Charities pay to work bingo’s -AB
In the second month of the smoking bylaw some of Edmonton's charities are being asked to pay back the losses in their pooling. This is how this works. Bingo associations are the medium with which charities do business. If the association closes all charities within must pay losses or reap the benefits. Because of the smoking bylaw many associations pools are in trouble as customers are not coming to play bingo and if they do they come just before the regular games begin and go outside to smoke when a break comes. The result is less sales of early bird, bonanza, odd even, satellite and other extra games, various associations may have. These extra games are a large part of where the money going to the charities comes from. This situation is only going to get worse as winter comes on and the few customers we have don’t come because they don’t want to smoke outdoors. A.G.L.C. has bingo on a fixed fee which covers the expenses, the remainder is the amount going to the pool to be divided at the end of each month. Even a look at association books says things are o.k. but the pool (return to charities) is not. The only thing that will help the charities is if city council pays us for our losses or the smoking bylaw is amended to allow a closed off non-smoking room as a number of halls already have. My charity has already stopped donations to children’s programs. I know of one charity in my association that has already pulled out, many more to come I think. This will result in more bingo hall closures, job losses and more charities not being able to meet the needs of the community, higher costs to the consumer of children’s programs therefore less children in programs as parents wrestle with rising costs. Charities do not have and may not use charitable monies to hire lawyers and do battle with governments, we need big time help.
Jerry Deboer
President Edmonton Block Parent Association
V.P. Edmonton West Bingo Association (Palms Bingo)
Smoking petition falls short -AB
By lana michelin Advocate staff Sep 10 2005
A summertime slump in bar business has fizzled a petition launched by smoking advocates trying to stop Red Deer's no-smoking bylaw.
The Central Alberta Business for Choice group managed to gather 4,852 signatures against a bylaw that will prohibit smoking in all public places, including bars, bingo halls, casinos, taxis, restaurants, and private clubs - even those with outdoor patios.
The petition was presented to the municipality last month.
But the number of signatures fell well short of the 10 per cent of the city's population required by the terms of the Municipal Government Act.
As a result, the Smoke free bylaw will proceed as previously approved, taking effect on June 1, 2006, said city manager Norbert Van Wyk.
Sheree Davies, spokesperson for Central Alberta Business for Choice, said the group predicted it would have a hard time raising signatures during the summer months. "The majority of our patrons are not there."
Bar business drops off during July and August, and charitable groups that fundraise through bingos are less available because of vacations, Davies added.
She predicted the drive would have been successful if done in October. But the group's petition drive couldn't wait for the fall because provincial rules require the petition to be presented within 60 days of when the bylaw was passed last June.
While this is a setback for the group, Davies said "we're still fighting the bylaw."
Group members are consulting with experts to see what other options are available to defeat the legislation.
More information on the city's Smoke Free Bylaw is available from the Inspections and Licensing Department or online at www.reddeer.ca
http://www.reddeeradvocate.com/portals-code/searchd.cgi
Is tourism in crisis?-NS
By ROGER TAYLOR Business Columnist
HAS TOURISM increased or declined this year? Apparently, the answer depends on a number of factors, including who you ask.
While it is based on anecdotal evidence, there are few in the tourist business who would dispute the widely held belief that tourist activity in Nova Scotia has declined this year. But numbers released by the province's Tourism Department seem to indicate the number of visitors has actually risen two per cent this year over last.
That apparent conflict has a lot of people scratching their heads and led some to openly question the accuracy of the official figures. In fact, some people are wondering if there shouldn't be an official investigation of how the government comes up with the tourist numbers it reports.
On Monday, I received a five-page letter from an anonymous reader who claims to own and operate a business that has catered to the tourism sector for the past 18 years. Never in all that time has the writer seen tourism in such terrible shape.
The writer is by no means alone in his or her analysis of this year's tourist season.
Based on the writer's personal experience, the tourist industry was off by 10 to 15 per cent last year. And this year things are worse, the writer claims, off more than 10 per cent from "the disastrous year in 2004."
"Quite frankly, few in the (tourist) industry believe the Department of Tourism . . . numbers."
To help back up that point, the writer points to tourism revenue figures published in the media that suggested revenue was down 30 to 50 per cent in the Yarmouth area. Using the Tourism Department's own figures, the writer says that visits to Fortress Louisbourg have declined by 25 per cent since 2002. From 2002 to June 2005, tourist visits were down 17 per cent at the Halifax Citadel. The Bell Museum in Baddeck has experienced a 23 per cent decline in visits from 2002 to 2004 and a further six per cent decline this year. Visits to the Cape Breton Highlands Park, according to the provincial government numbers, were down last year and down an additional 11 per cent this year.
"I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to hear my customers tell me that their business is down 10, 20 even 30 per cent and then read … that the Department of Tourism reports that tourism is off only five per cent. Speak to motel and business owners in Baddeck, Cheticamp, Yarmouth and Lunenburg. They'll give you a far truer picture of the state of the tourism industry than the . . . spin issued by the Department of Tourism," my unnamed correspondent wrote.
Although I don't know this person, I tend to believe what they have to say because it backs up some of what I have been hearing from others across the province.
"Clearly things have to change or else the tourism industry will go the same way as the Atlantic fishing industry, 15 years ago. This is an industry in crisis," the letter said.
And things could get worse, the writer said, pointing out that in the coming years, U.S. citizens will require a U.S. passport if they want to re-enter their country and that little bit of inconvenience may be enough to discourage a significant number of American visitors from venturing across the border.
The letter writer blames several factors for the poor season, including fuel prices and the rise of the Canadian dollar. But there are some other factors over which the province has a little more control.
