforcing the new law against non-aboriginal hotel operators while turning a blind eye to continued smoking in native-run bingo halls.
"I don't think it's Canadian," Jenkinson said in provincial court here yesterday. "There should be one set of rules for all people. To have a two-tiered system is not fair."
Jenkinson's belief is the heart of his defence argument. He has pleaded not guilty to several charges under the Non Smokers Health Protection Act, including allowing smoking in his bar, providing ashtrays for customers, not posting a 'smoking prohibited' sign, and removing a 'smoking prohibited' sign.
Lawyer Art Stacey said provincial court Judge Murray Howell should find Jenkinson not guilty because the new law violates Section 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees people equal treatment under the law. Stacey said the Doer government is allowing smoking in First Nation establishments but nowhere else.
Crown attorney Cynthia Devine said in her opening statements that Jenkinson's defence isn't valid. She said Section 15 of the Charter is aimed at visible minorities and others who have been historically disadvantaged, not white male business owners such as Jenkinson.
Devine is expected to attack Stacey's arguments later today. The trial is scheduled to end tomorrow.
The Manitoba government has said it does not have clear jurisdiction over smoking on native reserves. Military bases, airports and other areas under federal jurisdiction are also exempt from the smoking ban.
The trial, the first of its kind involving the new provincial law, attracted a couple of rural hotel operators and Jim Baker, president of the Manitoba Hotel Association. A Selkirk restaurant owner pleaded guilty in early June to charges under the new law and received a $1,560 fine. Finley Michaud was the first business owner to be convicted under the new smoking law.
The trial is being watched in other provinces that have followed Manitoba's lead. In Saskatchewan, where a similar smoking ban was introduced in January, the Hotels Association of Saskatchewan is scheduled to appear in court Thursday to ask that the law be overturned under Section 15. Ontario is planning a province-wide smoking ban for next year..
Manitoba bar owners have said the smoking ban has cost them a lot of money, because smokers are now either staying home or going to casinos and bingo halls on native reserves where they can light up whenever they want
Jenkinson is a former pipeline worker who bought the Creekside Hideaway in Treherne about 2 1/2 years ago. The hotel industry has covered much of his legal costs; the Manitoba Hotel Association contributed $10,000; another $20,000 was raised by individual hotel operators.
aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca
-- With files from Canadian Press
www.winnipegfreepress.com
Police seek three men in robberies at two stores -MB
Tuesday, July 19th, 2005
CITY police are looking for three men believed responsible for two convenience store robberies early yesterday.
The first robbery happened at about 1 a.m. at a Watt Street 7-Eleven when three men, one acting as a look-out, robbed the store of cash and cigarettes.
One of the robbers was armed with brass knuckles and the other a knife. One of the two female clerks was cut slightly on her forearm by the knife as she opened the cash register.
Obscured
The male with the brass knuckles is described as having a shaved head and wearing a white T-shirt with the number "23" on the front. His face was obscured by a dark bandana.
The male armed with the knife was wearing a beige-coloured collared shirt with 3 4 length sleeves, blue jeans rolled at the bottom and white runners. His face was covered with a dark coloured stocking and bandana.
The male who waited outside was wearing a white T-shirt, black pants and white runners. His face was also obscured by a black cloth.
The trio is also suspected of robbing the 7-Eleven on Lorette Avenue at about 3 a.m. in a similar fashion.
In this theft, the thieves also took lottery tickets. No one was injured.
www.winnipegfreepress.com
EDITORIAL: What the !@#?@ is going on? -ON
Tue, July 19, 2005
What did we just miss here?
Last January, Ontario Finance Minister Greg Sorbara struck a four-person panel known collectively as the Beverage Alcohol System Review, to study and make recommendations about the operation of Ontario's booze business.
Paid $1,000-a-day each, the four commissioners were told by Sorbara to take a wide-ranging approach to the issue, but not to recommend that the province sell off the LCBO.
Yesterday, the panel released its report, recommending, sure enough, that the province sell off the LCBO.
Sorbara immediately rejected this idea -- again.
Cost to the taxpayers for the review panel's work? $600,000.
Here, then, is our calm and considered reaction to these events:
FOR !@@$## SAKE, DOESN'T ANYBODY IN THIS !@@$## LIBERAL GOVERNMENT KNOW WHAT THE !@%$$@ THEY'RE DOING WHEN IT COMES TO !@@#$@ AWAY OUR MONEY!!!!???
Either panel members were out to lunch for recommending something they knew the government wouldn't do, or the Liberals were out to lunch for allowing the review to continue, knowing they weren't going to do what it recommended. You decide.
