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Smoking ban will hurt non-profit organizations -AB
Jul 28 2005
I usually would not write a letter to the editor for any reason whatsoever, but after reading the opinion expressed by former city councillor, Vesna Higham, in the July 19 Advocate, I am compelled to express my opinion as well.
This letter touches on what I feel is a total disregard to the numerous repercussions to the non-profit and service clubs in our community, and the lack of investigation into these repercussions.
Service clubs and not-for-profit societies rely on community charity in order to provide programs and services to a wide range of people in our community.
Bingos and casinos are tools that a great many non-profit clubs use to raise much-needed funds.
How many bingo halls have closed in other provinces as well as Alberta because of total smoking bans, and how have these closures affected the non-profit sector in those areas?
Ian Taylor of The Satellite Bingo Network has done extensive research on this question and the statistics speak volumes.
Talk to the charitable clubs who have had to try to keep their programs and services afloat while competing with countless other non-profit clubs begging for the same hard to come by donations that used to be earned by the clubs via hard-working volunteers at bingos and casinos.
Where will the money come from when one of our bingo halls has to close because of lack of patronage? That will force approximately 60 clubs out, to knock on doors - your doors - trying to keep peer support programs, as well as hundreds of other services, running.
Local business owners are already inundated with requests for donations from local non-profit clubs, and most are generously supporting these clubs as much as their revenues will allow.
What will happen when these requests are doubled or tripled?
Which non-profits will be forced to close their doors in Red Deer?
Will these closures affect you, your children, you parents, people struggling with dreadful diseases, people in wheelchairs, drug addiction programs? I could go on.
There are hundreds of programs in our community that will suffer and die because of the lack of funds, hence many people left without the resources they need to ease their plight.
I guess these non-profit clubs and their services are the select few casualties who will be negatively impacted, as Higham so eloquently put it.
Too bad. I sincerely hope she and others do not need to call on any of these "select few" in the future for assistance. The doors likely will be closed due to lack of funds.
As a footnote: bingo is gambling; casinos are gambling establishments. Children are not permitted in gambling establishments; volunteers who work for non-profit clubs do so of their own free will and do not have to work as a volunteer to supplement their income. Casinos are volunteer driven and bingos are volunteer driven.
It is my honest belief that the implementation of a total smoking ban will irrevocably damage countless service clubs in our community and thereby deprive people who are already in jeopardy of many programs and services that could ease their plight.
Paulette Van Oosterom Red Deer
http://www.reddeeradvocate.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=107&cat=48&id=466518&more=1
Re: Non-Smoker Questions Data Supporting Ban, July 19. -ON
Saturday, July 30, 2005
The 1993 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report your reader refers to, as well as the subsequent Judge Osteen decision, have long been centrepieces of tobacco industry misinformation campaigns.
The EPA has classified second-hand smoke as a Group A carcinogen, which means there is sufficient evidence that it causes cancer in humans. Environmental tobacco smoke has also been classified as a "known human carcinogen" by the U.S. national toxicology program.
Many credible studies have shown the link between second-hand smoke and illness. Researchers with the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Europe have found that exposure to second-hand smoke from spousal, workplace and social sources raises a person's risk of lung cancer by 22 per cent in people who have never smoked, and up to 32 per cent in those with the longest exposure.
Researchers from Minnesota have published data showing that as little as four hours in a casino setting can produce high levels of two potent carcinogens in the blood of those exposed.
Finally, the California Environmental Protection Agency has published research concluding that exposure to second-hand cigarette smoke can cause *** cancer.
These studies add to a mass of research by experts around the world, all of which point in the same direction: Second-hand smoke is a proven cause of lung cancer, heart disease and other respiratory illness.
Supported by two decades of research, the scientific community agrees there is no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke. Second-hand smoke has twice as much nicotine and tar as the filtered smoke that a smoker inhales.
All workers should be afforded the right to work in a healthy and safe work environment. Restaurant and bar workers should not be treated as second-class citizens.
By passing provincewide smoke-free legislation, the Ontario government is acting responsibly. The Ontario Smoke-Free Act not only protects citizens from the hazards of second-hand smoke but will also save taxpayers millions of dollars in health care money as the enormous burden of tobacco-related illness eases.
ROWENA PINTO Senior Manager, Public Issues
Canadian Cancer Society, Ontario Division
Intriguing news about nicotine
By MARILYN LINTON, TORONTO SUN Sun, July 31, 2005
ONE OF the most intriguing stories to cross my desk last week was found in a magazine published by the Canadian Stroke Network (made up of 100 of the country's best scientists, rehab specialists and clinicians from 24 universities). The story described the work of Dr. Bryan Kolb from the University of Lethbridge who, in giving lab mice the equivalent of one cigarette a day, is showing that nicotine may improve stroke recovery. Apparently it stimulates the production of new connections, just what stroke patients need when their old pathways have been "stroked out." Human studies are in the plan, but since smoking also helps to cause stroke in the first place, this is a study that really needs its creases ironed out before stroke patients ever get to benefit. In the meantime, try pondering some of the following items: They may give you a giggle, introduce you to your butterfly gland, save your liver, improve your swing and strengthen your thumbs.
Report available at: http://www.canadianstrokenetwork.ca/media/releases/release.jun23.2004a.e.pdf
http://torontosun.com/Lifestyle/2005/07/31/1154372-sun.html
Smoking bylaw trial in court Aug. 11, 12 -ON
By Brian Cleeve Wednesday August 03, 2005
The trial of two local businesses charged with violating the municipal smoking bylaw are scheduled in provincial offences court on Aug. 11 and 12.
Lawyer Greg Elliott says that Olympic Billiards and JR’s Tavern in Chatham will face between 30 and 35 charges each of allowing people to smoke in their establishments.
Elliott says the charges date from the fall of 2003 to the spring of 2005.
Chatham-Kent’s bylaw, banning smoking in public places, came into effect in mid-2003.
A number of charges against other businesses have already been resolved through guilty pleas and fines.
