Smoking bylaw -BC

By -Penticton Western News

Mar 14 2007

New rules against smoking may be intrusive, even harsh. They ban smoking in all indoor spaces accessible to the public (including restaurants and bars) as well as in public doorways and near the doors, windows in public hospitals and health facilities, universities and colleges, public athletic and recreational facilities and provincial buildings.

Harsh? Intrusive? Maybe.

The laws severely restrict where smokers can light up. In fact, it is hard to think of any places (outside private homes) where it would be OK to smoke.

Smoking was once an individual choice people made in public, with consequences for all, whether they liked it or not.

Now, it is on its way to becoming a stigmatized, solitary pursuit. Whether this indirect form of public shaming will succeed in reaching its goals is still open to speculation.

We predict that rebellious occupants of school “smoke pits” around the province will soon test their new borders and expand their domain.

We also feel sympathy for bar and restaurant owners who went through the trouble and expenses of installing smoking rooms, only to see the laws change once again. We certainly do not expect laws to be cast in stone.

They change all the time. But maybe the province should give some thought to compensation, or develop a grandfather clause for establishments that would eventually expire. We hope that the province will give serious consideration to these proposals, if only to avoid charges of heavy-handiness.

We are not so sure though how the province will evade the inevitable charges of hypocrisy that have already greeted this latest announcement.

Critics note that the province is more than happy to accept the tobacco taxes which they receive from smokers, while it ostracizes them at the same time. If the province were really serious about reducing the negative health effects of smoking, it would ban it tomorrow, critics argue.

They have a point.

This government has certainly never been shy about saying one thing, then doing the opposite. Premier Gordon Campbell has thankfully recognized climate change as an important issue.

But this has not stopped his government from selling coal and oil to energy-hungry industry in China and the United States respectively. But that is neither here nor there.

The new laws may not be perfect. But they are better than the previous and that is a step in the right direction.  

http://www.thegoldenstar.net/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=100&cat=48&id=851186&more=

Ontario smoking club founder to appeal fine -ON

The man behind a short-lived private smoker's club in Smiths Falls, Ont., intends to appeal his recent conviction under the Smoke-Free Ontario Act.

"Oh yes, we're definitely going for an appeal. It's without a question," Mike Kennedy said Thursday.

Kennedy said he acknowledged to the court he was the proprietor of the club during the three weeks it was in operation last September.

It reverted to a smoke-free bar because of a lack of business.

Kennedy was found guilty on five charges and fined $3,530 by justice of the peace Darryl Bartraw during a trial last week in Perth, Ont.

"I'm disappointed but not surprised," he said.

Kennedy didn't raise a constitutional challenge against the Smoke-Free Ontario Act as he vowed previously, but instead argued, through his lawyer Mark MacDonald, that the act didn't apply to a private club with a membership fee.

He said he could appeal based on the Canadian Charter of Rights, on the grounds the findings of the court were incorrect.

"The process is the process and let's see what happens down the line," he said.

Kennedy was convicted for failing to post prescribed signs prohibiting smoking, allowing ashtrays at the tables, allowing smoking to occur in the club, obstructing a health inspector and smoking in an enclosed public place.

He was given 90 days to pay the fine.

Charges dropped against club directors

Charges were dropped against Chris Fagan and Stephanie Lepage, who were listed with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario as directors of the club during the period when smoking was allowed.

Yves Decoste, tobacco program co-ordinator with the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit which laid the charges, said he was happy with the court's decision.

"We're pleased the act was upheld. It does cover clubs of any nature, both public and private," Decoste said.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2007/03/16/smokers-club.html

http://www.smokersclubinc.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2834

Boozecan bloodbath -ON

Sun, March 18, 2007

By JONATHAN JENKINS, SUN MEDIA

Tips scarce after gunman kills one, wounds another at birthday bash

Up to 50 people were at a basement party in a west-end business yesterday when a killer shot dead one man and critically injured another, but, so far, little help is coming in to police to catch the shooter.

"Anyone could have been hit," Toronto police Homicide Det.-Sgt. Pauline Grey said.

"The gunman burst into the birthday party and fired randomly into the crowd."

The two victims were both in their late 20s but Grey said she didn't want to identify them in any way to protect the survivor and because the dead man's family has not yet been notified.

