OCAT (Ontario Coalition Against Tobacco) documentation of municipal smoking bylaws as of  04/04

http://www.ocat.org/pdf/Bylaw_Chart.pdf

 

OCAT statements for arguments.  Uses many references

http://www.ocat.org/opposition/

 

What's the BC surplus really about?
Posted by: Events on http://pej.org Monday, October 25, 2004 - 08:21 AM

Some valid thoughts on Liberal lies.

"It costs taxpayers roughly $35,000 every time Gordon Campbell runs one of his ads on prime-time television. That would pay for 12 surgeries at a BC hospital," said [MLA Jenny] Kwan. "It's time governments of all stripes ended the practice of taxpayer funded partisan ads. This bill restricts partisan advertising during elections, but the NDP would go further and end the practice all-together."

From: Terry Sankey <tandhsankey@shaw.ca>

* Guess you noticed the provincial election ads ( no, not the ones the Liberals are running with our $'s - something Gordo said he would never do ) - the ones from the CEO's of BC - sort of a take off on the TV show "you are fired" with them saying, "you are hired" This is what I was talking about awhile back - watch for a lot of this in the coming 6 months.

* Gary Collins reports that he's expecting a surplus of approx. $865 million dollars. and that is due to the stimulated economy. " due to stimulated economy" or to cuts ?
Well, let us look at three ministries that the government has cut $860 million from in the past three years:
Human Resources got a massive hit of $636 million ( $1.937 million down to $1.301 million ) -
Human Resources provides social assistance to jobless, people with disabilities, etc and that help has been cut heavily by the Campbell government benefit rates are lower and eligibility has been restricted - wonder why there are so many more people on the street and panhandling etc ? Well, it is a complex situation but look no further for a major reason !

The there's the Ministry of Children and Family Development which has suffered a budget cut of $171 million from $1.553 million to $1.382 million or an 11% reduction and costs are going up. It is responsible for ensuring the protection of BC's most vulnerable citizens: children faced with abuse and neglect. We all remember the Gove inquiry in 1992 regarding Matthew Vaudrueill and how it convinced the people of BC just how important child protection is and Gordon Campbell said it would be a priority when he was in opposition, and when he was running for office and that he figured the Ministry required additional funding but it has not been a priority and it has had funds taken away, not added.

The third Ministry is the Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and Women's Service: and its budget has been cut from $559 million to $506 million or $53 million dollars. Last year the government cut $1 million in funding from women's sexual assault centres and support programs across BC.

So, the projected $865 million surplus has been created by cutting $860 million from needed services for the most vulnerable people in BC in these three ministries alone. Does that indicate increased revenues from a robust economy ?

I don't ned to tell you that other Ministrys have experienced large cuts as well - for example the Water, Land and Air Protection Ministry didn't just lose its former name - the Environment Ministry - it also lost 30% of its funding or $66 million and so on.

Yes, there have been increased revenues from: Oil and Gas exploration fees alone almost equal the proposed surplus, but the foundation for this year round exploration was layed when the NDP was in office and has been built upon by the liberals, as world demand and prices for oil and gas soar; and the demand for forest products has jumped and revenue from stumpage is up.
Windfall revenues from oil, gas, minerals and forestry have added $895 million to the bottom line since the Feb budget.

Maybe some of you forget that Medical Service Plan premiums increased 50% in 2002 and revenue jumped $494 million to $1.398 million and that one regressive tax hit alone would count for 57% of the proposed surplus. ( Note: only a few provinces charge premiums for Medical and this gives BC governments an edge on some for handling the Health costs ! )

Do you remember that the provincial sales tax was raised from 7 to 7.5% by Collins in 2002 ? Total sales taxes are now $492 million more than 2001. 
And the lottery income has just about doubled $450 million to over $800 million and with the latest expansion to online , bingo halls etc should reach $1 billion next year. And there are a myraid of fee increases and new fees that are bringing in additional revenue.

Make no mistake I'm not ignoring the tremendous spurt in construction taking place and supposed to continue through to the Olympics - record low interest rates have stimulated the housing and construction markets. This is good to see but the Liberals did not create the low interest rates or the Olympics.

Why are the CEO's rejoicing - because they personally enjoy the largest tax cuts and corporate income-tax is down $261 million since 2001, thanks to the BC liberals gerous tax cut. Meanwhile, people making $60,000 or less have seen most if not all of their tax cut disappear in new or increased premiums and fees.

So, when you see these glowing reports on CanWest media about BC's domestic product expected to reach a growth of 2.2% this year and going to 3 % next year - and the Province paper says "you need a dimmer switch to tone down the candlepower" think about this - 
BC's economy has seen higher GDP at least twice during what Gordon Campbell likes to call BC's "dismal decade" under the NDP - in fact in 2000 it was 4.8 % and in 1993 it was 4.5% and in eight out of ten years under the NDP the GDP was higher than the "glowing" 2003 GDP ! 

( $865 million surplus and without any heavy duty analysis, which the media should be doing but aren't, I've mentioned 4 ministries with cuts totalling $926 million and on the revenue side identified $2,281 billion extra revenue from lotteries, 1/2% extra sales tax, MSP premium and oil and gas and stumapge windfall - I haven't even tried to factor in the extra $'s from the feds or the savings from cutting services for eye galsses, chiropractors , physios etc. )

And the lIberals and the media like it to be known that the NDP were not all that great at managing the economy - so to claim that BC is doing so well under the liberals is, well, a little fanciful imagination.
Anyone can say, we will produce 1 million jobs in ten years and rejoice about predicting such job opportunities under the liberals. But, the extropolation was based on the Stats Can May survey which is not actual jobs and when the payroll reports came in July for May the figure was only 1/10 what had been stated in May. 
Take the May stat and run with it, must have been the decision and that is how the 1 million jobs was arrived at. Smoke and mirrors or BS baffles brains.

(Of course, we know how that works - see Tony Blair and George Bush brush off the fact that there were no weapons of mass destruction - we got inaccurate intelligence.)
So, say the 1 million shrinks to 300,000 or 400,000 jobs or heaven forbid a miserable 200,000  - well, our data was faulty.

* The above few items clearly show that the current surplus is not due to the "great financial skill" claimed by the BC lIberals and their supporters - to indicate this is a serious exaggeration !

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From: oppositioncaucus@leg.bc.ca

NDP Opposition Caucus tables Bill banning government advertising during elections

VICTORIA -- The Opposition New Democrats today tabled a bill in the Legislature that would make it illegal for the government to use taxpayer funds on partisan political advertising during a general election or a by-election.