For instance, the writer says, roads must be upgraded as soon as possible, especially those leading to tourist destinations. Nova Scotia has "one of the most poorly maintained road system in the country, if not the worst," the letter says, a familiar refrain from tourism operators in Cape Breton about the Cabot Trail being dotted with potholes and road sags, which discourage anyone from driving their car or RV over the famous highway.
The writer also says there are too many motels and hotels outside of metro stuck in the 1960s.
They offer outdated accommodation, which fails to meet the expectations of modern travellers.
"Through its lack of new investment, the industry has clearly signalled that it does not have confidence in the future of the tourism sector."
The writer suggests there could be tax relief for new construction or modernization of motels across the province.
As a final note, the writer has stopped investing in his or her.
"If the tourism numbers do not improve next year, then I will have no choice but to close my business.
""You cannot grow a business in an industry that is shrinking eight per cent or more per year."
Write to me with your own views on Nova Scotia tourism and let me know if you believe the tourism glass is half-empty or half-full.
http://www.herald.ns.ca/stories/2005/09/13/fBusiness248.raw.html
Heavy Drinking, Levels of Stress High Among University Students - Canadian Campus Survey
TORONTO, Sept. 15 /CNW/ - Rates of cigarette smoking are in decline among university students but rates of binge drinking and psychological distress remain high according to the results of the 2004 Canadian Campus Survey released today by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).
The 2004 survey shows that rates of cigarette smoking and the use of hallucinogens have declined since the survey was last conducted in 1998 (4% and 3%, respectively) but as these behaviours have declined, results also show that some problematic trends still prevail. Results of the survey show that 32% of undergraduates reported patterns of harmful drinking. Though this rate has not increased since the survey was last conducted, these numbers are high and only tell part of the story. Consequences such as alcohol-related harms were evident in the survey with 10% of those surveyed reporting alcohol- related assault, 9.8% reporting alcohol-related sexual harassment and 14.1% reporting that they had experienced unplanned sexual relations due to alcohol. According to Dr. Adlaf, research scientist at CAMH and associate professor, Department of Public Health Sciences and Psychiatry, University of Toronto, who conducted the study along with colleagues across Canada, "Reports of alcohol-related harms are not trivial. Indeed, the 10% of students who report such consequences represent some 64,000 students."
Another troubling outcome in the survey involves the mental health of Canadian students. Rates of students reporting psychological stress have remained high at 30%. Indicators in the survey show that respondents reported that they experienced lack of sleep, were under constant stress and exhibited feelings of unhappiness and depression.
These feelings may have negative consequences on the health and academic success of students. According to co-investigator Dr. Andrée Demers, professor, Department of Sociology Université de Montréal, "Students living under these conditions tend to exhibit lack of concentration, absenteeism and many leave school before they graduate," she says. In addition, the rates of psychological distress were found to be higher among women than men (33.5% vs. 23.9%).Other Survey highlights include:
- 31.6% of undergraduates reported at least one indicator of dependent drinking such as being unable to stop, failing to perform normal everyday activities or needing a drink first thing in the morning.
- The most commonly used illicit drug was cannabis, used by 51.4% of students during their lifetime, 32.1% during the past 12 months, and 16.7% during the 30 days before the survey.
- 61.5% of undergraduates have bet or spent money on at least one gambling activity since the beginning of the school year.
Results of the survey may indicate that universities themselves may have a role in the behaviour of students. One-quarter of students surveyed said that they had taken advantage of low priced promotions at campus bars and believe that alcohol policies on their campus are not enforced.
According to co-investigator Dr. Louis Gliksman, Director of Social, Prevention and Health Policy Research at CAMH and Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, universities have to assume a larger role in the presence of alcohol on their campuses, "While we are aware that some universities prohibit alcohol in residences and that many have begun 'dry frosh week,' the numbers show that more needs to be done on the part of universities together with the communities of which the universities are part."
The Canadian Campus Survey surveyed 6,282 full-time students from 40 universities across Canada. Funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research, the survey aims to understand the social and environmental determinants of hazardous drinking, drug use and psychological well-being among students.
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health is a Pan American Health Organization and World Health Organization Collaborating Centre and a teaching hospital fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.
For further information: or to schedule interviews with survey investigators, please contact Michael Torres, media relations CAMH, at (416) 595-6015.
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/September2005/15/c0138.html
Trampling rights wrong course for smoking ban -AB
Smoking - Re: Let's ban smoking now and save lives, Naomi Lakritz, Sept. 8
Bruce Korol For The Calgary Herald Thursday, September 15, 2005
After appealing to emotion by citing numbers and painting alarming pictures of smoke-filled restaurants and pubs Naomi Lakritz asks: "Why should we wait even one more day to stop poisoning these people."
However, instead of wondering whether the 2008 date was politically expedient for city hall or if it should be moved up at all we should be asking if this popular smoking ban is appropriate in the first place.
For most people, including smokers, this smoking-ban debate has been over for a while so why rehash something already long decided?
In his famous vindication of moral liberty Lysander Spooner explained that "vices are not crimes" and in the current age of politically correct crusades his words couldn't be more prescient.
If we are talking about the continuing failed war on drugs, the impending war on obesity or the current smoking bans the common thread is state coercion and people's unwavering faith in the benevolence of government.
Robyn Hefferton refers to the fact that 90 per cent of people she approaches sign her petition but this should have little bearing on whether this ban is right or wrong. As history has shown us, the majority frequently errs. So why trust their will even if it is something as seemingly innocuous as a trendy smoking ban?
Because other municipalities are hopping on the bandwagon and we could be stuck in the middle of two provinces that ban tobacco shouldn't play a part in what we do and it certainly shouldn't be the raison d'etre of the smoking ban.