The matter has been before the court for almost two years. Part of the time was spent as Elliott argued a constitutional issue that it was up to the municipality, not the individual, to enforce the bylaw.
Meanwhile, a trial against the Arlington Tavern in Ridgetown is scheduled for Sept. 19.
http://www.chathamthisweek.com/story.php?id=175817
Local bingo hall closes -ON
Thursday August 04, 2005
Closure may not be permanent, but charity groups worried about future sources of income for community projects
Strathroy Age Dispatch — No one will be yelling “Bingo” in Strathroy for at least the next 60 days.
Broadwalk Gaming and Entertainment Inc., owner of Strathroy Bingo Country, has decided to temporarily close its Kenwick Mall location, effective this past Monday, Aug. 1.
The move means the 32 charitable organizations locally will have one less way of fund-raising for at least the next two months. It also means the temporarily layoff of 21 Bingo Country staff members.
According to Dave Brock, chairman of the Strathroy Nevada Charities Association, the announcement came as a shock.
“I knew Bingo Country was having trouble, but I guess I didn’t understand to what extend,” said Mr. Brock. “I only heard about the decision on July 25.”
If the decision to reassess the local bingo hall was made in Toronto, Mr. Brock feels he knows why.
“Net revenue in May was very low with each charity only receiving $45 per session they worked,” said Mr. Brock. “This is compared to the average of about $100 per session. I’m sure those numbers get someone’s attention.”
Bingo revenues have decreased significantly since the hall’s one-year exemption to the county-wide smoking ban ended last summer.
Mr. Brock attributes both the decline in revenue and those playing bingo to the smoking ban in Middlesex County and to more casinos in the area.
“There is no doubt the smoking ban affected the turnout,” said Mr. Brock. “However, I was led to believe Bingo Country might close next January.”
In terms of lost revenue for local charities, Mr. Brock estimates that amount to be $10,000 per month. Strathroy-Caradoc Township will lose $5,000 per month in licensing fees.
For several local charities volunteering at bingos, this is the way they raise the majority of their funds.
Mt. Brydges Lioness Club bingo convener Minnie Crouch says her club will need to take a hard look at future donations.
“We will definitely need to prioritize our donations,” said Mrs. Crouch. “Seventy-five percent of our bingo money is donated locally.”
Mrs. Crouch estimates Mt. Brydges Lionesses have received $80,000 through bingo revenue over the past five years.
“There will be a big difference in our bottom line without bingos,” said Mrs. Crouch. “Our other two major events only raise $3,000 per year.”
Mrs. Crouch says the lack of bingos will leave a big hole in her club’s fund-raising efforts.
“Not only will we have less to donate, but our donations will be much lower,” said Mrs. Crouch. “In some cases we will have to turn down donation requests.”
No bingos will make fund-raising a much tougher task, says Mrs. Crouch. “Without bingo we will have to rely more heavily on the public for support. At least with Bingo, the players were coming out because they chose to.”
In the case of the Strathroy Dance Club, no bingo revenue could mean increased registration fees.
Dance Club president Brenda Vanderhoek says currently the money raised through bingo helps defray the overhead costs including rent.
“We have never had to incorporate our rental cost into the registration fees,” said Mrs. Vanderhoek. “Things could get very scary if the bingos aren’t continued.”
An estimated 160 children are members of the club, which holds classes nearly every night of the week.
“We normally hold two major fund-raisers each year,” said Mrs. Vanderhoek. “And that money was usually earmarked for new equipment or costumes.”
Without bingo revenue, Mrs. Vanderhoek feels the club many need to increase fees. “We haven’t increased fees in several years, but that is what makes this club affordable. We aren’t the only dance studio in Strathroy so we must stay competitive with our fees.”
Royal Canadian Legion Sir Arthur Currie Br. 116 uses bingo funds support various youth organizations as well as the VON, SMGH and the Legion band.
Branch president Rosemarie Croswell says a portion of the money is also used to operate the Legion hall.
“Without bingos, we will definitely have to organize more smaller fund-raising events,” said Ms Croswell. “We will also need to reassess what funds we donate.”
Ms Croswell admits to being a bit surprised when she learned the bingo hall was temporarily closing.
“I felt they should have tried downsizing and perhaps cancel a few of the sessions to lower costs,” said Ms Croswell. “The shutdown notice certainly was a shock.”
http://www.strathroyagedispatch.com/story.php?id=176275
Smokers languish in no-man's land 1 -BC
Cindy E. Harnett Times Colonist August 3, 2005
Care home staff in need of a place for cigarette breaks say it's a matter of respect for everyone
Beyond the manicured lawns of the newly renovated James Bay Care Centre in Victoria, two health-care workers in pink uniforms balance themselves on wooden pilings on the fringes of the parking lot.
Banished from smoking inside or even in the facility's sprawling backyard garden, they inhale cigarettes and drink coffee in a sort of concrete no man's land.
"It's humiliating," said Jill Walper, a nurse's aide for 11 years.
Her colleague Rose Young called the situation embarrassing and sad. "We don't have any respect. Everybody -- smokers and non-smokers -- should have rights."
But smoking isn't a right, according to Dianne Stevenson, the Vancouver Island Health Authority's regional manager for tobacco control.
"If they choose to smoke and are educated [about tobacco] and still make that decision -- primarily because it's a very strong addiction -- it doesn't give them the right to force the proceeds of their behaviour on others," she said. "I think what they deserve is some assistance in becoming non-smokers."
As the Capital Regional District cracks down on bar and restaurant "patios" that are more indoor than outdoor space, the health authority is seriously considering banning smoking on the grounds of any health-care facility on the Island.
Currently, no policy is in place. The Clean Air Bylaw prohibits indoor smoking in the capital region. North of the Malahat, there's little consistency. In a separate move, the tobacco control department is trying to snuff out smoking in about five long-term care homes on the Island that have an indoor smoking room.
Both Young and Walper admit workers smoking outside a health-care facility doesn't look good, but wonder where they're supposed to go if they don't want to quit.