"Gordon Campbell promised not to spend tax dollars on partisan government ads during elections," said NDP MLA Joy MacPhail. "But he's breaking his promise and spending millions of dollars during the Surrey-Panorama Ridge by-election trying to influence its outcome. This bill would put a stop to Gordon Campbell's binge advertising spree."

MLA Jenny Kwan said she's heard from many British Columbians who are angry that the government is putting resources into ads at the same time waitlists are going through the roof. According to the government's own reports, waitlists have grown by 31 per cent in the three years since the Liberals took office. The number of British Columbians waiting for hip surgery alone has doubled since 2001.

"It costs taxpayers roughly $35,000 every time Gordon Campbell runs one of his ads on prime-time television. That would pay for 12 surgeries at a BC hospital," said Kwan. "It's time governments of all stripes ended the practice of taxpayer funded partisan ads. This bill restricts partisan advertising during elections, but the NDP would go further and end the practice all-together."

The bill introduced by the NDP Opposition makes government advertising an offence during the campaign period of general election and by-election and comes with a fine of up to $5000 for the Premier of a government that commits the offence. The standards by which government advertising will be governed will be established by a non-partisan committee.

"Government advertising is out of control. It's time legislators put a stop to it. This bill is an important step in that direction, and I hope that at least some government MLAs have the courage to support its passage into law," said MacPhail.

BILL M 207 - 2004 Joy MacPhail, M.L.A

Election Act Amendment Act

(An Act Limiting Government Advertising During Elections and By-Elections)

WHEREAS in June 1996 BCís Auditor General issued a report which said in part that:

"Advertising undertaken either shortly before or after an election writ is issued should have a clear commercial or essential community information purpose and be necessary at that particular time. It should not give grounds, through its content or timing, for a claim that it is being used for partisan political gain."

AND WHEREAS the public has responded favourably to the advice of the Auditor General on this matter:

HER MAJESTY, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia, enacts as follows:

Election Act

1. Section 1 of the Election Act, R.S.B.C., c. 106, is amended by adding the following definition:

ìGovernment Advertisingî means any communications through written or electronic media, funded in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, by taxpayersí dollars administered by the Provincial Government.

2. Section 235 (under Part ll ñ Election Communications) is amended to read:

Government Advertising

235 (a) Government advertising is prohibited during the campaign period of either a general election or a by-election except as allowed by regulation as established under this act.

(b) Government advertising is prohibited during the 4 months leading up to a general election except as allowed by regulation as established under this act.

3. Section 264 (Offences in relation to election advertising and other promotions) is amended by adding:

(3) (a) A government that contravenes Section 235 commits an offence.

(b) The Premier of a government that commits an offence under subsection (3)(a) is liable to a fine of not more than $5,000.

4. Part 13 ñ General is amended by adding:

Regulations regarding Government Advertising

284 Regulations specific to Section 235 will be written by a non-partisan committee established by unanimous consent of the Legislature of British Columbia.
 http://www.pej.org/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=842&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

 

Two Hay River bars suspended

Paul Bickford
Northern News Services

Hay River (Oct 18/04) - Two Hay River drinking establishments have been ordered by the NWT Liquor Licencing Board to temporarily close their doors.

At both the Royal Canadian Legion and the Caribou Lounge, patrons were spotted carrying alcoholic beverages outside the licensed premises.

By allowing it to happen, the organizations violated a Liquor Act regulation requiring they take "reasonable precautions" to ensure liquor sold on the premises is not taken outside.

The Caribou was fined $1,000 and ordered to close for four days, from 10 a.m. on Nov. 1 to 10 a.m. on Nov. 5.

On the evening of June 5 and in the early morning of June 6, an RCMP constable observed three instances of patrons outside the premises holding glasses or bottles.

Caribou license-holder Jeff Brockway argued that it didn't prove the lounge had not taken "reasonable" precautions, as prescribed in the regulations.

"We are attempting to do what we can within reason," he said.

It is virtually impossible to prevent everyone from stepping outside with drinks, said Brockway, noting that staff members can't legally search anyone.

He said that, ever since the WCB's workplace smoking ban came into effect in May, there's been a steady stream of traffic in and out the bar most nights.

"Since that time, our doors swing an average of 100 more times a night," he said.

Canada Day jugs

The Legion was not fined but was ordered closed for three days -- from 3 p.m. on Nov. 1 until 10 a.m. on Nov. 4.

On July 1, a liquor inspector witnessed a half-dozen people with jugs of beer lounging about outside the Legion.

A Legion spokesperson told the board it was common for drinkers to sit outside every July 1, which is Canada Day.

Legion member Ross Ullathorne, until recently a member of the licensing board, asked for leniency, noting the Legion is in a precarious financial situation.

http://www.nnsl.com/frames/newspapers/2004-10/oct18_04bar.html

 

anesthesiologists may get hooked from secondhand exposure to drugs
 Posted on Monday, October 25, 2004 @ 9:43 AM PDT by bjs
On-the-job exposure to low doses of powerful medications commonly administered to patients intravenously in the operating room may be a factor leading some anesthesiologists to abuse drugs. Anesthesiologists -- who as a group are up to four times more likely to be treated for drug addiction than other physicians -- may become sensitized to the intravenous drugs fentanyl and propofol after repeated exposure during long surgical procedures.

From University of Florida:

Secondhand Exposure to Drugs May be an Occupational Hazard for Anesthesiologists

On-the-job exposure to low doses of powerful medications commonly administered to patients intravenously in the operating room may be a factor leading some anesthesiologists to abuse drugs, a theory University of Florida researchers will present Saturday at the 34th annual Society for Neuroscience meeting in San Diego.

Dr. Mark Gold, a distinguished professor with UF's McKnight Brain Institute, said anesthesiologists who sit near a patient's head during surgery are exposed secondhand to anesthetic drugs as they are exhaled by the patient. Blood sampling and further studies are necessary to determine if anesthesiologists truly suffer ill effects from inhaling trace amounts of the drugs just as nonsmokers are adversely affected by secondhand smoke, Gold said.

''Most people thought that in the evolution of anesthetic practice from inhaled gases -- nitrous and ether, and so forth -- to drugs that are administered intravenously, there wouldn't be secondhand exposure,'' Gold said. ''[Now we see] that those narcotics, which may be 1,000 times more potent than heroin, get into the air, may reach their brain, may change their brain and make it more likely that they'll crave and want drugs, [become] depressed, and may be more likely that they'll have a host of behavioral problems.''