The story of Hefferton's friend who quit her job is touching but unfortunately for her the fact remains that a privately owned and operated business should be free to choose whether to be smoking or non-smoking.
While open to the public it is not a "public place" where democratic rule or government laws should govern smoking policies. The employees can choose to work there or elsewhere and the patrons have no right to force their agenda on the establishment.
Ergo, contrary to what Hefferton says this is, intentionally or unintentionally, about property rights versus state control. When the state can dictate how you run your business or what patrons can or can not do by force, then it inevitably becomes about state control.
The fact that 75 per cent of Calgarians are non-smokers is a moot point but if they really wanted non-smoking venues then it should follow that restaurants and bars would cater to this demand and thus this legislation isn't needed.
Robyn Hefferton and Naomi Lakritz may have an earnest desire to see people kick the smoking habit, but using legalized force to trample on private property rights is the wrong course to take.
As the Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1886, Thomas Reed, said, "one of the greatest delusions in the world is the hope that the evils in this world are to be cured by legislation."
So cry for Heather Crowe and others affected by tobacco but cry harder for the loss of liberty and freedom.
Bruce Korol is a recent law graduate from the University of Alberta.
http://www.canada.com/search/story.html?id=72987cb3-9c76-4127-b58b-f5b75daaffb8
Smoking leads to the morgue -AB
September 16, 2005
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor, The debate continues and those who care to do so share their opinions about smoking rules and regulations with the rest of us so I thought I'd add my bit.
As I was reading the pros and cons about the smoking bans in today's (Sept. 9)Saint City letters section I had what I call an oxymoronic moment as I couldn't decide to laugh or cry.
I had just returned home from the Cross Cancer Institute where I (a non- smoker) had taken my husband (another non- smoker) to have his 48-hour intravenous chemotherapy treatment discontinued for this particular session. The last breath of rain cleansed "fresh air" we both had as we entered the Cross was heavily tinged with someone else's left over cigarette smoke. We held our breath as we moved, as quickly as he could, through the entrance of the hospital and our next breath was then of hospital odor.
With the thought of "never mind" when we leave the odor of cigarette smoke will have waived off and the fresh rain scent would then be in the air and we would be able to cleanse ourselves of hospital aroma. Hope soon faded, as guess what? The first "fresh breath" we experienced as we left the Cross was "perfumed" with another benefactor's cigarette smoke.
Not to be daunted, I was still able to maintain my "sick" sense of "black humor" as I remembered that the patient's of one Edmonton hospital actually sign off the units to the "morgue." That means that they have gone outside for a smoke.
Maybe that is an indication that the hospital administration is cost conscious and has learned that if they provide a demanded smoking area and use the morgue entrance area for that purpose then they won't have far to move some people when the cigarette smoking finally gets them.
Helen Dempsey-Simmons St. Albert
http://saintcitynews.advancedpublishing.com/
Groups making alternative plans for bingo hall closure Sept. 28 -ON
Published in Section A, page 3 in the Friday, September 16, 2005
By DEREK ABMA Staff Writer
Organizations that have been using Johnstown's Bingo International to raise money are making alternative plans in light of the facility's pending closure after September 28.
The South Grenville Minor Hockey Association was making about $23,000 a year from holding events at Bingo International, said association president Mike Spencer.
Spencer said parents had already paid their $250 registration fee for the coming season, plus a $50 deposit that would have been returned if the parent worked two bingo sessions over the year.
He said that deposit is now non-refundable, essentially increasing the overall fee to $300. Spencer said he does not think this will pose a major problem for most parents, the majority of whom didn't end up working the bingos to get their money back.
"There might be a couple (parents) that really, truly went and worked the bingos because they needed the $50 back," Spencer said. "But for the most part, I think they understand the situation."
Spencer said next year's registration fee could increase beyond $300, but he said South Grenville currently has the lowest minor hockey fees in the region.
Girls Incorporated of Upper Canada, which provides various leadership and skills-development programs for girls aged six to 18, cut back its budget for the rest of the year because of the bingo's closure.
Donna Perrin, executive director of the group, said about $4,500 has been cut, which is what it stands to lose from not having its twice-a-month bingos during the last three months of this year.
She said there were budget reductions made to things such as marketing and travel, but programs for girls this year will remain intact and no staff reductions were necessary.
"The impact on our programs (this year) will be negligible," Perrin said.
She said next year's budget is more uncertain, but she hopes to tap various agencies and foundations to make up any funding shortfall.
Perrin said the United Way of Leeds and Grenville was not willing to waive the provision that affiliated members like Girls Incorporated not campaign for funds during the United Way's annual campaign, ongoing until December 2.
Judi Baril, executive director of the United Way of Leeds and Grenville, said the agency does not conduct bingos itself, but some of the service clubs that make donations to the United Way do.
She said it's unknown at this time what kind of impact Bingo International's closing will have on the United Way's fundraising.
Steve MacArthur, owner of Bingoland Brockville, said he's been contacted by about 15 agencies that were using Bingo International and now want to conduct bingos at his facility.
"If things work out, we may be able to accommodate almost all of them that have come in to see us," MacArthur said.
Perrin said Girls Incorporated is hoping to put on bingos at the Brockville facility, but she has been told there's a lengthy waiting list.
Spencer said the South Grenville Minor Hockey Association has requested some spots at Bingoland but has not received a response.
MacArthur said some of his existing clients have offered to give up time slots to provide time for agencies that were using Bingo International.
MacArthur said he's also been in touch with officials from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation about making changes that could help the bingo squeeze in more participants. He would not say exactly what he had in mind.