For good measure, Sorbara also rejected the review's other major recommendation which flowed from its doomed idea of selling off the LCBO -- licensing big grocery stores and other retail chains to sell booze in stores designed for that purpose.
In addition, Sorbara said, the government will not, as previously speculated, turn the LCBO into an income trust so that the private sector can invest in it.
Exactly what was the purpose of this entire expensive and time-wasting farce then, is now completely unclear.
Indeed, the Liberals didn't even wait for yesterday's public release of the panel report to deep-six it. The day before, they leaked the contents to The Canadian Press, along with the fact that they weren't going to implement any of its major recommendations.
For what it's worth, the review panel said the province would still make more than $1.5 billion annually in alcohol taxes and other revenues if it sold off the LCBO, plus another $200 million by selling licenses to the private sector to sell booze.
It argued the province could still regulate the sale of alcohol by controlling the number of licenses it gave out and carefully choosing from among potential licencees, as well as by regulating hours of operation and setting minimum prices. Consumers, it argued, would benefit from lower prices and better selection because of competition in the private sector to attract customers.
But then again, who cares, because none of this is going to happen. Ironically,the Liberal government of then Ontario premier David Peterson broke an election promise to allow the sale of beer and wine in corner grocery stores 20 years ago.
Sound familiar?
http://www.torontosun.com/Comment/Commentary/2005/07/19/1137764.html
For those who throw butts -ON
For those who drive, please butt out your cigarettes in your ashtray! Often, I see drivers throw their cigarettes out of the window on country roads where the grass/hay is very dry. This carelessness can cause fires that destroy farms, livestock, wild animals and people's homes. This is a very dry summer -- we should all take precautions to ensure we aren't careless and cause a disaster.
Chris Kenopic Georgetown
(A timely reminder)
http://www.torontosun.com/Comment/Letters/2005/07/19/1137765.html
Give all same rules: accused -MB
By STEVE LAMBERT, CANADIAN PRESS Tue, July 19, 2005
Smoke-law trial begins
PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE -- Manitoba's anti-smoking law has been described as discriminatory and un-Canadian by a bar owner whose trial has become a constitutional battleground.
"I just honestly believe that there should be one set of rules for all Canadians," Robert Jenkinson testified yesterday.
Jenkinson was the first person charged after Manitoba's law was introduced last October.
The law bans smoking in bars, restaurants and other public places, but does not apply to native reserves.
Jenkinson's lawyer, Art Stacey, said the unequal application of the law hurts non-native business owners.
He said the charges should be dropped because the law violates Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees people equal treatment under the law.
"If the application of the law frustrates you or prevents you from enjoying opportunities that other people enjoy ... that's discrimination," Stacey said outside court.
But Crown lawyer Cynthia Devine said Section 15 of the charter is aimed at visible minorities and others who have been historically disadvantaged -- not white male business owners such as Jenkinson.
"This particular applicant does not belong to a group that has historically suffered (discrimination)," Devine told the court during her opening arguments.
BASED ON LOCATION
Devine also said the law is based on the location of a business -- either on or off reserve -- not on the ethnic origins of the proprietor.
The Manitoba government has said it does not have clear jurisdiction over smoking on native reserves.
Military bases, airports and other areas under federal jurisdiction are also exempt from the smoking ban.
The trial is being watched in other provinces that have followed Manitoba's lead.
In Saskatchewan, where a similar smoking ban was introduced in January, the Hotels Association of Saskatchewan is scheduled to appear in court Thursday to ask that the law be overturned under Section 15.
Ontario is planning a province-wide smoking ban for next year.
Manitoba bar owners have said the smoking ban has cost them a lot of money, because smokers are now either staying home or going to casinos and bingo halls on native reserves where they can light up whenever they want.
"I've had very little sleep, I'm getting more stressed out," said Jenkinson, who told the court he used to get more than 100 people in his bar on karaoke nights, but now only gets about 40.
Jenkinson's lawyer is also arguing the flip side of his constitutional argument -- that the law also discriminates against aboriginals because it does not provide them with the health benefits of a smoking ban.
The trial is scheduled to end tomorrow.
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/WinnipegSun/News/2005/07/19/1137782-sun.html
Cigarette being lit for woman -BC
By CP Tue, July 19, 2005
Senior dead after oxygen explodes
VANCOUVER -- A female resident of a Vancouver seniors' home died last week after her oxygen tank blew up when she was having a cigarette lit for her.
The woman, who was in her early 60s, but whose name is not being released, was in an outdoor courtyard when she asked another female resident for a cigarette.
Vancouver fire department Capt. Rob Jones-Cook said the other woman gave the victim a cigarette and attempted to light it for her when the oxygen tank exploded.
Jones-Cook said the dead woman's clothes caught fire.