Gold said the unintentional exposure may one day be determined to be an ''occupational hazard'' for anesthesiologists.

Anesthesiologists -- who as a group are up to four times more likely to be treated for drug addiction than other physicians -- may become sensitized to the intravenous drugs fentanyl and propofol after repeated exposure during long surgical procedures, said Gold, chief of the Division of Addiction Medicine and a professor in the departments of psychiatry and neuroscience.

In 2003, anesthesiologists represented only 5.6 percent of physicians in Florida but accounted for almost 25 percent of physicians monitored for substance abuse, according to Gold's research. National statistics show a similar overrepresentation for anesthesiologists among drug-abusing physicians.

Gold theorized reasons other than access to drugs caused anesthesiologists to be overrepresented among addicted physicians, and that the presence of analgesic and anesthetic agents in the air in operating rooms might be one of them.

To test the theory, UF researchers initially used sensors developed for the military for detection of nerve gas and explosives. They also used standard analytical equipment called gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy to identify minute quantities of propofol in the exhaled breath of subjects in a clinical trial.

Next, using an analytical device called liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy-mass spectroscopy, Gold worked with UF anesthesiologists Drs. Donn Dennis, Timothy Morey and Richard Melker to measure and analyze multiple operating room air samples for fentanyl and propofol molecules.

They found the drugs present throughout the operating room, with the largest concentrations over the patient's mouth. The amounts are so low they can only be detected with recently developed, ultra-sensitive instruments.

''We don't know what doses they are exposed to at this time,'' Gold said. ''We will do blood sampling of anesthesiologists to learn that. But fentanyl and related analgesics are very powerful opiates, given in very large doses during cardiac surgery. Anesthesiologists may become sensitized.

''It has been shown that children of smokers are more likely to smoke,'' Gold added. ''It is currently understood that they have been smoking their whole lives secondhand. So their brain is changing and they are de facto smokers. I believe the same thing happens with anesthesiologists. They had no intention to become addicts, their brains changed, they don't feel right and they do come to associate the drug with relief.''

Until now, reasons such as family history and access to drugs were considered the main factors leading some anesthesiologists to drug use and addiction, Gold said, but the new findings may change that perception, as well as how recovering anesthesiologists are perceived. It may also lead to changes in air-handling systems, masks and length of shifts in the operating room.

Dr. Mark Aronson, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, said the current theory of easy access to drugs provides a simple explanation for higher levels of addiction among anesthesiologists. However, hospitals monitor drug usage more rigorously now, making access more difficult and the access theory less plausible.

''Gold's study offers an interesting and certainly plausible alternative explanation and makes the operating room a potentially dangerous occupational hazard for anesthesiologists,'' Aronson said. ''Obviously this needs further research, but I found this work quite intriguing.''

http://www.scienceblog.com/community/article4446.html

 

Campaigners lobby for ad removal -NZ

26.10.2004 5.40 am

Anti-smoking campaigners in Australia have called for the withdrawal of an advertisement for an impotence treatment that features comedian Ugly Dave Gray puffing on a cigar.

The ad features Gray, with his trademark cigar between his teeth, endorsing the Advance Medical Institute's erectile dysfunction treatment with the heading "It works!".

Action on Smoking and Health says the ad gives people the wrong message about the link between smoking and sexual performance and that "thousands of men have been made impotent by smoking."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/latestnewsstory.cfm?storyID=3603894&thesection=news&thesubsection=world

---

Butt ban burns –MB, CA
Selkirk restaurant openly defies province’s non-smoking order

By Andrew Buck
Wednesday November 10, 2004

Selkirk Journal — Leslie Dumas and Finley Michaud have a message for the government of Manitoba: butt out.
Dumas and Michaud co-own Selkirk’s Finley’s Restaurant, which, as of last week, was the only Selkirk-area restaurant to publicly defy the province’s indoor smoking ban in public places.
The ashtrays were out at the pair’s Main Street restaurant, and a couple of patrons were putting them to use while Dumas and Michaud spoke about their decision last Tuesday.
“We’re doing this because they’re taking away our common law rights,” Dumas said, lighting a cigarette. “The government doesn’t have a right to take our ashtrays away.”
“Smoking is not a privilege,” Michaud added, “it’s a right.”
Dumas and Michaud have already received a warning from a provincial health inspector, but they say the prospect of a fine doesn’t scare them. In fact, they say, it’s exactly what they want – they’ve retained a Winnipeg lawyer to fight the new anti-smoking legislation on the grounds that it infringes on their common law rights.
“I need the fine in order to take this to the Court of Queen’s Bench,” Dumas said. Their lawyer has also been hired by other Manitoba businesses that have chosen to defy the smoking ban, including a Treherne hotel owner, they said.
“Smoking is not illegal,” Finley said. “Why don’t they go after the bars and tell people not to drink alcohol? It’s the same thing.”
If the province was serious about cutting down on smoking it would go to the root of the problem and attack big tobacco companies, Finley said.
“But they’ll never do that because they know they won’t get very far with them,” he said. The pair are prepared for a legal battle, Finley said, and plans for a benefit social are already in the works.
“We’re prepared to fight,” he said. “For how long? Until we beat it or they beat us. We’re not giving an inch.” The fee for first time offenders caught violating the ban ranges from a minimum of $500 to a $3,000 maximum.
In the meantime, Finley said the restaurant will continue to do business as usual, albeit at a quicker pace. Since the ban kicked in, Finley’s has seen an increase in new customers on top of its regulars.
Increased business
“Business has increased,” Dumas said, “we’re getting all of our regulars plus new people. Yesterday we had a lady from St. Agathe come up so she could have a smoke with her breakfast.” The restaurant’s guest book is also full of names.
“Smoking or non-smoking, our customers are supporting us,” Finley said. “About 75 per cent of our clientele are non-smokers, and they’re still coming here.”
Ultimately, the pair said, they’d like to see businesses across Manitoba return ashtrays to their tables en masse and force the government to call off the ban.
For those businesses that are observing the ban, the picture is a lot hazier. Brad Cyncora, who owns Brad’s Place in Selkirk, said his restaurant is feeling the heat.
“Our business has definitely dropped off by at least 20 per cent,” said Cyncora, who is observing the new butt ban. “I don’t smoke, so it doesn’t matter to me, but we’re supposed to be living in a democracy. Instead, they’re making rules and forcing them on us – where’s our choice?”
Though he’s not happy about the ban, Cyncora says he’ll still abide by it.
“It’s not fair, but it’s something the government has made a decision on, and the law is the law and you have to follow it.”
Smokers have also been forced to butt out a Gaffer’s Restaurant and Lounge in Lockport. The move is a small piece in series of government regulatory moves that have served to undermine the hospitality industry, Gaffer’s owner David Truthwaite said.
“(The ban) is what’s come into force and until there’s a collective movement to deal with this and other issues the hospitality industry is facing, it will be a wait-and-see thing.” While not a smoker himself, Truthwaite said businesses should have the option of offering smoking.
“This isn’t about smoking,” he said. “This is about the right of businesses to survive and the rights of individuals to have a place to smoke.”