Police were called to 180 Degrees at 624 Vaughan Rd. around 5 a.m. Almost everyone who had been there when the shooting happened had fled by the time cops arrived and only two or three have given police any information, Grey said.

'NO MOTIVE'

What those people told her is that a young woman was having a birthday party for a friend in the basement when the gunman struck.

"I have no motive. I can't imagine what a motive would be," Grey said.

Nearby residents and business owners say the spot where the shooting happened is a notorious neighbourhood boozecan, or illegal after-hours club, which uses the birthday party ruse to protect it from prosecution.

"My information at this point is that it was a birthday party -- and yes, birthday parties are often used as excuses for boozecans but until someone comes forward and tells me something different, the only people I have information from are the ones that have come forward," Grey said.

"Unless people come forward and tell me what's going on there, I can't say yet."

She wouldn't comment on whether any drugs or weapons were found inside the building but said there was no evidence of any liquor sales in the basement, which is a small open space with minimal furniture.

HELP POLICE OUT

The detective said, in her experience, some witnesses refuse to come forward in murder cases out of a fear of retribution, which hampers investigations.

"They have to speak with us and they have to help us out, otherwise these things will keep on happening," Grey said.

One man who works nearby said the shooting scene is a well-known boozecan that is a serious danger to law-abiding businesses on the block.

"They have to shut it down," said the man, who didn't want his name used. "Everybody knows what goes on there."

However, the man acknowledged he had never called police to complain about the activities there. He said he thought it was inevitable someone was killed.

"They're playing with fire, these kids today," he said. "They don't fight with their hands. They just pull out the guns and shoot."

http://www.torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2007/03/18/3775845-sun.html

Smoking club proprietor plans to launch appeal of conviction on

Posted 4:29:46 PM Friday, March 16, 2007.

By NICK GARDINER Staff Writer

The man behind a short-lived private smoker's club in Smiths Falls intends to appeal his recent conviction on charges under the Smoke Free Ontario Act.

"Oh, yes, we're definitely going for an appeal. It's without a question," said Mike Kennedy.

Kennedy said he acknowledged to the court he was the proprietor of the club during a three-week run at a downtown Comfort Inn last September.

It reverted to a smoke-free bar because of a lack of business.

Kennedy was found guilty on five charges and fined $3,530 by Justice of the Peace Darryl Bartraw during a trial which lasted less than three hours in Perth Provincial Court last week.

"I'm disappointed but not surprised," he said.

Kennedy didn't raise a constitutional challenge against the Smoke-Free Ontario Act as he had previously vowed but instead argued through his lawyer Mark MacDonald of Smiths Falls that the act didn't apply to a private club with a membership fee.

He said he could appeal based on the Canadian Charter of Rights, on the grounds the findings of the court were incorrect or on a combination of both questions.

"The process is the process and let's see what happens down the line."

Kennedy's convictions include: failure to post prescribed signs prohibiting smoking; allowing ashtrays at the tables; allowing smoking to occur in the club; obstructing a health inspector; and smoking in an enclosed public place.

He was given 90 days to pay the fine.

Charges were dropped against Chris Fagan and Stephanie Lepage, who were listed with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario as directors of the club when smoking was allowed.

Yves Decoste, tobacco program co-ordinator with the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit, which laid the charges, was pleased with the court's judgment.

"We're pleased the act was upheld. It does cover clubs of any nature, both public and private," said Decoste.

Health unit lawyer Michael O'Shaugnessy commended the court's decision.

"That's good news for the community because smoking kills," he said.

http://newsfeed.recorder.ca/cgi-bin/LiveIQue.acgi$rec=21691

Posted 9:59:48 AM Saturday, March 17, 2007

By NICK GARDINER Staff Writer

Contraband tobacco is a growing concern among local health officials who otherwise are pleased with the level of local compliance with the 10-month-old Smoke-Free Ontario Act.

"Contraband product is something we're starting to notice in the area," Yves Decoste, smoking program co-ordinator with the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit, told The Recorder and Times Friday.

He said the health unit laid one charge against a Brockville person who he wouldn't identify for improperly packaged tobacco as part of a joint investigation with the Ontario Ministry of Finance, which has jurisdiction in such cases.

"Under the act, we have very little power (over contraband tobacco)," said Decoste, noting the ministry and RCMP are the main enforcement agencies in that regard.