The Bingoland owner said while the demise of Bingo International is unfortunate, it makes it easier for Bingoland Brockville to survive the provincewide smoking ban, affecting indoor public places and coming into effect next May.
"With the smoking ban coming up, what we probably would've lost in clientele and volume through the business for the current charities, we'll probably be stabilized from Bingo International closing down," he said.
John Goodwin, owner of Bingo International, has said the coming smoking ban is one of the reasons that facility is closing.
http://newsfeed.recorder.ca/cgi-bin/LiveIQue.acgi$rec=15050
Smoke-free -QC
Letter Friday, September 16, 2005
Montreal bar owners who object to the planned smoking ban should consider this: There are many places in Montreal where I and people like me will not go because of the smoke.
We will start going to these establishments when the ban comes into force. These business owners are short-sighted. This is a matter of health and safety.
Roy Eappen Montreal
Smoking remains burning issue -MB
By Marc Zienkiewicz Friday September 16, 2005
Lac du Bonnet Leader — Smoking may now be banned in all indoor public places and tobacco is more expensive than ever in Manitoba, but smoking continues to be a problem for the Town of Lac du Bonnet.
CAO Colleen Johnson told the Leader last week that LdB Senior School students smoking on the sidewalk in front of the school is once again a concern now that the 2005/06 school year has begun.
“We’ll be meeting with (Senior School officials) to discuss it,” Johnson said at the Sept. 8 meeting of council.
“Maybe if we work together as a team, rather than just talking about it, we can get something accomplished.”
The smoking issue began back in August 2004, when the Sunrise School Division decided to ban smoking on all school property.
As a result, students who smoke have been forced onto public property if they want to light up.
Many students at the Senior School have chosen the sidewalk along Fifth Street -- right in front of several houses -- as their location to smoke during their respective break times.
Johnson said she was told by school officials last year that the problem would be dealt with, after residents complained about students hanging around their driveways and leaving cigarette butts and other litter behind.
List of smokers
Bob Hummelt, the school’s new principal, told the Leader the school developed an initiative last year to help curb the number of students smoking on the sidewalk in front of the school.
“They developed a list of parents who acknowledge their kids may be smoking during breaks,” he said.
“Any kids out there smoking who can’t verify to me they’re on the list, I tell them ‘I have to phone your parents to see if you smoke or not.’”
Hummelt said the system is working well at deterring students from smoking during school hours, and stressed the current approach to the problem should not be mistaken as a soft stance on the student smoking issue.
He noted he has read town council minutes from the past two years to bring himself up to speed about local concerns regarding smoking at the school.
“Obviously, I’d much rather none of them be smoking at all,” he said. “But if I had to rate how it’s working so far out of 10, I’d give it an 8.5.”
Hummelt said he looks forward to meeting with town council to introduce himself, and welcomes any ideas as to how to discourage students from smoking.
Under the school division’s Smoke Free Environment Policy, students caught smoking on school property can face suspension, and the policy encourages students to respect private property when smoking off of school grounds.
The policy also encourages schools to work with property owners to address littering and loitering concerns that arise from students smoking on public property.
http://www.lacdubonnetleader.com/story.php?id=184623
RHA moves closer to butting out smoking -MB
By Gene Still Friday September 16, 2005
“The culture’s changing out there and communities are ready for this kind of change.” – Dr. Shelley Buchan
Carman Valley Leader — The Central Region RHA took another step towards becoming a smoke-free environment.
The RHA’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Shelley Buchan, said effective Oct. 1, the main entrances to authority offices and facilities in the region, will be smoke-free. In addition, distance requirements have been established for all other entrances/opening windows.
“We’ve actually been working on this for several years,” Buchan said. “And now we’re ready to move forward with it.”
The doctor, who is co-ordinating the smoke-free initiative for the authority, said while they are taking steps to curb smoking, they’re also trying to help those who want to quit the habit.
“We’re making a greater effort to have more counseling available and helping with smoking cessation efforts,” Buchan explained. “The culture’s changing out there and communities are ready for this kind of change.
“(But) we recognize that smoking is an addictive behaviour and it’s hard to stop for many of the people who do smoke.”
Part of those efforts include offering “appropriate therapies/counseling methods” for staff and clients along with continuing to promote wellness initiatives in the central region via the RHA.
This latest step by the authority follows a similar move in April 2004 when smoking was banned inside RHA offices and facilities, by the public, residents, RHA employees and patients. It also keeps in line with an RHA board resolution in 2003 to work towards eliminating second-hand smoke.
“We want to maintain the most safe and effective environment possible in which to deliver health care services,” Buchan said. “These efforts and in keeping with the region’s statement of purpose so that people in our region are as healthy as they can be at a reasonable cost to the community.”
http://www.carmanvalleyleader.com/story.php?id=184725
Flue board hires consultant to help with exit strategy -ON
EXIT: Producers to be consulted
By Jeff Helsdon Staff Writer Friday September 16, 2005
Tillsonburg News — The Ontario Flue-Cured Tobacco Growers’ Marketing Board is consulting with outside professionals in a bid to complete a long-term exit plan for growers and to restructure the board.
Deloitte has been retained by the board to guide it through the strategic planning process for its future and to help the board refocus its priorities. The second part of the study will look at board governance.
“We want to relaunch a push towards a long-term exit strategy for tobacco farmers as well as some things that can help maintain tobacco growing as viable for as long as possible,” said board general manager Jason Lietaer.
He said the plan will be presented to the manufacturers and used to communicate the farmers’ position to government. The strategic planning exercise will be used to set long-term and short-term priorities for the board.
“It’s essentially a business plan for the tobacco industry in Canada,” Lietaer said.