http://selkirkjournal.com/story.php?id=121151

 

CLASS  ACTION  LAWSUIT  REGISTRATION –ON,CA

October 21, 2004

October 23 - We have 25 Registrants so far

If that does not seem like many, consider this story from February 2004,
when just FOUR smokers attempted to get filed:

Justice Warren Winkler of the Ontario Superior Court said the multi-million dollar lawsuit, which accused Canada's three major tobacco makers of conspiring to hide the dangers of smoking, did not meet the legal test for class-action certification.

The plaintiffs appear to have little in common except they smoked, Winkler said in his 22-page decision.

"In essence, the plaintiffs seek certification of an amorphous group of people comprised of individuals of different ages, covering different decades, who knew different things concerning the risks inherent in smoking and who began to smoke for different reasons," the judge said.

Link to Registration Form

 

Register for the Lawsuit now,

or YOU likely will not get your stolen Tobacco Taxes back when we win.
steve hartwell, director
www.SmokersRightsCanada.org

http://168.144.6.51/src//class-action-lawsuit.htm

 

 

Truth bends in war on drugs --Canada

By PAUL CAMPOS University of Colorado law professor
 TORONTO - The University of Toronto has just played host to an important conference, titled "The Politics of Obesity," at which scholars from various academic disciplines examined the claim that North America is facing a health crisis because of increasing weight. The consensus was that we are not: a conclusion that will only surprise those who rely on diet doctors, rather than social scientists, for information on the topic.

America loves to export health hysteria, as illustrated by the comments of U.S. drug czar John Walters, who is upset by signs that Canada is implementing a rational policy in regard to marijuana. "The kind of marijuana coming from Canada is the crack of marijuana," Walters says. "It is dangerous. It is destructive."

Referring to recent Canadian legislation that has decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana, our drug czar fumed that "the political leadership in Canada has been utterly unable to come to grips with this. They're talking about legalization while Rome burns."

Rome is burning, according to Walters, because the marijuana being sold today is vastly more potent than that of a generation ago - as much as 30 times more powerful. "This isn't your parents' marijuana" (i.e., the kind smoked 20 years ago by a large proportion of the government officials who now prosecute the drug war), Walters warns our ever-vulnerable children.

Even by the abysmally low standards of truthfulness employed by public health officials in regard to drugs in general, and marijuana in particular, these statements are remarkable for their dishonesty. The claim that today's marijuana is 30 times more powerful than the schwag once enjoyed by our current leaders is true only in the Clintonian sense that it isn't 100 percent false.

This figure was produced by comparing the most powerful marijuana now available - which, because it is both extremely rare and extremely expensive, will only be smoked by a tiny handful of marijuana users - with the lowest-grade pot seized by police agencies 30 years ago: weed far weaker than that smoked by the average bell-bottomed Led Zeppelin fan.

The truth is that the average THC content of marijuana today (THC determines the drug's strength) is about 4.5 percent, as compared to about 3 percent a generation ago. Thus the claim that today's marijuana is 30 times stronger than the product Bill Clinton claims not to have inhaled exaggerates the situation by approximately 1,500 percent.

Even this understates the dishonesty of our drug warriors. There is no evidence that stronger marijuana leads those who use the drug to ingest more THC, or that it increases the very modest health risks associated with its use (indeed, the biggest health risk - smoke inhalation - is lessened by stronger marijuana, because it requires less smoking to produce the same effect).

Last week, the academic year got off to an all-too-familiar start when Samantha Spady, a 19-year-old Colorado State sophomore, was found dead in the lounge of a campus fraternity. She apparently drank herself to death - something that almost anyone can do with a bottle of vodka, and a fate that will befall many other college students before the year is done.

By contrast, an "overdose" of the "crack of marijuana" -the extremely rare and expensive stuff smoked by almost no one -will cause those who smoke it to fall asleep, and wake up a few hours later with a headache.

Tens of thousands of Americans are in prison today because we treat a drug that has never killed anyone as if it were far more dangerous than a drug that kills tens of thousands of Americans every year. Truth: the anti-drug-war drug.

http://www.polkonline.com/archives/index.shtml

 

Health fix may mean cuts –KY, USA
By Amanda York
Post Frankfort Bureau Chief
FRANKFORT -- The health insurance package approved by lawmakers last week means they'll have less money to spend on other state-funded projects when it comes time to pass a budget in February.

"Kentucky will have to arrange its priorities for the purpose of determining what projects and programs would be affected by an expenditure of that level," state Budget Director Brad Cowgill said.

Lawmakers decided in a special session to make health insurance less costly for state employees by spending approximately $200 million to fund it.

So far, the plan has worked.

Kentucky teachers are appeased for now and a strike planned to begin Wednesday is off. Gov. Ernie Fletcher called the special session when the high cost of the insurance plan he proposed created an outcry among teachers and state employees.

Both the House and Senate agreed on spending $172 million out of the general fund -- the source Kentucky uses for funding a myriad of programs including Medicaid and postsecondary education. Another $25 million will be spent from three sources: federal, restricted and road funds.

Deputy State Budget Director William Hintze said the road fund would likely supply about $5 million. The Transportation Cabinet already is overloaded with road projects it can't afford. The cabinet's budget and fiscal management director said efficiencies first would be achieved in house before any projects were delayed.

Legislators seem confident the health insurance plan can be financed through using predicted increases totaling up to $305 million in the state's revenue forecast. But Cowgill said the revenue increases projected for fiscal years 2004 and 2005 -- $139 million and $95 million respectively -- had already been factored into the spending plan.

What's left is $70 million and that's not available until fiscal year 2006, which starts July 1, 2005. State Rep. Harry Moberly, D-Richmond, on the night House Bill 1 passed through his chamber said he's confident Kentucky could pay for this plan.

"The money is available in the old and new revenue estimates," said Moberly, who chairs the House's budget committee. "The issue is what are your priorities. Are you going to spend the money on programs or people? We spent the money on our most precious resource -- people."