Stan Dubas, senior administrator for Central Care Corporation, which runs the James Bay Care Centre, said dealing with the competing interests of smokers and non smokers requires the wisdom of Solomon. "I have to balance the rights of those who don't [smoke] with the rights of those who do."
Dubas said he's told workers that an outdoor smoking area with a picnic table for staff will be created over the next few weeks.
When the Centre reopened in late June after 14 months of renovations, it established a no-smoking policy for all new residents. Of the former residents who returned -- they had relocated to the Gorge Road Hospital during the renovations -- only six were smokers, who retain their right to smoke.
One former resident who retains that right to puff away is a feisty 97-year-old woman who enjoys three cigarettes each day.
"That's where it tears out your heart strings," Dubas said, explaining the conflict as a health administrator of wanting residents to be happy but knowing the activity they are engaging in could kill them.
Twice daily George Watt, 83, arrives at the James Bay facility to visit his wife Mabel, 85, who has Alzheimer's disease. On Wednesday, he carried in his bag of treats -- sweet wine, chocolates and Lawrence Welk music.
The staff who have worked there for years, through labour disputes and wage cuts, treat his wife and other residents like family, he said. "When my wife is in pain, you can see the pain in their faces."
To see those same caregivers banished to the outskirts of the facility "is bloody awful," he said.
The balancing act between the rights of smokers and non-smokers is only going to become more challenging, Stevenson said. In parts of B.C. and around the world, some cities are posting signs on beaches and in parks asking visitors not to smoke.
"[Smoking] takes 20 per cent of our health-care dollars so I think we have a responsibility -- a fiscal responsibility if nothing else," she said.
A few blocks from the seniors' home is the James Bay shopping centre. Its parking lot, outdoor patios and store entrances are often full of smokers, mostly employees taking their work breaks.
One health-care worker said regional smoking bylaws that have pushed people out into the streets have resulted in the creation of little shanty towns for smokers.
At The Empress hotel, where the landmark's postcard image is key, staff have fenced off outdoor smoking -- at least 15 metres away from staff entrances, said Anastasia Martin-Stilwell, the hotel's public relations manager.
"It seems to work well from both sides of the fence."
The problem, say some smokers, is that the dividing line continues to move in favour of non-smokers, leaving them with fewer and fewer places to go and no respect.
http://www.canada.com/victoria/story.html?id=f6917752-09dc-417f-a69e-7b88543d44b4
Smokers languish in no-man's land 2 -BC
Cindy E. Harnett Times Colonist August 3, 2005
Care home staff in need of a place for cigarette breaks say it's a matter of respect for everyone
Beyond the manicured lawns of the newly renovated James Bay Care Centre in Victoria, two health-care workers in pink uniforms balance themselves on wooden pilings on the fringes of the parking lot.
Banished from smoking inside or even in the facility's sprawling backyard garden, they inhale cigarettes and drink coffee in a sort of concrete no man's land.
"It's humiliating," said Jill Walper, a nurse's aide for 11 years.
Her colleague Rose Young called the situation embarrassing and sad. "We don't have any respect. Everybody -- smokers and non-smokers -- should have rights."
But smoking isn't a right, according to Dianne Stevenson, the Vancouver Island Health Authority's regional manager for tobacco control.
"If they choose to smoke and are educated [about tobacco] and still make that decision -- primarily because it's a very strong addiction -- it doesn't give them the right to force the proceeds of their behaviour on others," she said. "I think what they deserve is some assistance in becoming non-smokers."
As the Capital Regional District cracks down on bar and restaurant "patios" that are more indoor than outdoor space, the health authority is seriously considering banning smoking on the grounds of any health-care facility on the Island.
Currently, no policy is in place. The Clean Air Bylaw prohibits indoor smoking in the capital region. North of the Malahat, there's little consistency. In a separate move, the tobacco control department is trying to snuff out smoking in about five long-term care homes on the Island that have an indoor smoking room.
Both Young and Walper admit workers smoking outside a health-care facility doesn't look good, but wonder where they're supposed to go if they don't want to quit.
Stan Dubas, senior administrator for Central Care Corporation, which runs the James Bay Care Centre, said dealing with the competing interests of smokers and non smokers requires the wisdom of Solomon. "I have to balance the rights of those who don't [smoke] with the rights of those who do."
Dubas said he's told workers that an outdoor smoking area with a picnic table for staff will be created over the next few weeks.
When the Centre reopened in late June after 14 months of renovations, it established a no-smoking policy for all new residents. Of the former residents who returned -- they had relocated to the Gorge Road Hospital during the renovations -- only six were smokers, who retain their right to smoke.
One former resident who retains that right to puff away is a feisty 97-year-old woman who enjoys three cigarettes each day.
"That's where it tears out your heart strings," Dubas said, explaining the conflict as a health administrator of wanting residents to be happy but knowing the activity they are engaging in could kill them.
Twice daily George Watt, 83, arrives at the James Bay facility to visit his wife Mabel, 85, who has Alzheimer's disease. On Wednesday, he carried in his bag of treats -- sweet wine, chocolates and Lawrence Welk music.
The staff who have worked there for years, through labour disputes and wage cuts, treat his wife and other residents like family, he said. "When my wife is in pain, you can see the pain in their faces."
To see those same caregivers banished to the outskirts of the facility "is bloody awful," he said.
The balancing act between the rights of smokers and non-smokers is only going to become more challenging, Stevenson said. In parts of B.C. and around the world, some cities are posting signs on beaches and in parks asking visitors not to smoke.
"[Smoking] takes 20 per cent of our health-care dollars so I think we have a responsibility -- a fiscal responsibility if nothing else," she said.
A few blocks from the seniors' home is the James Bay shopping centre. Its parking lot, outdoor patios and store entrances are often full of smokers, mostly employees taking their work breaks.
One health-care worker said regional smoking bylaws that have pushed people out into the streets have resulted in the creation of little shanty towns for smokers.
At The Empress hotel, where the landmark's postcard image is key, staff have fenced off outdoor smoking -- at least 15 metres away from staff entrances, said Anastasia Martin-Stilwell, the hotel's public relations manager.