Witnesses tried to douse the fire with water from a vase but it was ultimately put out with a blanket by staff members.
The woman had burns to almost 70% of her body and died late on Wednesday at Vancouver General Hospital.
The accident occurred at Little Mountain Place, a 117-bed senior residential care facility. The residence is contracted by the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, which provides residential care to people living in the facility.
Authority spokesman Clay Adams confirmed the woman had a long, known history of smoking and had been asked by staff members not to smoke.
"When you've got someone who is cognitive, as in they're fully aware of what's going on around them - they make their own decisions - you can only continue to insist to them they should not place themselves over an open flame, like smoking, for example. If you choose to ignore that, there could be consequences."
Fire department and health authority officials say accidents such as this are extremely rare.
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Canada/2005/07/19/1138006-sun.html
Non-smoker questions data supporting ban -ON
Letter Tuesday, July 19, 2005
I'm deeply concerned with the Ontario government passing legislation to ban smoking in all public places.
Our government has been convinced to interfere in our lives because a select group of people are irritated by second-hand smoke. Second-hand smoke has been blamed for lung cancer across North America; our government and the people fighting for smoking bans would have you believe that science has shown this is the case.
The unfortunate truth of the matter is that there is not a single scientific study that has proven second-hand smoke causes lung cancer.
In 1992, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the study Respiratory Health Effects of Passive Smoking: Lung Cancer and Other Disorders, that came to the conclusion 3,000 people die every year in the United States from second-hand smoke.
On July 17, 1998, a United States Federal Court decision stated the EPA ignored data to come to a predetermined conclusion. Judge Osteen's decision said EPA's procedural failure constituted a violation of the law.
Another study in 1998 from the Journal of the National Cancer Institute concludes: "Our results indicate no association between childhood exposure to ETS, Environmental Tobacco Smoke, and lung cancer risk. We did find weak evidence of a dose-response relationship between risk of lung cancer and exposure to spousal and workplace ETS. There was no detectable risk after cessation of exposure."
The Ontario government and our municipalities are telling us that second-hand smoke is killing people and they must pass these laws to protect everyone. Unfortunately, our government is grossly contradicting the experts from the National Cancer Institute.
There are several other groups which will also tell you that second-hand smoke will kill you. They include the Surgeon General, American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, and American Heart Association, but they all use the EPA study that was thrown out in court to back their claim.
Some of them have even exaggerated the figure of 3,000 deaths to upwards of 50,000 deaths by making projections and not taking into consideration other factors that cause the same diseases as smoking.
If you accept the EPA study, that a United States Federal Court found was in violation of the law, 12.5 out of 1,000,000 people who are exposed to second-hand smoke will die of lung cancer. According to the same study, 10 out of every 1,000,000 who are not exposed to second smoke will die of lung cancer. The difference is statistically insignificant.
I don't smoke and a smoke-filled restaurant irritates me. However, there is no scientific data linking second-hand smoke to lung cancer deaths. I find it completely irresponsible that business owners and smokers have to suffer because our government is choosing to interfere in our lives based on something that has no scientific backing whatsoever.
It's time to put an end to this senseless interference.
JAMES H. DUNBAR Windsor
http://www.canada.com/windsor/windsorstar/news/letters/story.html?id=f8d8dd78-10d7-4a29-b322-9b9da6e3de60
Ray's Realm -AB
Prisoners Butt Out!
Ray Picco - publisher Tuesday July 19, 2005
It’s bad enough that the draconian measures orchestrated by the anti-tobacco lobby have already taken the fun out of playing poker or bingo in Edmonton and other major cities across Canada. Now, not even prisoners are beyond the reach of "enlightened" anti-smoking crusaders.
As of Jan. 31, 2006, all inmates in Canada’s 54 federal prisons will be prohibited from lighting up indoors. And Canadian Taxpayers -- that means you and me -- will pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to keep prisoners stocked up in nicotine patches and other "control" devices. Millions more tax dollars will be shelled out in overtime to prison guards who will have to supervise regular outdoor "smoke breaks" designed to prevent the rapists, killers and other assorted criminal deviants from succumbing to their stress.
Correctional Commissioner Lucie McLung said in a statement last week that prison wardens and guards will have to change their routines in order to allow for more outdoor trips for inmates. "In moving this way, CSC is carrying out its broader responsibility of setting conditions for healthy correctional environments, McClung said.
As the ban date approaches, inmates will be provided with educational material encouraging them to butt out completely and also be offered products to help them quit.
"This gives time for institutional staff to prepare the inmates," McClung said, adding that it will be up to each warden to figure out how guard routines will have to be adjusted in order to allow more outdoor time for smokers.
How long do you suppose it will be before a group of prisoners launches a class-action lawsuit against Ottawa, demanding that limitless access to tobacco be reinstated?