The plan received unanimous support in both chambers. Rep. Tom Kerr, R-Taylor Mill, said the money had to be spent so teachers could educate rather than worry about health coverage.

"We've got to make sure that we can offer our teachers and state employees benefits such as retirement and health insurance that at least makes it worth working in Kentucky," Kerr said noting that in Northern Kentucky teachers can easily make the choice to head to Ohio for more money.

Kentucky's financial situation is complex. For some time now, the state's been in a money crunch though recent forecasts indicate the economy is improving. Still, money paid out has grown, while new revenue has not. Efforts to raise revenue through gaming and a cigarette tax increase fell flat during this past session, which ended in gridlock when lawmakers couldn't agree on tax reform.

No adopted budget resulted in the postponement of road projects and capitol projects, including a special events arena for Northern Kentucky University and the expansion of the Edgewood campus of Gateway Community and Technical College. Fletcher currently is running the state on a spending plan he created that's being challenged in court. The spending plan, which will expire Dec. 31, is not impacted by the increase in funding for health insurance.

The state starts paying for the new health insurance plan Jan. 1, Cowgill said. Northern Kentucky University President James Votruba said he's concerned postsecondary education would end up taking more financial hits. NKU has already seen a 9 percent reduction in its base funding.

"Taking $172 million out of this budget puts stress on all who depend on the budget," Votruba said, though he expressed confidence that Gov. Fletcher understands the important role postsecondary education plays in economic development.

Still, Rep. Steve Nunn, R-Glasgow, predicts the coming session won't be an easy one.

"When we come back -- it's going to be a very difficult situation once again and we will be faced with a lot of tough decisions," Nunn said.

http://www.kypost.com/2004/10/25/budg102504.html

 

Reynolds American Posts $339M Profit in 3Q
PAUL NOWELL Posted on Mon, Oct. 25, 2004
Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Reynolds American Inc., the nation's second biggest cigarette maker reporting earnings for the first time since the combination of R.J. Reynolds and the U.S. operations of Brown & Williamson Tobacco, on Monday posted a third-quarter profit of $339 million, or $2.66 per share.

The maker of Winston, Camel, Salem and Lucky Strike cigarettes also boosted its earnings outlook for the full year.

The latest quarterly results compared with a loss of $3.5 billion, or $41.31 per share, in the July-September period last year. Those results included restructuring charges of $310 million and trademark and goodwill impairment charges of $3.59 billion, the company said.

Revenue rose to $1.87 billion in the quarter from $1.38 billion a year ago.

The Winston-Salem-based company said it expects operating income of $1.05 billion to $1.1 billion and net income of $765 million to $795 million, or $6.85 a share to $7.10 a share, for the full year.

But shares of Reynolds American were down 93 cents, or 1.4 percent, at $67.26 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

Reynolds American was created as a publicly traded holding company in July with the combination of the nation's No. 2 and No. 3 cigarette manufacturers, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and the domestic operations of Brown & Williamson and Lane Limited.

"Our third-quarter results and outlook for the year demonstrate the progress we continue to make in streamlining our cost structure and realizing the initial benefits of the business combination and Lane acquisition," said Susan Ivey, chief executive officer and president.

She said the company was "making excellent progress in developing a new brand-portfolio strategy."

The company will finalize the plan by the end of the year with plans to implement a new brand-portfolio strategy by early 2005, Ivey said.

Net income for the first nine months of this year was $612 million, or $6.16 per share, compared with a net loss of $3.3 billion, or $39.55 per share, during the first nine months of 2003.

Nine-month sales were $4.4 billion, up 10 percent compared with the prior-year period.

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/business/10010783.htm

 

Echo to the rescue

Now a litter alley is given a clean up-UK

A LITTER-STREWN city alley has been cleaned up within hours of ECHO Action stepping in.

Traders on Great Charlotte Street had to contend with half-eaten takeaways, clothes, furniture and broken glass scattered outside their businesses.

The 150 yard service road running behind city centre Tess Riley's pub and JR's Bar and Grill was regularly covered in litter after weekly rubbish collections.

Despite repeated calls to Liverpool council little had been done, until ECHO Action got involved.

Trader Joe Fay of JR's Bar and Grill, got in touch after seeing coverage of the council's clampdown on litter bugs.

He said: "I have called the council at least 15 times to complain about this. Then I read in the ECHO about people getting fined for dropping cigarette butts and I got so frustrated."

Every Tuesday night more than 50 bags of rubbish from nearby student accommodation are left out for collection the following morning. But overnight homeless people and cats rifle through the rubbish.

Some companies who deliver to the businesses have refused to do so because they fear that discarded broken glass will damage their vehicles' tyres.

Mr Fay made his first call to Liverpool Direct about the problem in July.

Within hours of an ECHO Action call to the council a team of street cleaners was busy clearing up the mess.

And Liverpool council has pledged to find a permanent solution to the litter problem.

A spokesman said: "We met Mr Fay on Friday and we want to thank him for bringing this to our attention.

"We are also meeting the owners of the student accommodation to come up with a long-term solution for this problem."

Bar owner finally Gets Street cleaned up

 

Cigarette-smuggling driver set to lose van -UK

A VAN driver faces losing his vehicle after being caught with 200,000 duty-free cigarettes in the Lothians.
James McEwan, 36, of South Gyle Road, Edinburgh, was found guilty of the fraudulent evasion of duty totalling £33,549.44 on cigarettes and tobacco.
He will be sentenced in November 2004 and is now subject to a proceeds of crime investigation which could see him lose his van and any other assets linked to the crime.
On July 8, 2002 McEwan was intercepted by police officers and Customs in Loanhead whilst transporting more than 200,000 duty-free cigarettes and ten kilograms of hand-rolling tobacco in a transit van. Today, Customs’ head of investigations in Scotland, Gordon Miller, said: "This operation shows the benefits of multi-agency working with Lothian and Borders Police.
"It also highlights our determination to crack down on a crime that takes cash away from schools and hospitals, and puts local shops out of business.
"We want people buying smuggled cigarettes to realise that the main profits from these illegal activities fund organised crime gangs.
"If you know of suspicious activities which may result from drug smuggling, call our 24-hour freephone 0800 59 5000, e-mail customs.confidential@hmce.gsi.gov.uk or fax free on 0800 5280 506."
The Proceeds of Crime Act which came into effect on 30 December 2002 gave Customs new key powers to crack down on smugglers, drug dealers and other criminals.
Customs are now able to seize cash and assets belonging to criminals to the financial value of the duty which they evaded.
The Act gave wide-ranging powers to Customs officials to seize assets from anyone committing any crime anywhere in the UK.
Previously, Customs could only seize money at the border and then only money linked to drugs.

http://news.scotsman.com/edinburgh.cfm?id=1236842004

 

Swedish health minister opposes anti-smoking campaign – google search line
EUobserver.com, Belgium - 10 hours ago
... minister of health, Morgan Johansson, has rejected a new EU anti-smoking campaign that calls on governments to put photographic warnings on cigarette packs to ...

http://www.euobserver.com/?sid=9&aid=17605

 

Recycled art contest deadline extended –FL, USA

By SANDI MARTIN
sandi.martin@newschief.com

WINTER HAVEN - Local cleanup group Keep Polk County Beautiful is having a hard time getting people excited about a couple of its contests.