In the local case, he said the ministry seized a garbage bag full of bagged cigarettes as well as packaged brands without warning labels that are not permitted for sale in Ontario.

Decoste said the ministry met with health unit officials and local police force representatives recently to discuss the problem of contraband tobacco and the different roles to be played by each party investigating such occurrences.

Meanwhile, Decoste said there have been few incidents that have warranted charges or even a ticket in the tri-county area since the act was introduced by the provincial government last May.

"There have been a few charges against taxi cab drivers smoking in their vehicles and a couple of stores ticketed as well."

In total, he said, seven tickets have been issued, including three against a Gananoque restaurant identified by the health unit last fall for not posting no-smoking signs and allowing ashtrays on the premises.

Among those tickets was one to a Brockville pharmacist who was allowing smoking in a back room on the premises, he said, refusing again to name the business involved.

"I probably shouldn't pinpoint anybody. The ticket has been paid."

Moreover, Decoste is pleased with the level of compliance with the act.

Coming on the heels of a victory in Perth Court last week where the proprietor of a temporary Smiths Falls smoking club was found guilty on five charges and fined more than $3,000 under the act, Decoste believes most people and businesses are willingly going along with the new regulations.

He said educating people about the act remains the first priority among health inspectors who have issued 42 warnings since it came into effect.

He said inspectors have responded to 50 complaints about different aspects of the act, such as the lack of no-smoking signs at all business entrances and the proximity of smoking shelters to main entrances.

In some cases, the complaints are valid and in others people are misinterpreting the legislation, he said.

Similarly, many of the valid complaints are based on a misunderstanding of the responsibilities of the business or agency for abiding by the legislation, he said.

For instance, smoking shelters may not have been built with two open sides as required by the act or businesses may be allowing smoking on loading docks, which is also prohibited, he said.

"We haven't had any really big issues or challenges around these things. Where there are violations of the act it's often not done on purpose. It's a misunderstanding of the act."

Decoste said the health unit continues to stress to inspectors the need to educate people accordingly.

"If people have questions, we'll send an inspector out to answer them. We're available to help them comply with the act."

Published in Section A, page 1 in the Saturday, March 17, 2007 edition of the Brockville Recorder & Times.

http://newsfeed.recorder.ca/cgi-bin/LiveIQue.acgi$rec=21703

Toronto tax hikes on table -ON

Sat, March 17, 2007

By BRIAN GRAY, SUN MEDIA

Increases under new law could hit everything from butts to booze, Miller says

Talk is cheap but discussions on City Hall's new taxing powers could end up costing Toronto taxpayers millions.

From sin taxes to land sale levies, a panorama of new tax options unveiled yesterday will go before city council's executive committee Monday and through consultations starting as early as next month, the city's chief financial officer, Joe Pennachetti said.

Eight tax options -- alcohol, tobacco, entertainment, land transfer, vehicle registration, road tolls, parking and billboards -- were all made possible at the start of this year by the new City of Toronto Act.

But Mayor David Miller refused to use the word "tax" when asked about the possibilities for raising money. "There are no proposed tax increases. These are potential revenue tools."

If every tax were implemented at the highest rate provided, residents, businesses and visitors could be dinged for $675 million a year.

The paper prepared by city staff estimates the revenue generated annually at different tax rates:

- A 1% tax on beer and booze sales could raise $15 million, a 10% tax $121 million.

- Smokers could cough up another $6 million at 1%, another $43 million at 10%.

- Movie, sports and concert fans could spend up to $29 million on tickets.

- A chunk of real estate sales could net $21 million at a 0.1% rate or as much as $306 million if council digs 1.5% out of the sale price.

- Vehicle owners could hand over $11 million on a $10 tax per registration to $81 million if the paperwork costs $80.

- A toll for using the Parkway or the Gardiner into downtown could bring in $75 million.

- A parking tax charged to lot owners based on area or the number of spaces could produce anywhere from $2 million to $18 million.

- A tax on billboard owners could net $2.6 million.

LONG IMPLEMENTATION

The taxes would take between 18 months and three years to implement, Pennachetti said. The earliest taxpayers would feel the pinch is the second half of next year.

The public will be invited to speak in a series of consultations, the details of which have yet to be revealed.