The intent is to consult producers on what’s being proposed in early October. It’s public launch will be sometime this fall.
Part 2 of the Deloitte consultant’s work is a review of the governance structure of the board. The goal is to instil best management practices into the board’s system.
“We want to ensure it’s the right operation to ensure board members can get their job done effectively,” Lietaer said.
A questionnaire to gain producer input into the various suggestions will be mailed out to producers in the next week. Information sessions will be held for producers in the near future.
Lietaer said one thing up for discussion is a reduction in the number of tobacco board directors. A faction of producers have been pushing for a cut in the number of directors to accompany the reduction in the number flue growers.
The general manager said there has been been a move towards moving from a working-type board to a governance model board.
“The objective of the board is to continue to move to that type of governance where the board sets policy and staff implements policy,” he said.
Lietaer was clear that if there is a recommendation to reduce the size of the board, and the board accepts it, there won’t be a reduction in the number of directors in this fall’s board election. He has already talked to Farm Products Marketing Commission and was told with the necessary regulatory red tape any potential changes to the board size won’t be implemented until next fall.
“We want to relaunch a push towards a long-term exit strategy for tobacco farmers as well as some things that can help maintain tobacco growing as viable for as long as possible.”
http://www.tillsonburgnews.com/story.php?id=184652
Fire verdict due next month-BC
By CP September 17, 2005
KAMLOOPS, B.C. -- The man accused of sparking the wildfires that devastated the B.C. interior in 2003 will learn Oct. 18 if a judge thinks he is guilty.
Lawyers fixed the date in provincial court yesterday for Judge William Sundhu's decision.
Mike Barre is charged with dropping a burning substance within 1 km of a forest.
The judge reserved his verdict against Barre after a trial earlier this month. The Crown says Barre dropped a burning cigarette on a trail behind his McLure house and failed to properly stub it out, causing a blaze that consumed more than 35,000 hectares of forest and 75 homes.
Barre told many people, including investigators, in the days after the July 30, 2003, fire he was responsible.
http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/National/2005/09/17/1221147-sun.html
Cda's tobacco farmers battle debt, depression as industry hits hard times -ON
Tara Brautigam Canadian Press Saturday, September 17, 2005
DELHI, Ont. (CP) - A faint cinnamon-like aroma wafts from the barns and kilns of this southwestern Ontario town, the heart of Canada's tobacco belt.
It's harvest, and the country's tobacco farmers are reaping the rewards of four months in the fields.
But bankruptcy and depression are taking their toll on the growers, many of whom have left the family business after decades of tilling. Farmers say alcoholism and drug abuse are on the rise because of the crushing debt.
"Ask the local doctors around what kind of anxiety level farmers and their wives and their children are under," says Brian Edwards, a tobacco grower of 30 years who sold his business last year.
"There's lots of depression. Suicide is a very last resort for people . . . that's a real fear."
Mark Bannister, a tobacco farmer in nearby Vanessa, Ont., since 1980, speaks of one farmer "hitting the bottle pretty hard" and another under close watch because his family is worried he might take his life.
"This is a man now that's on 24-hour a day surveillance by his family. He's depressed. He's on antidepressants, day in, day out," he says, looking to the ground.
"People are scared."
There were more than 4,500 tobacco farms throughout Canada in the 1960s. A decade ago there were about 1,650 growers.
Today there are 680, virtually all toiling in a small stretch of land north of Lake Erie known for its natural irrigation and fertile soils that provide Canadian tobacco a distinct flavour unlike any other in the world.
"This could be our last year," says Joe Stachura, a tobacco farmer of 25 years in Delhi, a quiet town of 16,000.
"We have no idea what our future holds for us."
While the agricultural industry overall has hit hard times in recent years, tobacco farmers find themselves in an unusual dilemma all their own - growing a product that, albeit legal, has been blamed for the premature deaths of 45,000 Canadians annually.
Every province except Alberta has passed some form of smoking ban in public places such as bars and restaurants.
"What we are trying very hard to convince government of is that, as they pursue these types of aggressive policies, there has to be a balance in addressing the needs of the farmers that those types of policies are really displacing," says Fred Neukamm, chairman of the Ontario Flue-Cured Tobacco Growers' Marketing Board.
As farmers turned away from tobacco, accordingly, tobacco crops have steadily declined. In 1998, 151 million pounds were produced. This year the crop target is set for just over 85 million pounds.
Tobacco farmers in 1990 earned an average income of $79,062, according to Statistics Canada. That dropped to $57,876 in 2000.
"The bills are just getting paid," says Jason McElhone, a relatively young tobacco farmer at 32.
"It's bad when you have to take it out on your own family at home at night and then take it out on your own employees."
Aggressive federal and provincial government policies to dissuade smoking have indirectly yet increasingly encouraged tobacco companies to use cheaper foreign leaf in Canadian-made cigarettes, Bannister says.
Six years ago, six per cent of the shreds of tobacco in your typical du Maurier cigarette came from other countries such as Brazil. In 2003, that figure rose to 30 per cent.
"These companies are allowed to bring in foreign leaf which is substandard to Canadian leaf, and that's being smoked by people here," says Bannister, who has lobbied both levels of government to increase Canadian content in cigarettes sold here.
"If Canadians are going to smoke, they should be smoking only Canadian blends of tobacco."
He says tobacco grown abroad isn't as rigorously inspected as domestic tobacco, possibly exposing smokers to chemicals such as DDT, a toxic insecticide fully banned in Canada since 1989.
Currently, all Canadian tobacco farmers are required to document their use of fertilizers and the volume and type of pesticides they use.
"You can be sure that in countries like Brazil and India, there may be guidelines in place, but they're not being followed as strictly as they are here," Bannister says.