Chalk the lack of interest in the second annual Recycled Sculpture Art and Public Service Announcement contests up to the hurricanes, said Lorrie Delk-Walker, executive director of the organization.

"Sign ups have been a little slow, and I think it's because of the hurricanes," Delk-Walker said.

So to get more students interested in entering the contest, the organization has extended the deadline.

The art contest is open to every public, private and home-schooled student in Polk County. In honor of America Recycles Day on Nov. 15, the recycled art contest encourages participants to create sculptures from things that would normally be thrown away or recycled.

The deadline for students and classes to register is Friday at 5 p.m. The sculptures will be displayed at the Eagle Ridge Mall from Nov. 6 through Nov. 13.

There will be three Best of Show prizes, one each for elementary, middle and high school entries. Those winners will be awarded $100 in savings bonds at the Keep Polk County Beautiful annual meeting and awards ceremony in May.

The public service announcement contest is also drawing few contestants.

"Our PSA contest is hurting even worse," Delk-Walker said. "We really need some schools to sign up for that."

This year's topic is on cigarette litter, and the preregistration deadline is Nov. 12 at 5 p.m.

All entries are due by 5 p.m. on Dec. 10. First, second and third prizes will be awarded for both middle and high school students, winning electronic prizes at the awards ceremony in May.

For more information about either contest, call Keep Polk County Beautiful at (863) 533-8423.

http://www.polkonline.com/stories/102504/loc_deadline.shtml

 

Judge: testimony by smokers' witnesses getting repetitive

By TRACY FIELDS Associated Press

MIAMI -- Testimony in the first class-action lawsuit by smokers to reach trial is starting to look familiar to the presiding judge.

In this second phase of the trial, plaintiffs' attorney Stanley Rosenblatt has called several witnesses who appeared on the smokers' behalf during the first phase. In July, after eight months of testimony, a jury found that cigarette smoking makes people sick and cigarette manufacturers deceived the public about the danger.

The jury is now hearing evidence about whether class representatives Frank Amodeo and Mary Farnan, both cancer victims, should be awarded compensatory damages. If the panel finds that they do, it could award hundreds of billions of dollars to about 500,000 sick Florida smokers.

Tobacco interests have expressed great concern about the industry's ability to handle such a financial blow.

On Thursday, attorneys argued about whether Dr. Ronald Davis should be allowed to testify. Lead editor of the surgeon general's 1988 report on nicotine addiction, he testified on that subject in October 1998, during phase one.

''When you are losing more and more of your legs and arms and you continue to smoke ... or if you have had your voice box removed and you have to breathe through a hole in your throat and you smoke through the hole in your throat, I can't imagine what is better evidence of the addictive nature of smoking,'' he said then.

Tobacco lawyers claimed Thursday that allowing another witness to speak on the subject would be repetitive.

''We really don't need another armchair expert on addiction,'' said Nedd Dodds.

Rosenblatt pointed out that Davis specializes in preventive medicine, and would be the first such expert heard from in the trial's penalty phase. He also noted that Davis had testified in the case of Patricia Henley, a Californian with inoperable lung cancer who was awarded multi-million dollar damages in February.

''They would do anything in their power to get rid of Dr. Ronald Davis,'' Rosenblatt said.

Circuit Judge Robert Kaye said he would allow Davis to testify Friday about addiction, but probably not about what caused Farnan's and Amodeo's illnesses.

''We are getting very similar testimony from a lot of people,'' he told Rosenblatt. ''It's beginning to show.''

http://www.polkonline.com/archives/index.shtml

 

Dirty air? Or dirty tricks? -US

By MICHAEL FUMENTO
Scripps Howard News Service Friday, June 25, 2004

How strange. The cleaner our air gets, the sicker we become. At this rate, when the air over Los Angeles becomes absolutely pure, we'll all keel right over. Or so you might believe from "Dirty Power, Dirty Air," a new report from a group called Clear the Air.

You might not think you're coughing and gasping for air, but, trust them - you are. In fact, "fine particle pollution (technically known as PM2.5) from U.S. power plants cuts short the lives of nearly 24,000 people each year, including 2,800 from lung cancer," says the report. And we're not talking about losing a few days, but rather an average of 14 years. Air pollution also causes more than 38,000 nonfatal heart attacks and more than half a million cases of asthma, it claims.

Better, it seems, to smoke four packs of Camels a day than live near a coal- or oil-fired plant. But letting just a little ray of sunshine come through that soot-blackened air, here's what we find.

Since 1970, the total national emissions of the six principal pollutants the Environmental Protection Agency tracks have been cut 48 percent, even as energy consumption increased 42 percent and the population increased 38 percent.

PM2.5 emissions have only been tracked since 1993, but by 2002 had fallen 17 percent. In terms of air quality, they have only been measured since 1998 but by 2003 had dropped eight percent.

This is bad news? We know that Clear the Air is playing pollution prevarication with asthma because even as dirty air levels plummeted, asthma incidence from 1980 to 1999 INCREASED by 83 percent according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As to deaths, the report admits the numbers are extrapolated essentially from just two studies. Both were highly controversial and indeed I debunked them in a 1997 article that I later lengthened into the book "Polluted Science."

A 1993 analysis, partly funded by the EPA, was called The Harvard Six Cities Study because it compared PM2.5 levels and deaths among six municipalities. As it happens, four were of no use to the researchers; so it should have been called The Two Cities Study. Of those two, one had significantly higher PM2.5 levels and higher death rates. Voila! 'Twas fine particles that did the evil deed.

Yet among nonsmokers there was no statistically significant difference in deaths. Different smoking rates could have accounted for everything. Likewise, there was no significant difference in deaths if you excluded persons with occupational exposures to "gases, fumes, or dust."