Of course, if it were bingo players or casino patrons, the feds simply wouldn’t give a damn. But prisoners, as we all know have inalienable rights that must be protected, regardless of the cost. And the taxpayers ALWAYS pay the cost.
http://www.coldlakesun.com/story.php?id=173449
Victory wouldn't end battle, hoteliers fear -MB
By Aldo Santin Wednesday, July 20th, 2005
PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE -- Hotel operators in the province face an uphill battle even if Treherne hotel owner Robert Jenkinson is found not guilty of violating the new smoking law, said an industry spokesman.
Jim Baker, president of the Manitoba Hotel Association, said he warned hotel owners not to get too excited about the prospects of Jenkinson winning his case, adding that the government has deep pockets and can battle indefinitely.
"If Jenkinson wins, the government can always appeal and they'll use our money to finance it," Baker said during a recess at Jenkinson's trial.
"Or the province can do what (Jenkinson's lawyer Art Stacey) said it should have done and bring in the range of regulations that would make the law legal and then we'd be no further ahead."
Jenkinson's trial enters its third and final day today, with crown attorney Cynthia Devine making her closing arguments, rebutting Stacey's lengthy charge to provincial court Judge Murray Howell over the past day and a half.
Jenkinson was the first hotel operator charged with violating the Non Smokers Health Protection Act, which prohibits smoking in all workplaces and all public places.
Jenkinson admitted in court Monday that he allowed his customers to smoke, explaining that he was losing business to bingo and gaming halls on nearby reserves at Long Plain and Swan Lake.
Stacey said Jenkinson's defence rested on a two arguments: the new law is invalid because it imposes criminal sanctions and the provincial government doesn't have the authority to do that; and, the law is unconstitutional because it violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Stacey spent yesterday afternoon arguing his second line of defence: the new law violates Section 15 of the Charter, which guarantees people equal treatment under the law.
Stacey said that because on-reserve businesses are exempt from the new law, Jenkinson and other hotel operators aren't being treated fairly. Stacey said Jenkinson has been discriminated against because as a non-aboriginal he'd never be allowed to open a hotel on a reserve and enjoy operating a bar that allows smoking.
Stacey said the new law also discriminates against aboriginal people because it doesn't give aboriginal employees and customers the same protections that is provided to employees off reserve.
aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca
www.winnipegfreepress.com
RE: JULY 18 letter from Darlene Balzar -AB
RE: JULY 18 letter from Darlene Balzar about no smoking in California. What she fails to mention is that smoking is allowed on outdoor patios of restaurants and bars, so you can still enjoy a smoke with your beer or meal. You can no longer do that in Edmonton.
Barry Breton
(That is true.)
http://www.edmontonsun.com/Comment/Letters/2005/07/20/1139216.html
$10-billion 'wake-up' for tobacco companies
By GLORIA GALLOWAY Wednesday, July 20, 2005 Updated at 5:42 AM EDT
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
Lobbyists hope JTI smuggling case will put pressure on larger competitors
Ottawa — Ottawa and the provinces are demanding about $10-billion in compensation from one of Canada's largest tobacco companies for tax revenues lost when cigarettes were being smuggled into Canada in the early 1990s.
The $9.6-billion, plus interest and assorted penalties, being sought from JTI-Macdonald Corp. is part of landmark legal action, and was spelled out in a report of the Ontario Superior Court.
JTI, the third largest tobacco company in the country after Imperial Tobacco Canada Ltd. and Rothmans Benson and Hedges Inc., has about 12 per cent of Canada's cigarette market. It's the only firm currently being sued by the federal or provincial governments for alleged smuggling -- although the RCMP have raided offices of the other two.
Anti-tobacco lobbyists hope the high dollar figures announced in this case will prompt JTI to settle and then provide information about larger firms they claim were also involved in the alleged scheme to ship duty-free cigarettes to the United States and then smuggle them back to Canada for black-market sales. Given their relative sizes, any action against the other companies would be expected to be exponentially larger.
"At some point, as the legal proceedings move closer to an actual trial, there would be a motivation for the company to settle if it can on favourable terms," said Rob Cunningham, a lawyer and senior policy analyst with the Canadian Cancer Society.
"If JTI did have good evidence with respect to the behaviour of others and it provided that evidence, that would certainly be a factor that might be taken into consideration by governmental authorities in discussions."
A JTI spokesman said yesterday the company has done nothing wrong, and the amount being sought is excessive.
"Our feeling is that we don't have any liability and the justice system will confirm that," said John Wildgust, JTI's director of corporate affairs. During the years in question, roughly 1990 to 1994, his company and the other tobacco companies c
