Completing posting
Time right for debate on smoke-free apartments -ON
The Canadian Press
TORONTO (Mar 28, 2007) The time has come to debate whether smoking should be banned in some apartment buildings, Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman said amid growing pressure to curb the deadly effects of second-hand smoke in high-rises.
While Smitherman would rather see market forces drive landlords to declare their buildings smoke-free, he said it would be worth having a discussion about whether legislation would be necessary to back up any ban.
Premier Dalton McGuinty doesn't agree.
"That's not something we're considering, no," he said yesterday.
Smoking is prohibited in elevators, hallways and other common areas in Ontario.
Irene Gallagher, of the Ontario Tobacco-Free Network, said people want the choice of a smoke-free building.
http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/NASAp
RE: Support grows for smoke-free apartments -ON
Dear Christine Diemert, Managing Editor (G&M),
March 27,2007
I have a correction that should be made, in the article published today (1). You are the person I thought would be the best to talk to, since Mr. Mittelstaedt since I can’t find contact information for him.
MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT said that "The Ontario Tobacco-Free Network is a coalition of three prominent public health organizations: the Canadian Cancer Society, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, and the Lung Association."
What he should have said was that “The OTN is a provincial interagency network consisting of the Canadian Cancer Society, Ontario Division (CCS), the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario (HSFO) and the The Lung Association (TLA). The network is funded by the Ministry of Health Promotion and supported in-kind by CCS, HSFO, TLA and the Ontario Campaign for Action on Tobacco (OCAT).” At least that's what they say on their home page at http://www.theotn.org/
Now doesn't this change the whole context of this organization and the tone of this story? I think so! Please make a correction to the funding sources so that people know that the gov’ t funds the Ontario Tobacco-free Network. I think the public has a right to know that while the Premier is saying to the CBC, "While doctors and health organizations are urging the province for such a ban, arguing that no one has the right to "poison" their children, McGuinty said he's not interested.
"I'm just not prepared to go there," McGuinty said, adding it would start the province down a path that could lead to smoking bans in houses and apartment buildings.
"My preference is to provide as much information as we possibly can to people who may have children around them... they have to take responsibility for that."
Although some argue protecting children from second-hand smoke saves the province money in health-care funding down the road, McGuinty said he doesn't buy that argument.
"We could start saying we shouldn't be covering people who parachute or people who engage in risky kinds of activities," he said." -Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Mr. Mittelstaedt wrote this is “a anti smoking group”, if the McGuinty gov't the funding source shouldn’t the public know. Doesn’t this change the statement that the Liberals aren’t trying to go into peoples homes less then a month ago? Shouldn’t the voters know that they actually funded this; and also provided "special funding" (2) for the report to inform people how to gain smoke free status in their residences? I can’t forget also that according to the Program Training and Consultation Centre website “Most health units have developed and implemented smoke-free homes campaigns over the past few years,” (3) so they are actually also funding all the publicity, and manpower for this campaign, yet saying they don’t want to go there. The author has also said that the Health promotion Ministry is a "anti smoking group" as well; does that meant the gov't is anti smoking group too?
Lynda Duguay
References:
Article: Support grows for smoke-free apartments
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070327.wxsmoking27/BNStory/
Development of the Smoke Free Homes Program
http://www.ptcc-cfc.on.ca/rds/special_projects/smoke_free_homes005.cfm
Smoke free Homes
http://www.ptcc-cfc.on.ca/rds/special_projects/smoke_free_homes001.cfm