In general, the Six Cities Study was a brilliant exercise in omission of "non-useful" information. The particulate hunters carefully excised from their data any personal habit, any occupational exposure and anything else that would result in anything other than their pre-determined conclusion. They then steadfastly refused to release their data - even to the EPA. They admitted they didn't want others to analyze them.

Carol Browner's EPA, essentially a taxpayer-supported environmentalist group, quickly grabbed onto the conclusion of the Six Cities Study, along with that of an equally skewed one from 1995 (with three of the same co-authors), to demand fine particle regulation. It got it. Yet a subsequent review of all PM studies found no evidence that anybody has ever died from particulates.

On the other hand, stricter emissions regulations inherently raise energy prices. If my utility bill increases, I'll grumble but I can afford it. It's the poor who will suffer, especially the elderly ones. They are most likely to turn off air conditioners during heat waves when the bills are the highest and their bodies can least adjust to the heat.

Last August in France, a mind-boggling 15,000 people died during a single heat wave.

By the standards of much of the U.S., temperatures weren't that high. But air conditioning is rare in France, even in hospitals and nursing homes. Why? Because taxes pushed by the French counterparts of Clear the Air drove up energy costs.

If Clear the Air gets its way, we'll be trading theoretical deaths derived through the use of smoke and mirrors for real deaths with real bodies. But until we eliminate that last piece of soot, apparently that's just the price they're willing to have us pay.

Michael Fumento (Fumento@pobox.com) is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute, in Washington and a nationally syndicated columnist with Scripps Howard News Service.

http://www.polkonline.com/archives/index.shtml

---

-Consumers spent in Q2. - Canada

Consumers spent as much on alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and tobacco combined as they did on gasoline and oil - about $7.4 billion in April, May and June. The total tab for motor vehicles, parts and services was $21.7 billion. Health and personal-care products accounted for $7 billion, as did clothing, footwear and accessories. Prescription drugs took $3.8 billion. In total, $90.3 billion was spent in retail stores in the second quarter of 2004, up from $74 billion in the first quarter.

http://www.cbc.ca/cp/business/041023/b102308.html

 

Here are the casino results for the Ontario casinos.   They stopped allowing smoking in July of this year. 

First Quarter 2003/2004 (April - June) - Unaudited Results

Charity Casinos and Slots-at-Racetracks - Consolidated Figures

First Quarter 2003/04 Year to Date 2003/04

Gross Gaming Revenue $502,064,553 $502,064,553

Number of Patrons 656,666 (daily average) 6,326,078

Revenue to Track (10%) $38,840,917 $38,840,917

Revenue to Horse People (10%) $38,840,917 $38,840,917

Revenue to Municipalities* $17,766,409 $17,766,409

OLGC Payroll (estimated annual) $265,948,894

Number of OLGC Employees 6,982

Number of Slot Machines 11,380

Number of Tables 142

*5% gross from slot machines at charity casinos; 5% gross from slots up to 450 machines; 2% gross from slots over 450 at slots at racetracks.

http://corporate.olgc.ca/pdf/03_04_Q1_charity_slots.pdf

 

Charity Casinos and Slots-at-Racetracks - Consolidated Figures
First Quarter 2004/05		Year to Date 2004/05
Gross Gaming Revenue	$529,701,742		$529,701,742
Number of Patrons	72,629	(daily average)	6,609,221
Revenue to Track (10%)	$40,487,811		$40,487,811
Revenue to Horse People (10%)	$40,487,811		$40,487,811
Revenue to Municipalities*	$18,564,782		$18,564,782
OLGC Payroll (estimated annual)		$300,441,068
Number of OLGC Employees		7,420
Number of Slot Machines		12,033
Number of Tables		144

OLGC operates and manages the following 21 gaming facilities:

Brantford Charity Casino, Slots at Clinton Raceway, Slots at Dresden Raceway

Slots at Flamboro Downs, Slots at Fort Erie Race Track, Slots at Great Blue Heron Charity Casino**, Slots at Georgian Downs, Slots at Hanover Raceway, Slots at Hiawatha Horse Park

Slots at Kawartha Downs, Slots at Mohawk Racetrack, Point Edward Charity Casino

Slots at Rideau Carleton Raceway, Casino Sault Ste. Marie, Slots at Sudbury Downs

Thousand Islands Charity Casino, Thunder Bay Charity Casino, Slots at Windsor Raceway

Slots at Western Fair Raceway, Slots at Woodbine Racetrack, Slots at Woodstock Raceway

**Note:The Great Blue Heron Charity Casino is owned by the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation

http://corporate.olgc.ca/pdf/04_05_Q1_charity_slots.pdf

 

First Quarter 2003/2004 (April - June) - Unaudited Results*

Commercial Casinos - Consolidated Figures

Windsor, Rama, Niagara

First Quarter 2003/04 Year to Date 2003/0

Gross Gaming Revenue $381,931,949 $381,931,949

Number of Patrons 38,056 (daily average) 3,463,060

Number of Slot Machines 8,438

Number of Gaming Tables 347

Number of Employees 11,801

* The fiscal year runs from April 1 - March 31.

Notes: As compensation for hosting a commercial casino, the host cities of Windsor and Niagara Falls, each receive

$2.6 million annually for ten years, followed by $3 million annually for the next ten years.

The Ontario Government receives 20% of gross gaming revenue from commercial casinos and 100% of net profits from

Casino Windsor and Casino Niagara. Net revenues from Casino Rama are distributed to Ontario's First Nations for economic,

community development, health and education.

http://corporate.olgc.ca/pdf/03_04_Q1_commercial.pdf

 

 

First Quarter 2004/2005 (April - June) - Unaudited Results*
Commercial Casinos - Consolidated Figures
Windsor, Rama, Consolidated Niagara
First Quarter		2004/05ear to Date 2004/05
Gross Gaming Revenue	$355,627,536		$355,627,536
Number of Patrons	47,450	(daily average)	3,750,191
Number of Slot Machines		11,049
Number of Gaming Tables		437
Number of Employees		13,749
* The fiscal year runs from April 1 - March 31.
Notes: As compensation for hosting a commercial casino, the host cities of Windsor and Niagara Falls, each receive
$2.6 million annually for ten years, followed by $3 million annually for the next ten years.
The Ontario Government receives 20% of gross gaming revenue from commercial casinos and 100% of net profits from
Casino Windsor and Casino Niagara. Net revenues from Casino Rama are distributed to Ontario's First Nations for economic,
community development, health and education.

http://corporate.olgc.ca/pdf/04_05_Q1_commercial.pdf

 

*they have a smoking ban for two years now

Chief Medical Officer of Health takes action to protect health of Muskoka-Parry Sound residents

Proposed Legislation Would Give Ontario's Top Doctor More Power To Protect Public Health

Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care

    TORONTO, Oct. 14 /CNW/ - The McGuinty government is moving forward with making Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health independent to improve public health protection in the province, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care George Smitherman announced today.