"It seems to work well from both sides of the fence."
The problem, say some smokers, is that the dividing line continues to move in favour of non-smokers, leaving them with fewer and fewer places to go and no respect.
http://www.canada.com/components/printstory/printstory4.aspx?id=f6917752-09dc-417f-a69e-7b88543d44b4
Health authority going cold turkey -BC
Cindy E. Harnett Times Colonist August 3, 2005
Proposal would ban smoking on grounds of all health facilities
Vancouver Island is on course to become the first health authority in B.C. to ban smoking on the grounds of all health facilities, chief medical health officer Dr. Richard Stanwick said Tuesday. "We hope to have something in the near future," said Stanwick. "Definitely within six months, but I would hope sooner."
Seeking refinements, the health authority's executive and board members have sent the proposed policy back to the medical health officer. One request seeks to offer alternatives for the unique challenges presented by some patients and residents.
Extreme circumstances might include residents receiving end-of-life care, mental-health patients or those dealing with addictions. Exemptions or that "proverbial garden" may be created for their exclusive use. Hospital patients well enough to walk could be forced off the property to smoke, Stanwick said.
"I was instructed to pay special attention to certain groups within the health authority," he said in an interview. "We're using this month of August to address a lot of the concerns.
"We want to make sure we plan this right with the appropriate amount of consultation, and ensure there's a clear implementation strategy as well as a really good communication strategy."
The driving force behind the new policy is an evolving trend in society toward the creation of non-smoking policies and the health authority's focus on bringing the Island in line with health and wellness promotion, said Stanwick. "We are supposed to be a health promoting health authority and we recognize this is the leading cause of preventable death in this country so why would we be encouraging a habit . . . or seen to be doing anything other than helping people to quit," he said.
Moreover, as much as it's important to protect staff from blood-tainted sharp objects, so too should workers be protected from tobacco, he said.
"For many people this is their residence . . . and it is a place where they are often receiving life-giving care, but it's still a workplace for some," Stanwick said. "And it's part of a broader wellness strategy we're looking at for VIHA."
Creation of non-smoking health facilities is a growing trend in the United States, Stanwick said. About 10 other health authorities in Canada have also gone this route including Halifax, Brandon Winnipeg, Calgary and Saskatoon
http://www.canada.com/victoria/timescolonist/news/story.html?id=ea77cd04-67df-461d-a012-2f67af2804be
Minister urges compromise on VIHA's anti-smoking efforts -BC
Cindy E. Harnett Times Colonist August 4, 2005
Health Minister George Abbott says the province's health authorities must weigh the benefits of banning smoking in hospitals and seniors' homes with the risk of pushing patients to the edge of the parking lot or beyond.
"I think we need to be careful not to kill people in order to save them from themselves," said Abbott in a phone interview Wednesday.
Richard Stanwick, chief medical health officer, is working on a policy for the Vancouver Island Health Authority to ban smoking on the grounds of all health facilities.
He expects the policy will be ready for public consultation in a month or so and will see VIHA executive and board approval within six months.
Abbott said health authorities are entitled to regulate smoking but must consider compromises for patients who, determined to smoke, might risk their physical health to get off hospital property or harm their mental health or addictions recovery by trying to quit.
"Putting that [policy] barrier in front of them may in some cases prompt them not to smoke, but where people are addicted to tobacco, as they often are, they will go where they need to smoke," Abbott said.
"When the policy is implemented we must be watchful for unintended consequences."
B.C. has the lowest smoking rate in Canada but now trails behind smoke-free legislation in other provinces such as Ontario.
Of Vancouver Island Health Authority's approximately 16,000 employees, surveys suggest about nine per cent smoke.
"It's very low," said VIHA spokeswoman Karin Heimlich.
And of those people who decide to quit smoking, about 80 per cent do so on their own, said Dianne Stevenson, the health authority's regional manager for tobacco control.
However, VIHA is exploring expanding health-care benefits to include more resources to help staff quit smoking.
Nicotine-replacement therapies such as patches are already available to patients.
Stevenson met Wednesday with provincial health officials in Vancouver to talk about possible B.C.-wide strategies --including everything from legislation banning smoking in all B.C. indoor public areas to free nicotine-replacement therapies .
"We want to do as much as possible to assist people and to deal with the fact this is killing them," Stevenson said.
Abbott said to create a plan for B.C. he's taking the next few months to review with staff new programs on ending tobacco use and initiatives in other provinces. He's considering offering financial help to buy nicotine-replacement therapies or to exempt from sales tax those products that help people to give up tobacco.
"I hope we can reach some decision points over a period of months. I'm happy to try some new and innovative things to discourage smoking," he said.
"Ultimately people have to make an informed decision themselves whether they want to quit smoking," Abbott said. "The government can't mandate that people stop smoking, they need to be persuaded that their health outcomes will be dramatically improved if they don't smoke."
B.C. will collect $686 million from tobacco taxes this year. About double that amount will be spent by the health-care system to treat tobacco-related illnesses
Lets adults have choice -AB
August 5, 2005
WE ALL agree that smoking is not good for you, that children should not start smoking, that second-hand smoke may have harmful effects. However, adult Canadians should have a choice. Here is a practical plan that would satisfy reasonable people. The province sells permits that allow a restaurant to permit smoking. The province controls the number of permits sold at a number of maybe 10% or 15% of the number of restaurants in the province. The province sets minimum air-quality standards and monitors them through the Board of Health which already monitors the food and cleanliness in the restaurants. Workers have a fair choice of where to work: 85% no smoking, 15% smoking. Customers have a choice of where to eat. The province collects revenues and oversees the air quality. The business owner has a choice of having an air-filtration system and allowing his smoking customers to eat and smoke in peace. Really not that complicated.
Thomas Laprade Thunder Bay, Ont.
(There must be a catch somewhere ...)
http://www.edmontonsun.com/Comment/Letters/2005/08/05/1160086.html
Restaurant patios could become no-smoking zones -BC
CBC News Last updated Aug 5 2005 10:17 AM PDT
The City of Vancouver is considering extending its indoor smoking ban to outdoor restaurant patios, following numerous complaints from non-smokers.