In March, Ontario set aside $50 million in a transition fund for tobacco farmers looking to get out of the business and pursue alternative crops such as beans and sweet potatoes.
But the farmers say much of the infrastructure designed for tobacco farming - namely the kilns, which cure, or essentially heat the tobacco, can't be used for any other crops.
Ontario Agriculture Minister Leona Dombrowsky says there are farmers making strides in adapting to cultivating different and viable crops, pointing to some who have taken up sweet potato farming.
"There are really going to be two benefits," she said in an interview.
"There will be the production of sweet potatoes for consumption, and then those lower-grade potatoes will be used for the production of ethanol."
The province is pushing gas companies to ensure all gasoline contains five per cent of ethanol by 2007 to reduce greenhouse gases.
But Bannister says trying to get tobacco farmers to grow other crops will only saturate other markets.
"If, say, 400 acres of strawberries were planted here, we would ruin the strawberry industry for Canadians," he says.
"We can't be planting 10,000 more acres of tomatoes or peppers or sweet corns. Nobody makes money then."
To cope, one farmer tried his hand at a marijuana grow-operation but was quickly busted, Bannister says.
"It's come down to where if you got no way to pay the bills, you get tempted to do something illegally," Edwards says.
Bannister has discouraged his 20-year-old son Wes from taking up the family trade, given the grim outlook he has for Canada's tobacco farming business.
"The tobacco industry is the Titanic," he says, gazing out at row upon row of tobacco crops as he lights a smoke.
Here is the annual quota of tobacco crops grown in Ontario since 1998:
1998: 151 million pounds
1999: 143.3 million pounds
2000: 124 million pounds
2001: 117.1 million pounds
2002: 108.1 million pounds
2003: 94.1 million pounds
2004: 87.9 million pounds
2005: 85.3 million pounds
(Source: The Ontario Flue-Cured Tobacco Growers' Marketing Board)
http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=cfb12fa9-390d-4fad-a359-36bd030e95ec
http://www.smokersclubinc.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2083
Adults turn to youths in bid to curb smoking -ON
By Libby Peters Times-Journal staff Saturday September 17, 2005
It’s an invaluable employment opportunity for seven to 10 local youths, positive change for the community, and potentially life-saving to other teens.
As part of the Smoke Free Ontario Strategy’s Youth Development Program, a new community-based project is set to launch in St. Thomas with help from the Elgin-St. Thomas Health Unit, the St. Thomas-Elgin Youth Centre and the local YWCA. Up to 10 young people will lead an aggressive new campaign to change public perception of smoking among youths.
Youth Action Alliance is an initiative funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health whose aim is to involve middle and high school students in tobacco control activities. The young people hired to lead the program will plan strategies to counter tobacco industry marketing and try to denormalize smoking among youth.
St. Thomas is one of four areas in southwestern Ontario to receive funding for this initiative. The city has received $110,000 to start the project.
Laurie Benner, youth advisor for St. Thomas’s Youth Action Alliance, said peer leaders could plan projects such as rallies, posters, or dances.
Benner pointed to the extreme, but effective, Ottawa-based anti-smoking campaign known as Expose. It is the model Youth Action Alliance was built on.
“This gives youth another outlet to rebel against (instead of adults) -- the tobacco industry.”
“The kids’ job is to empower their peers to stop smoking, or not to start smoking,” said Lindsay Grondin of the YWCA.
Grondin, Benner, and Jackie VanRyswyk, of the health unit, said the project is a ‘great opportunity’ for youth who want to get involved and promote change.
Peer leaders who are hired for the project will be paid for their work and receive training in media advocacy, community mobilization and policy change. They will also have the opportunity to attend a leaders’ summit being planned for next March.
http://www.stthomastimesjournal.com/story.php?id=184802
NDP's taxapalooza -MB
By TOM BRODBECK Sat, September 17, 2005
Soaring transfer payments from Ottawa and healthy gambling profits aren't the only reason why the Doer government is sitting on a big surplus.
The NDP took in $301 million more in taxes last year -- income taxes, sales taxes, corporate taxes, you name it -- than it did the year before, according to the province's public accounts released last week.
And part of the reason is that the NDP has been quietly jacking up your taxes over the years.
It doesn't get a lot of media attention because the NDP's strategy is to spread it out among many different types of taxes. But when you look at the overall numbers, the tax windfall is staggering.
Let's start with the big stuff. For the second time in five years, Premier Gary Doer expanded the provincial sales tax last year, this time to include professional services such as lawyers, accountants and engineers.
Manitobans paid $59 million more in PST last year than in 2003.
If you bought a house, you probably paid more in the little-known "house tax" called a land transfer tax. Doer jacked that one up last year, too. He took in $5 million more in 2004 in land transfer taxes compared with the previous year.
Diesel fuel taxes went up last year. The rate jumped to 11.5 cents a litre from 10.9 cents a litre. Doesn't sound like much, but the province took in $9 million more in diesel fuel taxes than it did the year before.
If you smoke, you got hit hard again last year. Cigarette taxes go up almost every year, and 2004 was no exception. Doer collected $13 million more in smoke taxes last year than the year before, despite the public-smoking ban. In fact, cigarette taxes have become one of the most important sources of revenue for the province, generating $203 million last year. That's more than the province collects in gas taxes, which yielded $154 million.
Doer talks a great deal about the modest cuts he's made to individual income taxes since taking office in 1999. But what he doesn't tell you is that unlike most governments, he's refused to index tax brackets.
That means workers who get cost-of-living wage increases move into higher tax rates because the tax brackets aren't indexed to inflation. It's called bracket creep and it's one of Doer's greatest revenue generators.