    "In the event of a health crisis, Ontarians want to know that their Chief Medical Officer is free of political concerns and interference," said

Smitherman. "An independent CMOH will be able to put the health and safety of Ontarians first."

    Smitherman will introduce in the legislature today amendments to the Health Protection and Promotion Act. The proposed amendments follow

recommendations made by the Expert Panel on SARS and Infectious Disease Control, as well as those by Justice Archie Campbell in his interim report on the SARS crisis. Both reports called for the Chief Medical Officer of Health to report to the legislature annually on the state of the province's public health, and to have the authority to make other reports to Ontarians whenever necessary.

    "We want to make sure that the Chief Medical Officer of Health is free to speak directly to the people of Ontario and to act in the best interest of

public health and safety," said Smitherman. "This is something we promised to do during the last election, and the Campbell and Walker reports offered valuable direction on the best way to do that."

    If passed, these amendments would transfer powers and authority from the Health Minister to the Chief Medical Officer of Health, who would be able to act to protect the public in the event of a health crisis without any political interference. There would also be a rigorous and transparent

recruitment process that would see future Chief Medical Officers of Health appointed to a five-year term by the legislature.

    "I am delighted to see that this proposed legislation is consistent with the recommendations in our report," said Dr. David Walker, who headed up the Expert Panel on SARS and Infectious Disease Control. "Ontarians can now be confident that their top doctor has the power, and the independence, to devote his or herself to the job of safeguarding the health and safety of the province."

    Consistent with the approaches proposed by both Justice Campbell and Dr. Walker, the CMOH would also serve as Assistant Deputy Minister, allowing for an active leadership role in setting public health policy and overseeing operations of the ministry's public health division.

 

    This news release is available on our website at:

    http://www.health.gov.on.ca

 

Assessors Report on the Muskoka-Parry Sound Health Unit -ON,CA

Pursuant to Section 82(3) Health Protection and Promotion Act

Graham W. S. Scott, Q.C. Assessor

October 20, 2004

Executive Summary

1.  Appointment

On July 12, 2004, I was appointed Assessor for the Muskoka-Parry Sound Health Unit pursuant to Section 82(3) of the Health Protection and Promotion Act, R.S.O. 1997, c.30 Schedule D, s. 11.

The assessment was requested as a result of growing concern with regard to governance and operations of the Muskoka-Parry Sound Health Unit.

2.  The Delivery and Funding of Public Health

The Health Protection and Promotion Act ("HPPA") attempts to create a regime which constitutes a fine balancing act between the role of the government in establishing a comprehensive public health program for the province, while at the same time devolving the funding requirements and program delivery to the municipalities.

Accountability for the discharge of these crucial public services is divided among :

the provincial government which determines mandatory programs and services which must be delivered by every local public health unit;

the Chief Medical Officer of Health for Ontario;

the Medical Officer of Health for each health unit who has extensive statutory powers and responsibilities quite independently of any reporting relationship with the local Board of Health and who is required under s. 67 to report directly to the Board on issues relating to public health concerns and to public health programs and services under the HPPA and all other provincial statutes; and

the local Boards of Health

The key to the success of this relationship lies in the effectiveness of the Board of Health. The municipally dominated Board must recognize that they are responsible for the quality and success of the mandatory health programs and in the execution of these duties they are largely reliant on their Medical Officer of Health ("MOH"). The MOH is responsible to the Board for both medical and administrative matters under the HPPA (Section 67). The MOH position is both demanding and pivotal in the provincial-municipal interface. The MOH must ensure the development of a budget that is sufficient to meet the public health needs while administering a health unit that is efficient, and cost effective. This leadership by the MOH and the policy and approval oversight by the Board should provide the local municipalities and their residents with assurance that the public health is protected and that their public health programs are delivered at a reasonable cost to their taxpayers.

Like all balancing acts, there must be both a reasonable measure of respect and understanding between the parties particularly the relationship between the MOH and the Board.

Executive Summary continued >>

The full report is available for download in PDF format, below :

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Operation Health Protection :
An Action Plan to Prevent Threats to our Health and to Promote a Healthy Ontario
10 pages | 58 K | PDF format

FULL REPORT
Assessors Report on the Muskoka-Parry Sound Health Unit

 

McGuinty government moves to enhance independence of Chief Medical Officer of Health

Proposed Legislation Would Give Ontario's Top Doctor More Power     To Protect Public Health

    TORONTO, Oct. 14 /CNW/ - The McGuinty government is moving forward with

making Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health independent to improve public

health protection in the province, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care

George Smitherman announced today.

    "In the event of a health crisis, Ontarians want to know that their Chief

Medical Officer is free of political concerns and interference," said

Smitherman. "An independent CMOH will be able to put the health and safety of

Ontarians first."

    Smitherman will introduce in the legislature today amendments to the

Health Protection and Promotion Act. The proposed amendments follow

recommendations made by the Expert Panel on SARS and Infectious Disease

Control, as well as those by Justice Archie Campbell in his interim report on

the SARS crisis. Both reports called for the Chief Medical Officer of Health

to report to the legislature annually on the state of the province's public

health, and to have the authority to make other reports to Ontarians whenever

necessary.

    "We want to make sure that the Chief Medical Officer of Health is free to

speak directly to the people of Ontario and to act in the best interest of

public health and safety," said Smitherman. "This is something we promised to

do during the last election, and the Campbell and Walker reports offered

valuable direction on the best way to do that."

    If passed, these amendments would transfer powers and authority from the

Health Minister to the Chief Medical Officer of Health, who would be able to

act to protect the public in the event of a health crisis without any

political interference. There would also be a rigorous and transparent

recruitment process that would see future Chief Medical Officers of Health

appointed to a five-year term by the legislature.

    "I am delighted to see that this proposed legislation is consistent with

the recommendations in our report," said Dr. David Walker, who headed up the

Expert Panel on SARS and Infectious Disease Control. "Ontarians can now be

confident that their top doctor has the power, and the independence, to devote

his or herself to the job of safeguarding the health and safety of the

provi