Nick Losito, the regional director of health protection, says the issue is being studied to see how big a problem it really is.
He says smoking outdoors doesn't pose as great a health risk to others as indoor smoking does, but still calls it a concern.
"Certainly on patios at close quarters, I'm not going to say there's no risk, but there's less risk than subjecting people to indoor second-hand smoke. But in large part, it's really a case of personal preference, of comfort, of nuisance than it is a health impact."
* INTERVIEW: The Early Edition's Myke Clark speaks with Nick Losito.
Geoffrey Howes of the B.C. Restaurant and Foodservices Association says targeting smokers is unnecessary and smacks of political interference, calling it "social engineering."
Losito says restaurant patios aren't the only place smoking might be stopped. He says the health authority will also examine no-smoking buffer zones outside office buildings.
Less than 25 per cent of Vancouver residents currently smoke.
http://vancouver.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=bc_smoking-patios20050805
Smoking rats give hope to stroke patients
Calgary Herald Shelley Knapp Saturday, August 06, 2005
A cigarette a day may keep the cardiologist at bay. Or more specifically it could hasten the recovery of stroke patients, according to the findings of one of Canada's leading neuropsychologists.
And now, Brian Kolb, a researcher at the University of Lethbridge, is checking to see if a little bit of pot may do the same.
"So far we've tried nicotine and amphetamines," says Kolb. "What you find with nicotine, is the animals with stroke show better recovery and improvement. It speeds things up."
No, the rats aren't sitting in the lab in velvet smoking jackets, lighting up cigarettes, he adds with a laugh. The nicotine is injected and Kolb has found that the small daily dose stimulates the production of new neural connections, which stroke patients need when their old pathways have been "stroked out."
Kolb cautions that caregivers shouldn't rush out and buy a pack of smokes, either.
"You don't want people smoking, which can cause the stroke in the first place," says Kolb. "We also don't want others running out and putting on (nicotine) patches, because we don't know what the dose should be."
While the whole concept sounds contradictory as smoking is known to cause strokes and heart problems, one Calgary stroke survivor applauds Kolb's research.
"Anything they can do to speed up recovery times is a good thing," says Ashley Schmidt.
Back in Kolb's Lethbridge lab, it will be more than a year until nicotine trials with humans, so the focus has shifted to studying whether marijuana has the same benefit.
So Kolb is using THC, the mood-altering component of marijuana, on rats.
He has already found that it produced changes in normal lab rats, so THC will be injected into stroke rats and studied.
Kolb also knows that many animal activists won't approve of his study.
"Every drug used by people today has been tested first on animals."
A sign on a lab door in Lethbridge also shows how true that is. The poster from the Washington-based Foundation for Biomedical research says that animal testing has extended human life expectancy by 20.8 years.
And the use of rats in research has also gone down. According to the Canadian Council on Animal Care, 332,065 rats were used for scientific purposes in 2002 compared with 594,678 in 1975.
Store owners feel punished -MB
By ALANA PONA, STAFF REPORTER August 6, 2005
Would face fines for cig displays
The province hopes a new law forcing retailers to hide tobacco products will help reduce the number of kids who smoke. But store owners and business officials say the law only punishes them.
"The cost of business is going up in the province of Manitoba once again," said Shannon Martin, the director of provincial affairs for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
"The government is imposing another legislation on business owners as they try to address larger social issues."
OUT OF SIGHT OF MINORS
Under the provisions of the Non-Smokers Health Protection Act, which kicks in Aug. 15, retailers will be fined if they fail to keep cigarettes and other tobacco products out of sight of minors.
In addition, window signs must be removed to prevent tobacco advertisements from being visible from outside. The size of signs will be limited, and must use specific wording authorized by the province to describe the cigarettes on sale.
Fines range from $235 to $535 for individuals, $385 to $1,035 for businesses, and $2,035 for first offences for corporations.
"We want to denormalize tobacco," said James Drew, manager of the environmental health unit for Manitoba Health. "If you can get a youth to be 18 or 19 and not be a smoker, there's a very good chance that the percentage drops in their likelihood of becoming a smoker."
But Shannon argues the government should look for other ways to help teens butt out, such as fining them if they are caught with tobacco.
"The onus is just on the business to deal with the issue," he said." It's worth taking a look at young people using tobacco."
Swatantra Sachdeva, otherwise known as Harry, said a sliding door hides his cigarettes at his St. Anne's Road convenience store but he doubts it or the new regulations will help kids butt out.
"If somebody asks me, I don't like this idea," Sachdeva said. "If you know what I sell and if you hide it -- I'm not going to quit smoking cigarettes."
Also on Aug. 15, the province is boosting a host of other fines, including a hefty increase from $235 to $535 for public disturbances in provincial parks. There will also be new fines of $235 for passing stopped emergency vehicles when it is unsafe and for stopping a vehicle on a railway crossing.
http://www.winnipegsun.com/News/Winnipeg/2005/08/06/1161874-sun.html
Smokin' headache -AB
By STEVE TILLEY, EDMONTON SUN Sat, August 6, 2005
Folk fest fans might typically be seen as granola-eating, Birkenstock-wearing, underarm hair-growing neo-hippies, and it goes without saying that a certain segment of the festival population is exactly that. You'll generally find them dancing at the side of the mainstage, without worry or care or, let's face it, rhythm.
But the great thing about folk fest is it attracts a huge range of people for a huge range of reasons. Some come for the mainstage headliners, some come to mellow out to the side stage sessions, some come just to eat great food and play in the sun with their families. And lots come to drink.
The beer garden is a focal point of social activity on any given year. I drink more Big Rock on folk fest weekend than in the entire rest of August combined, which is no small feat considering my Big Rock beer rep comrade and his hard-partying roommates live across the street from me, and they have a beer fridge as part of their living room decor.