Miller said he believes people will talk about doling out more of their money in taxes if they are shown the benefits.

"Would you pay a little bit more for vehicle registration to ease gridlock and repair your roads?" Miller asked. Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong said he thinks citizens won't like paying more for entertainment, cars or homes.

http://torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2007/03/17/3769309-sun.html

2 men shot in groins

By ROB LAMBERTI Sun, October 15, 2006

Two men were shot in the groin area while in a suspected booze can early yesterday.

But potential witnesses to the shootings, in which the victims suffered injuries not considered life threatening, were gone by the time emergency crews arrived at 598 Oakwood Ave. near Eglinton Ave. W. at 4:30 a.m.

The two men, 22 and 24, were shot in the basement of the home.

Det. Colin Greenaway of 13 Division said he's looking for witnesses to come forward.

He said "we have no idea" as to any description of a suspect or motive to the dispute which led to the shooting.

Police said they haven't been able to speak with the victims yet because they were undergoing treatment.

http://www.torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2006/10/15/2032349-sun.html

Governments to clean polluted Great Lakes sites

The provincial and federal governments are planning to clean four of the 15 most polluted sites on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes, according to a proposed agreement revealed in the Canada Gazette.

The Globe and Mail reported that Ontario and Ottawa plan to remediate Jackfish Bay and Nipigon Bay in Lake Superior by 2010.

Two other polluted sites - Wheatley Harbour on Lake Erie and the St. Lawrence River near Cornwall - are the others set aside for clean up.

Seventeen contaminated sites were identified by both levels of government in the mid-1980s. They have been trying to bring those sites back to a state of health ever since. But the nearly two decades of work have only resulted in two sites being cleaned and little progress for the rest.

Details about the cost of the clean up efforts, plus what both governments hope to achieve at the sites, have not yet been released.

About 70 per cent of Ontario's population gets drinking water directly from the Great Lakes or connecting channels, The Globe reported.

http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20070319/great_lakes_cleanup

Atlantic Lottery offers Texas hold 'em at P.E.I. racino

Last Updated: Monday, March 19, 2007 | 3:40 PM AT

CBC News

Texas hold 'em poker can now be played at the Charlottetown Driving Park Entertainment Centre, since the racino section of the centre is now equipped to host the card games.

More than 20 Islanders have been hired as dealers for the four tables that opened Monday. Poker will be available six days a week.

"For Atlantic Lottery this is a first. This is the first time we've offered live table poker in any of our facilities or any of our products across Atlantic Canada, and we wanted to make sure we could do it certainly in a fun, but more importantly regulated, in a social responsible way," a lottery corporation spokesman said.

The corporation's vice-president of social responsibility and communications, Mike Randall, hastened to add that none of the racino's approximately 600 employees will be allowed to play poker there.

"This is one of those things where somebody could say you're best friends with the dealer, so they're going to affect the outcome. We are ensuring that that can't happen by not allowing any of our employees to play," Randall said.

Texas hold 'em is a popular poker game that's currently played in bars throughout Prince Edward Island.

Provincial Treasurer Mitch Murphy gave the go-ahead for Atlantic Lotto to host Texas hold 'em last December. Randall said the corporation has not received approval for blackjack or any other casino games, because it hasn't asked for them.

The racino opened in the summer of 2005 as a place to bet on local races and simulcast races, and to play video lottery terminals. In March, the province gave permission to add slot machines. Texas hold 'em is the first approved card game.

The announcement was made on the same day the Consumer Association of Canada was calling for an RCMP investigation into the Atlantic Lottery Corporation because some lottery retailers are winning 10 times more often than the public.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2007/03/19/texas-holdem.html

Council won't support poker rooms -ON

Bingo hall operator fails to win support for his gambling suggestion

Monday, March 19, 2007

By Dave Battagello Windsor Star

A local bingo hall operator was denied his request Monday for a letter of support from city council to open poker rooms in Windsor.

Poker parlours are desperatly needed locally to create new employment opportunities and for charities to use as a replacement venue for fundraising in the wake of the bingo industry's declince -- which has lost $2 million annually, said Mike Duval, operator of Paradise Bingo.

"A letter from council would give me a foot in the door make a presentation to the provincial government," said Duval in his pitch to council. "My chances without a letter from council drop significantly.