Big money
Last year the province took in $67 million more in individual income taxes than it did the year before. It's big money.
Business also took a hit last year. Doer changed how the capital tax -- a tax on companies' capital -- is calculated for banks, trust and loan corporations.
The province collected $27 million more in corporate capital tax compared to the previous year.
All told, tax revenue soared $301 million last year, enough to run the entire department of justice -- courts, jails, rural policing, legal aid and all.
But that's not all. The NDP has been jacking up fees and fines, too.
Vehicle registration fees, for example, went up last year, netting Doer $10 million more than the previous year. Driver's licence fees also rose last year, yielding $4.2 million in extra dough. And liquor taxes went up, lining provincial coffers with almost $11 million in new revenue.
All told, the NDP took in $126 million more in fees, fines and other revenues in 2004 compared with the previous year.
Between taxes, fees, fines and other revenues, the NDP hauled in a stunning $427 million more last year than it did in 2003. That's on top of the more than $400 million the NDP got from Ottawa in extra transfer payments last year.
At least you know where your money is going.
http://www.winnipegsun.com/News/Columnists/Brodbeck_Tom/2005/09/17/1220725.html
Mounties probing 'unexpected' death of hospital patient while outside smoking-BC
Darah Hansen Vancouver Sun Saturday, September 17, 2005
SURREY - A police investigation has been launched into the death of a Surrey Memorial Hospital patient after the body of a man in his 50s was discovered Friday afternoon in the smoking area outside the Shirley Dean Pavilion.
Authorities are saying little about how the man died, though Don Bower, Fraser Health Authority spokesman, confirmed two people were involved. He said there were no witnesses to what happened.
Bower referred to the man's death as "unexpected."
He said both the victim and the second man were patients in the hospital's extended care facility, but refused to identify either man, citing privacy act regulations.
No charges have been laid in the matter. It remains under investigation by Surrey RCMP and the B.C. Coroners' Office.
The toil and trouble in our tobacco fields -ON
Debt-ridden farm families battle social ills along with bankruptcy and the foreign leaf
By TARA BRAUTIGAM Canadian Press Saturday, September 17, 2005 Page A17
DELHI, ONT. -- A faint cinnamon-like aroma wafts from the barns and kilns of this Southwestern Ontario town, the heart of Canada's tobacco belt.
It's harvest, and the country's tobacco farmers are reaping the rewards of four months in the fields.
But bankruptcy and depression are taking their toll on the growers, many of whom have left the family business after decades of tilling. Farmers say alcoholism and drug abuse are on the rise because of the crushing debt.
"Ask the local doctors around what kind of anxiety level farmers and their wives and their children are under," says Brian Edwards, a tobacco grower of 30 years who sold his business last year.
"There's lots of depression. Suicide is a very last resort for people . . . that's a real fear."
Mark Bannister, a tobacco farmer in nearby Vanessa since 1980, speaks of one farmer "hitting the bottle pretty hard" and another under close watch because his family is worried he might take his life.
"This is a man now that's on 24-hour a day surveillance by his family. He's depressed. He's on antidepressants, day in, day out," he says, looking to the ground.
"People are scared."
There were more than 4,500 tobacco farms throughout Canada in the 1960s. A decade ago there were about 1,650 growers.
Today, there are 680, virtually all toiling in a small stretch of land north of Lake Erie known for its natural irrigation and fertile soils that provide Canadian tobacco a flavour unlike any other in the world.
"This could be our last year," says Joe Stachura, a tobacco farmer of 25 years in Delhi, a quiet town of 16,000. "We have no idea what our future holds for us."
While the agriculture industry overall has hit hard times in recent years, tobacco farmers find themselves in an unusual dilemma all their own -- growing a product that, albeit legal, has been blamed for the premature deaths of 45,000 Canadians annually.
Every province except Alberta has passed some form of smoking ban in public places such as bars and restaurants.
"What we are trying very hard to convince government of is that, as they pursue these types of aggressive policies, there has to be a balance in addressing the needs of the farmers that those types of policies are really displacing," says Fred Neukamm, chairman of the Ontario Flue-Cured Tobacco Growers' Marketing Board.
As farmers turned away from tobacco, accordingly, tobacco crops have steadily declined. In 1998, 151 million pounds were produced. This year the crop target is set for a little more than 85 million pounds.
Tobacco farmers in 1990 earned an average income of $79,062, according to Statistics Canada. That dropped to $57,876 in 2000.
"The bills are just getting paid," says Jason McElhone, a relatively young tobacco farmer at 32.
"It's bad when you have to take it out on your own family at home at night and then take it out on your own employees."
Aggressive federal and provincial government policies to dissuade smoking have indirectly yet increasingly encouraged tobacco companies to use cheaper foreign leaf in Canadian-made cigarettes, Mr. Bannister says.
Six years ago, 6 per cent of the shreds of tobacco in your typical du Maurier cigarette came from other countries, such as Brazil. In 2003, that figure rose to 30 per cent.
"These companies are allowed to bring in foreign leaf, which is substandard to Canadian leaf, and that's being smoked by people here," says Mr. Bannister, who has lobbied both levels of government to increase Canadian content in cigarettes sold here.
"If Canadians are going to smoke, they should be smoking only Canadian blends of tobacco."
He says tobacco grown abroad isn't as rigorously inspected as domestic tobacco, possibly exposing smokers to chemicals such as DDT, a toxic insecticide banned in Canada since 1989.
All Canadian tobacco farmers are required to document their use of fertilizers and the volume and type of pesticides they use.
"You can be sure that in countries like Brazil and India, there may be guidelines in place, but they're not being followed as strictly as they are here," Mr. Bannister says.