NEW BYLAW
This year's a little different, though. Keeping with the new city bylaw governing bars and restaurants, you can no longer smoke in the folk fest beer garden. You have to step from the grassy, open-skied compound to the grassy, open-skied hill outside the fence to smoke. And then line up to get back in, if it's a busy night.
To this draconian and perhaps even illogical bit of anti-smoking enforcement, I can say only this: Ha ha, suckers!
Anything that inconveniences smokers is OK by me. I'm not a full-on anti-smoking Nazi or anything, but if I go out of my way not to pass explosive beer-and-broccoli-flavoured gas in front of friends or strangers, why do I have to endure them doing something that stinks around me?
I don't even like kissing girls who smoke, though naturally that doesn't actually stop me from doing so, should the opportunity arise. I mean, just because a delicious pastrami sandwich falls on a filthy floor doesn't mean you're not going to pick it up and eat it. Let's be realistic.
Folk fest organizers said making the beer garden smoke-free is the first step in a plan to have the entire festival eventually purged of burning tobacco (though other kind of flammable plants will presumably always endure). How they'll enforce this remains a mystery, but I think it would be cool to have a platoon of smoke-cops patrolling the hill with Super Soakers. Or Tasers.
FLICK THEIR BUTTS
Right now, though, the no-smoking rule in the beer garden is causing the odd headache, as drunktards - yes, that T is deliberate - flick their butts into the grass before going back in. By the time you read this, there should be barrels set up around the perimeter as makeshift giant ashtrays. Yum.
The one drawback to the smoking bylaw is most of my immediate family members and several of my acquaintances smoke, so I often find myself wondering where everybody in the bar has gone, only to learn they're all outside on the sidewalk (or, in the case of folk fest, on the other side of the fence) having a butt and probably sharing a laugh about something really funny and cool I'll never know about. All because I'm the loser non-smoker who prefers to kill his liver with alcohol rather than his lungs with tar.
Oh well. More beer for me. In fact, I'd be happy to hold your cup of Grasshopper while you go outside to smoke. If I happen to "spill" some before you get back ... well, these things happen. Especially when you're dancing.
http://www.edmontonsun.com/Entertainment/FolkFestival/2005/08/06/1162022-sun.html
Re: New Book Calls For Tobacco Buyout, Aug. 2.
National Post Friday, August 05, 2005
As a reformed smoker (2 packs a day for four decades), no one has to tell me about the health benefits associated with quitting. Nevertheless, I'm disturbed when I hear rabid anti-smoking groups perpetuating lies and distortions regarding the "health costs associated with smoking."
According to these geniuses, the health care system would save a bundle if only we would all quit smoking.
No, if we all quit smoking, many, many more of us will wind up spending the last 10 or 20 years of our lives in government-assisted long-term care hospitals, using up thousands of dollars worth of medication, medical and support staff time, food and other resources. I think these costs should be factored in when estimating the cost benefits of stopping smoking.
Jim Bee, Mississauga, Ont.
NHL return has two sides -AB
AT MY local watering hole, the price of beer has not dropped. What has dropped, however, is the number of patrons spending their hard-earned money. Many people tell me that when the NHL returns this fall, they will no longer be going to their favourite watering hole to watch the game like they used to. They will stay home to watch the game, as they can smoke at home, and the beer and food will be cheaper. City council needs to stop meddling in our lives and do the jobs they said they would do when they campaigned for election. I don't remember my councillor campaigning on a platform that included a smoking ban.
Andrew Gregg
(Could hockey's return have a downside?)
http://www.edmontonsun.com/Comment/Letters/2005/08/06/1161368.html
Addiction Admission
I AM A smoker. I know it's bad for me. However, I enjoy it. It helps me relax, work better and socialize better. Maybe I should call in an expert to get analysis on why I need to smoke, but in the end I would disregard them and continue on. It is an addiction. I want at least one addiction, lest I end up eating only rice cakes and drinking bottled water. Where's the fun in that?
Geoff Dean
(They're OK with a T-bone on the side.)
http://www.edmontonsun.com/Comment/Letters/2005/08/06/1161368.html
Displays going up in smoke -MB
Cigarette sales rules changing
By Mia Rabson Saturday, August 6th, 2005
MANITOBA retailers have just one more week to hide their cigarettes and take down most tobacco advertising or risk a fine of upwards of $2,000.
The now three-year-old Non-Smokers Health Protection Act finally comes into effect Aug. 15, prohibiting the display or advertising of any tobacco-related product anywhere children are present.
The act was passed by the Manitoba legislature in 2002, but has never been implemented because of a legal challenge against a similar law in Saskatchewan. When the Supreme Court last January upheld the Saskatchewan law, Manitoba began moving to implement the same law here.
Fines for failing to adhere to the law range from $235 for individuals, to $1,035 for businesses, and $2,035 for corporations.
Jim Dreu, manager of the environmental health unit with Manitoba Health, said the only smoking-related signs allowed in stores will be those expressing the type and price of products available, such as a carton or a single package.
But even those signs are severely limited. They can't be larger than 150 square inches, the font can't be larger than 70 points, and the signs must have black lettering on a white background. No pictures or graphics are allowed and no brands can be identified.
As well there can be only one sign per till to a maximum of three signs per store and the signs can't be seen from outside the store.
Some store owners are outraged at the law, saying it won't accomplish its intended goals.
"It's going to be harder for me to handle my product, because I'll have to go behind a curtain every time," said Murray Abas, owner of Bargains Galore, a three-store chain that he said was intending to keep its advertising up until the day the law goes into effect.
Abas said the new law raised security concerns for his clerks and defeated is goal. "Now every time I turn around to grab a pack and go behind a curtain, it's dangerous because someone could rob me. Kids are still going to come in and see advertising, anyways."
Dreu said retailers have already received two mailings from the province outlining the rules, and additional advertising will begin this weekend in local newspapers.
He said because retailers have known for years this was coming, most have already taken the necessary steps to comply.
The law is part of a provincial strategy to reduce smoking, particularly among youth. Manitoba anti-smoking lobby groups have long promoted the out-of-sight, out-of-mind philosophy, and say research shows the less kids see of smoking and cigarettes, the fewer kids smoke.