"There is an opportunity here for charities to make a lot of money. You got bingo and the casino and a big gap in between. Poker is something in between."

Duval claimed he could open between two to five poker rooms locally employing between 120 to 150 at each venue.

But council was told by city administration that poker rooms are not on the radar screen of Alcohol Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and also suggested council consider implications for other stakeholders such as Casino Windsor, Windsor Raceway and other local bingo operators.

Councillers agreed to note and file Duval's request.

Coun. Percy Hatfield was among those interested in exploring the poker room idea for Windsor and indicated he will likely bring back a motion in support at a future meeting.

But Coun. Fulvio Valentinis suggested council was "out of its element" in getting involved with any debate over poker rooms in Windsor.

http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html

Butting out for baby needs a gender-sensitive approach, say UBC smoking-cessation researchers - photo by Martin Dee

UBC Reports | Vol. 53 | No. 2 | Feb. 1, 2007

New Dads Retreat to Their Cars to Keep Smoking

By Hilary Thomson
With files from Mary Kelly

Smoking can be harmful to your baby. It’s a familiar phrase but does it only apply to women?

Not so, says a group of UBC researchers exploring the thoughts and behaviours of new fathers who smoke, in the hopes of encouraging more men to butt out.

In the only such study in Canada, preliminary findings show that new dads have largely dodged the pressure to quit, but are running out of places to smoke. Many can be found in the last smoker-friendly frontier -- their cars.

“Despite social pressure on women to quit, new fathers have been left relatively free to continue smoking,” says John Oliffe, co-principal investigator and an assistant professor in UBC’s School of Nursing. “We’re interested in learning how men’s reluctance to quit is tied in to a traditional masculine image of risk-taker and role of protector and provider. We’ve found that vehicles that take men to work, or are used directly in men’s work, are key to those roles.”

Along with co-principal investigator Joan Bottorff, the team has interviewed 25 new fathers ranging in age from 22-50, who have smoked various amounts daily. Most had tried to quit. All participants are from the Lower Mainland and represent many cultural backgrounds, including South Asian, Middle Eastern and Eastern European. The men are interviewed at the time of their baby’s birth and within the next six months.

A unique aspect of the research, launched in September 2005, is that participants are encouraged to take pictures of where they smoke, as a springboard to discussion. When researchers reviewed the photos, which include apartment balconies and back yards, many revealed vehicles as the smoking venue of choice.

“Men are acutely aware of the social pressure to reduce second-hand smoke and for those not ready to quit, they are finding fewer and fewer place to smoke without stigma. We’re finding that men are smoking in their cars -- one of the last refuges where they can light up,” says Bottorff, who is dean of the Faculty of Health and Social Development at UBC Okanagan.

Oliffe says the men see their vehicles, which may or may not be used to carry the infant, as private space that is neither inside nor outside. Some fathers said they don’t want their kids to see them smoking and many stepped up their hygiene to make sure their face, hands and clothing didn’t smell of smoke when they were in contact with their baby. Researchers have found the third trimester seems to be the time when fathers are most interested in quitting.

“I think we need a gender-sensitive approach to smoking-cessation interventions,” he says. “I think the language needs to be different -- maybe stronger language rather than the relationship-based approach used in anti-smoking campaigns aimed at mothers.”

A double standard may also apply. One study participant said, “Well…you know, it’s not good for the baby, right, I’d be pretty mad if she did [smoke] and I know it’s pretty selfish of me to keep smoking while she was pregnant, but, ...when you’re smoking a pack a day it’s a pretty big adjustment just to, to drop it.”

“Many of the men we interviewed had their own reasons to quit smoking -- reasons not typical of smoking cessation programs,” says Bottorff. “As men began to get more engaged in fathering, they became more uncomfortable with their smoking and adamant that they didn’t want their children to smoke. I think we could build on this motivation to be a good father to help them quit smoking.”

Vehicles have already been targeted for smoking restriction in South Australia, where proposed legislation seeks a ban on smoking in vehicles carrying passengers under the age of 16.

Approximately 20-30 per cent of pregnant women in Canada smoke, according to published research in the U.S. and Canada. Although about half these women reduce or stop smoking during pregnancy, the majority relapse. The main risk factor for women’s smoking relapse is having a partner who smokes, adds Bottorff.