In March, Ontario set aside $50-million in a transition fund for tobacco farmers looking to get out of the business and pursue alternative crops such as beans and sweet potatoes.
But the farmers say much of the infrastructure designed for tobacco farming -- namely the kilns, which cure or essentially heat the tobacco, can't be used for any other crops.
Ontario Agriculture Minister Leona Dombrowsky says there are farmers making strides in adapting to cultivating different and viable crops, pointing to some who have taken up sweet potato farming.
"There are really going to be two benefits," she said in an interview. "There will be the production of sweet potatoes for consumption, and then those lower-grade potatoes will be used for the production of ethanol."
The province is pushing gas companies to ensure all gasoline contains 5 per cent ethanol by 2007 to reduce greenhouse gases.
But Mr. Bannister says trying to get tobacco farmers to grow other crops will only saturate other markets.
"If, say, 400 acres of strawberries were planted here, we would ruin the strawberry industry for Canadians," he says.
"We can't be planting 10,000 more acres of tomatoes or peppers or sweet corns. Nobody makes money then."
To cope, one farmer tried his hand at growing marijuana but was quickly busted, Mr. Bannister says.
"It's come down to where if you got no way to pay the bills, you get tempted to do something illegally," Mr. Edwards says.
Mr. Bannister has discouraged his 20-year-old son, Wes, from taking up the family trade, given the grim outlook he has for Canada's tobacco farming business.
"The tobacco industry is the Titanic," he says, gazing out at row upon row of tobacco crops as he lights a smoke
http://www.smokersclubinc.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2083
Last year for Canada's tobacco farmers? -ON
CBC News Last Updated Sat, 17 Sep 2005 15:15:03 EDT
Canada's last remaining tobacco farmers are in trouble, and some say this could be their last year.
Canadian tobacco farmers have found themselves in an unusual dilemma over the past several years. They grow a product that is legal, but is blamed for the premature cancer-related deaths of 45,000 Canadians every year.
Every province except Alberta has passed some form of smoking ban in public places such as bars and restaurants. With more laws restricting smoking and promotion of smoking, there are fewer tobacco farmers.
While there were more than 4,500 tobacco farms in Canada in the 1960s, today there are only 680 -- grouped north of Lake Erie, near Delhi, Ont.
As farmers turned away from tobacco, tobacco crops declined. In 1998, 151 million pounds were produced in Canada. This year the crop target is set for just over 85 million pounds.
Tobacco farmers in 1990 earned an average income of $79,062. According to Statistics Canada that dropped to $57,876 in 2000.
"This could be our last year," said Joe Stachura, a tobacco farmer of 25 years in Delhi. "We have no idea what our future holds for us."
Fred Neukamm, chairman of the Ontario Flue-Cured Tobacco Growers' Marketing Board said: "What we are trying very hard to convince government of is that, as they pursue these types of aggressive (anti-smoking) policies, there has to be a balance in addressing the needs of the farmers that those types of policies are really displacing."
In March, Ontario set aside $50 million in a transition fund for tobacco farmers looking to get out of the business and pursue alternative crops such as beans and sweet potatoes. But the farmers say much of the infrastructure designed for tobacco farming -- such as the kilns which cure the tobacco -- can't be used for any other crops.
Ontario Agriculture Minister Leona Dombrowsky said some farmers are adapting to cultivating different crops, such as sweet potatoes. Dombrowsky said there will be two benefits: "There will be the production of sweet potatoes for consumption, and... lower-grade potatoes will be used for the production of ethanol."
The province is pushing gas companies to ensure all gasoline contains five per cent of ethanol by 2007 to reduce greenhouse gases and to support agriculture.
Bankruptcy and depression are taking their toll on the growers, many of whom have left the family business after decades of tilling. Mark Bannister, a tobacco farmer in Vanessa, Ont., since 1980, said: "People are scared."
Bannister, vice-chairman of the Tobacco Farmers in Crisis association, said trying to get tobacco farmers to grow other crops will only saturate other markets.
"If, say, 400 acres of strawberries were planted here, we would ruin the strawberry industry for Canadians," he said. "We can't be planting 10,000 more acres of tomatoes or peppers or sweet corns. Nobody makes money then."
Gazing out at row upon row of tobacco crops, Bannister said: "The tobacco industry is the Titanic."
http://www.cbc.ca/story/business/national/2005/09/17/tobacco_farmers20050917.html
http://www.smokersclubinc.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2083
Bell Centre to become smoke-free environment Sept. 18 -QC
PRESS RELEASE (09/17/2005)
MONTREAL – In an ongoing effort to provide a healthy environment for all its visitors, the Bell Centre, as of September 18, 2005, will become an entirely non-smoking facility.
The Bell Centre initiative is being instituted prior to the Quebec government’s implementation of its new regulations on the usage of tobacco. The law states that smoking inside all public buildings is strictly prohibited, and that no designated smoking areas inside the buildings will be allowed. This policy will apply for every single event held in the Bell Centre, starting on Sept. 18, when the Canadiens play their first preseason game of the year against the Atlanta Thrashers. The only areas that will accommodate smokers will be outside of the Bell Centre, near the de La Gauchetiere, Lucien L’Allier and Windsor Court entrances. Consequently, as of Sept. 18, existing designated areas for smokers will be closed.
Since December 17, 1999, in accordance with governmental laws on the usage of tobacco in the workplace and most public areas, the management of the Bell Centre had offered their clients and employees designated areas for the usage of tobacco.
http://www.canadiens.com/eng/news/redirect.cfm?sectionID=habsNewsDetails.cfm&newsItemID=4354