Some store owners agree with the law, saying even though removing their ads would probably result in a loss in profit, and they supported its implementation.
"I think it's a good idea for us to cover up the cigarettes, because it benefits the kids," said Damte Habte, the owner of Selkirk Supermarket. "Most owners don't like the law because it's a drop in income, but it's for the general good."
Deadly comfort
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1113595699701_109004899/?hub=WFive
CANADIAN CANCER SOCIETY Position Ad
SENIOR COORDINATOR
Location: Hamilton And Area, ON, CANADA;
Job Category: Management
Industry: Associations/Organizations
Company URL: http://www.cancer.ca -Charity
Date Posted: Aug 6, 2005
Contact E-mail: donna.czukar@hrcc.on.ca -Ontario Cancer care unit (gov't funded)
Let's make Cancer History
Creating a world where no Canadian fears cancer. That's our vision and together, we can make it happen. Join our team of dedicated volunteers and staff to help us reach our goals.
Senior Coordinator, Smokers' Helpline Projects
Our Smokers' Helpline (SHL) is a free, confidential, evidence-based cessation service, based in Hamilton and available by telephone across Ontario. Working 21 hours per week in this part-time contract position, you will research and develop smoking cessation projects related to Smokers' Helpline intervention and delivery. Experienced in translating research and experiential findings into viable service enhancement, you will develop processes, information content and training related to project implementation, and provide support to the internal site management of the web-based arm of Smokers' Helpline. Draw on your excellent writing, editing and proofreading skills to compile project information and draft reports, and identify and pursue funding opportunities, including grant/proposal writing. A multi-tasking project manager, you have 3 or more years of experience in a similar type of position, highly developed computer skills, and the flexibility to work occasional evenings/ weekends. This position demands a post-secondary education in a relevant discipline such as health promotion, health studies or health sciences, and/or an equivalent combination of education and experience, with an understanding of tobacco control and cessation strategies. A valid driver's licence and access to a reliable vehicle are required for travel within Ontario. Bilingualism in French and English is preferred.
We offer a competitive salary, and an opportunity to contribute to our mission in a great working environment. Qualified non-smokers are invited to send their resumes, indicating salary expectations, by August 16, 2005, to: Director, Cancer Information Service, 328 Mountain Park Avenue, Hamilton, ON L8V 4X2. Fax: 905-387-0376. E-mail: donna.czukar@hrcc.on.ca. We thank all applicants for their interest and advise that only those selected for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please.
The Canadian Cancer Society provides equal opportunity in employment and encourages applications from all qualified persons.
Originally published in The Hamilton Spectator Ad# 0796193H
http://jobs.workopolis.com/jobshome/db/spec.job_posting?pi_job_id=7641874&pi_search
_id=455755033&pi_sort=POST_DATE&pi_curjob=46&pi_maxjob=500
Tougher anti-smoking law planned -BC
Richard Chu and Doris Sun Vancouver Sun Monday, August 08, 2005
Bar patios, building entrances targeted under new restrictions
The days of smokers enjoying a few cigarettes on a restaurant or bar patio in Vancouver may be numbered.
The Vancouver Coastal Health Authority is preparing a report for Vancouver council that explores whether to restrict or eliminate smoking on restaurant and bar patios. It will also look at restricting smoking near building entrances and eliminating indoor smoking rooms.
"There's been an increase in complaints and inquiries, that's part of it," said Nick Losito, regional director of health protection for the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority.
"We've [also] seen Vancouver and B.C., with its progressive smoking restrictions and provisions 10 years ago, fall behind most other jurisdictions in Canada, so it's time to have another look at it."
Currently, Calgary, Edmonton and Saskatoon prohibit smoking in all public buildings and outdoor patios. Calgary prohibited smoking on outdoor patios in 2003, and Saskatoon in 2004. Edmonton's updated smoking bylaw came into effect July 1.
According to 2000-01 Statistics Canada data, only 16 per cent of British Columbians smoke, down from about 25 per cent a decade ago. Almost 160,000 people quit smoking in B.C. in that time.
Anti-smoking advocates like Mann Biagtan of the B.C. Lung Association say part of that reduction has to do with the region's smoking bylaws, and further restrictions to include outdoor patios will likely force smokers to not light up as often.
"In one way or another, some people have thought, 'If we are not allowed and there are consequences for smoking in a public place,' they may lessen the number of cigarettes they smoke on a patio," she said.
Vancouver smokers had mixed reactions to possible restrictions.
"I could see indoors not allowing it because you're indoors, but outside, I don't see a reason why you can't as long as there are ashtrays," said M.J. Kurulak smoking in a Starbucks patio in Gastown.
"I don't like it at all," said 61-year-old Bob Rowden, smoking outside his tour bus on Water Street. "As far as I'm concerned, [if] you smoke outside, you're not bothering anyone. If they don't want to be around you, they can move somewhere else."
George Badea, 31, smoking at a Blenz patio on Granville Street, however, was more understanding. "It's going to be hard, but you have to take into consideration that you're actually polluting the air around you. . . . Maybe I should quit smoking altogether."
Vancouver restaurants and bars operators are concerned about possible changes.
"It's good business for people to have a smoke-free area inside a patio, but going to 100 per cent right away would probably be very hard on our operators because they put them [patios] in for the smokers," said Richard Floody, chairman of the B.C. Restaurant and Foodservices Association.
"Smokers seem to be a vanishing breed, but this is economics and smokers have the power of veto still. If there are six people going out and one person smokes, they're going to end up where that one person can smoke." Floody said he would prefer any new smoking restrictions to be enacted province- or region-wide to provide a level playing field for restaurants and bars and prevent the frustration and confusion that happened when the initial smoking bylaw was enacted 10 years ago.
Back then, "you could smoke in other jurisdictions, so if you were on the border of Burnaby and Vancouver, someone across the street could smoke, but you couldn't [in Vancouver]."