A 2003 Ipsos-Reid survey of 2,900 British Columbians 15 years and older found no statistical difference between overall current smoking rates for males and females. The finding extended to all age groups with the exception of 40- to 54-year-olds where males are more likely than females to be current smokers.

The survey data also showed that overall, 15 per cent of residents live in a household that allows cigarettes to be smoked on an unrestricted basis inside the home. Another seven per cent of residents live in a household where smoking cigarettes are allowed on a restricted basis. The vast majority (78 per cent) of British Columbians, however, do not allow any smoking inside their home.

Approximately 45,000 Canadians die annually from tobacco use according to the B.C. Lung Association. Information from Health Canada’s website indicates the costs to manage smoking-related illness tops $15 billion annually.

The study is the second part of a project called FACET, FAmilies Controlling and Eliminating Tobacco, that is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research via the Institute for Gender and Health. Other members of the research team include: Lorraine Greaves; Joy Johnson; and Blake Poland.

Men (fathers and others) who have quit smoking and wish to participate in a future study that explores how some men continue to remain smoke-free may call 604.822.5061.

Mary Kelly is research co-ordinator for the Nursing and Health Behaviour Research (NAHBR) and NEXUS research units at the School of Nursing.

New Dads Project Details -BC

Project Title: A gender analysis of tobacco use in families during pregnancy, postpartum and early childhood

Principal Investigator: Bottorff, Joan

Co-Principal Investigators: Oliffe, John L

Co-Investigators: Greaves, Lorraine J; Johnson, Joy L; Poland, Blake D

Keywords: COUPLES; EARLY CHILDHOOD; GENDER ANALYSIS; PREGNANCY AND POSTPARTUM; QUALITATIVE METHODS; TOBACCO REDUCTION

Funding Agency: Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Program: Institutes of Gender and Health and of Population and Public Health-Multi-Inst.

Abstract: Approximately 20%-30% of pregnant women use tobacco. Although many women stop smoking for pregnancy, they are often unable to remain smoke free. Sustained smoking cessation has considerable positive health benefits for both women and their children. However, creating the conditions for successful tobacco cessation during pregnancy and supporting family efforts to limit their children's tobacco smoke exposure has proven to be a persistent and difficult problem. In this study, we will interview 25 couples to describe mothers' and fathers' tobacco reduction efforts as children transition from infancy to early childhood (1-2 yrs old). We will also interview 30 new fathers who smoke to learn more about their tobacco use during their partner's pregnancy and the postpartum period. In this project, we will try to understand the way that men's and women's roles influence tobacco use. The outcome of the proposed project will be an in-depth description of the tobacco use in women's and men's lives and the way this influences couples' tobacco reduction efforts and father's use of tobacco. This kind of information is key to a full understanding of why women's efforts to stop or reduce smoking are not sustained and to developing better ways to intervene with families to eliminate tobacco from their lives.

Primary Institute: Gender and Health

Primary Theme: Social/Cultural/Environmental/Population Health

Institution: University of British Columbia

Funding Period: 2005-2007

Total Grant Amount: $291,664

View Funded Projects | View Researcher Record

http://www.mhanet.ca/search/node/614

ALC hopes for a win with Texas Hold'em poker 

Atlantic Lottery Corporation says poker is expected to generate about $100,000 a year in profit

BY JIM DAY

The Guardian

Texas Hold’em poker tables opened Monday at the CDPEC amid hope of dealing the Charlottetown gambling facility a financial boost.

Mike Randall of Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) said poker is expected to generate about $100,000 a year in revenue while adding another $350,000 to salaries and benefits.

He said 23 dealers have been hired – all Islanders – at $10.59/hr to deal the cards.

Whether more or less dealers are actually needed remains to be seen.

Last year, nearly a dozen people were laid off at the Charlottetown Driving Park Entertainment Centre because of sluggish sales. Other employees were told their hours would be trimmed from 40 per week to 32.

“It’s a fluctuation business depending on the demand and tourism season being what it is – it’s up and down,’’ said Randall.

Still, the popularity of this new addition to the racino has been rapidly growing over the past few years across North America

“People have asked why did it take so long to launch Texas Hold’em (at the CDPEC) -- it’s being played in every bar across P.E.I. now,’’ said Randall.

http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/index.cfm?sid=17822&sc=117