Vancouver Coun. Anne Roberts said the report was commissioned as part of a broader look at addiction based on the city's four pillars strategy on solving drug-related issues in Vancouver.
"We had a report that looked at prevention and strategies around addiction and this is part of the expansion of the whole four pillars approach," said Roberts.
"We're looking at all sorts of addictions when we look at prevention, and smoking tobacco comes into that picture as part of the strategy."
However, smokers can breathe easy for now, as the report's recommendations likely won't be discussed by council until early next year, according to Roberts.
http://www.canada.com/vancouver/story.html?id=beccf623-e88f-489f-894e-31315ab83a93
search nike missile base
http://www.canadianstrokenetwork.ca/media/releases/release.jun23.2004a.e.pdf
Nick Losito joined the Vancouver Health Department as a Public Health Inspector over 20 years ago. He got involved in workplace tobacco smoke control early in his career and became Director of Environmental Health for Vancouver. Nick is currently in charge of Environmental Health for the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. He has been an active member in the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors and has served on their National Executive Council. Nick's responsibilities include community noise control; food safety and indoor air pollution. Nick has been instrumental in reforms to protect Canadians from the effects of second hand smoke.
Feb 9 2005 speech Topic: tobacco smoke control in GVRD or BC – Where we are, How we got here, where we would like to be in 2010
http://www.ashrae.bc.ca/bc/events_files/Feb05.doc.
Appeals of Six Separate Orders of Medical Officer of Health for the Northwestern Health Unit under Section 44 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act (HPPA), Revised Statutes of Ontario, 1990, chapter H.7
http://www.hsarb.on.ca/english/decisions/second_hand_smoking_fdr.pdf *have a copy saved
**Toxicology studies absent in smoking theories
By Lynda Duguay. As an example of the overstated risks and how they create false phobias, a list of chemicals in tobacco smoke is listed below and how many cigarettes burning at the same time it would take to reach the lower threshold of danger in a room 20x20 with 9 foot ceilings at standard temperature and air pressure with no ventilation.
Letter Monday, August 08, 2005
Re: Data Supports Ban, July 30. What I find interesting is that the Canadian Cancer Society only references epidemiological studies as their proof that second-hand smoke is a health hazard.
Epidemiology can only show the relative strength of possible relationships. In order to show the cause of a disease, it is required that there be toxicology studies.
Using a simple survey given out to cancer patients asking them to recall exposure to a substance as they are being diagnosed isn't realistic science. This isn't proof, it is conjecture -- at best a biased guess, not proof of cause.
The statistics-based theory that second-hand smoke is a cause of cancer ignores the real science called toxicology.
Dose relationships recognizes safe levels of exposure to potentially hazardous substances. This well-established science allows uranium to be mined, cars to be painted and toll booth workers to survive high levels of exhaust thanks to adequate ventilation, monitoring and compliance to established limits of exposure.
There are only five unique chemicals released in tobacco smoke. All of the other substances in second-hand smoke cited as being of concern occur in far greater quantities and concentrations in everyday life. Sources like candles, cooking fumes, vehicle exhaust, welding fumes and most domestic and industrial processes cause the release into the air of formaldehyde, benzene, Benzo-a-pyrene and thousands of other chemicals in amounts measured in tons as compared to the micrograms released by burning tobacco.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says "in normal situations, exposures would not exceed these permissible exposure limits (PELs), and, as a matter of prosecutorial discretion, OSHA will not apply the General Duty Clause to ETS."
The anti-tobacco campaign is all about fear-mongering, has no real scientific basis, and is just plain wrong. The real data and real science does not support the ban.
It should be the business owners' decision to allow smoking in his business, not a decision made by extremist tobacco control groups. It's better to be safe then sorry, but please, base regulations on real science.
The economy shouldn't suffer when there's no proof of danger.
Lynda Duguay
Allenford, Ont
http://www.smokersclubinc.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1921
Smog advisory issued Windsor Star -ON
Monday, August 08, 2005
A smog advisory has been issued today for Windsor and Essex county by Ontario's Ministry of the Environment.
Hot, sunny conditions combined with light southerly winds carrying air pollution from the United States are expected to result in high smog levels.
Environment Canada is forecasting highs of 32 C for today, Tuesday and Wednesday.
http://www.canada.com/windsor/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=425d23dc-ad56-4674-9119-49715f08b4a5
Smoking ban studied for outdoor facilities
By PETTI FONG Monday, August 8, 2005 Page S1
VANCOUVER -- The Vancouver Coastal Health Authority is looking at expanding a non-smoking ban to include restaurant patios, bus shelters and large outdoor areas like the Pacific National Exhibition.
Nick Losito, director of health protection for the authority, said complaints about smokers at outdoor restaurant patios have been mounting, and a report about extending the decade-old indoor smoking ban is heading to council.
"We're trying to look at this in the long-term and the goals we are setting," said Mr. Losito. "What is driving a lot of this is not so much public health or protecting public health, it's more about where society is today and where it's going."
The report is still being prepared for Vancouver city council, but Mr. Losito said his staff is considering a ban on smoking in bus shelters, outdoor queue areas, entries to buildings and even public areas where young people play sports and the PNE.
A smoking ban on outdoor patios and public areas could make Vancouver one of the most restrictive cities in North America when it comes to smoking.
San Francisco banned outdoor smoking in most parks, playing fields and tennis courts in July.
A smoking ban in Quebec restaurants and bars won't come into effect until 2006, and Ontario's prohibition on tobacco in workplaces, restaurants, schools and child-care centres doesn't extend to outdoor patios or building entrances.
A ban on smoking in outdoor patios would be easier to enforce than in bus shelters or on playing fields, said Mr. Losito. If outdoor areas fall under new smoking restrictions, he said the health authority would use signs for compliance.
Richard Floody, chairman of the B.C. Restaurant and Foodservices Association, said banning smoking on outdoor patios would work if a section remains open to smokers.
"What concerns me a little bit is such a ban shouldn't be done by municipality. It should be done province wide so it doesn't give an advantage to one municipality over another," Mr.