The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The historic provincewide law to ban indoor smoking in public places and work places as of October 1 appears on its way to passing in the Manitoba Legislature. The Non-Smokers Health Protection Amendment Act, which received first reading Monday, is supported by the three parties in the Legislature. The act would take effect October 1 and encompass indoor public places and workplaces, including adults-only venues like bars. It would not apply to hotel rooms or federal property such as First Nations and military bases. Some media outlets were reporting that the act has already gone through, but it in fact must still pass second and third readings in the Legislature. Should that happen as expected, Manitoba would take the historic step of becoming the first province in Canada to ban smoking in all public places. To gain a sense of how contentious this issue is, one needed only to turn on CBC Radio One's Questionnaire program yesterday afternoon. A caller named Gail called the proposed ban "worse than Hitler" and added "we should have a place to smoke and this is ridiculous." "People who say it's Hitlerish, I think it's worse if you're allergic to cigarette smoke and you're getting hit with second-hand smoke every time you go out," said Anna, another caller. Other callers said they couldn't understand how the province can ban a practice that is legal. Several local restaurant operators told The Reminder in January that they expect the smoking ban would hurt their bottom lines. "It will hurt for a little while," said Ryan Thorgilsson, owner of the Chicken Chef restaurant. "It will take a little while for people to get used to it. Where it will hurt the most is during coffee times. We have a very substantial coffee crowd." Evelyn Laval, co-owner of Verona's Pizza and Specialty House, said the ban "will definitely hurt" but added she has accepted that the ban is forthcoming and will do her best to keep her customers happy. Victoria Inn manager David Brooks, who oversees The Unwinder bar, worried his hotel would face a fate similar to the three Victoria Inn hotels in Brandon and Winnipeg, which he said saw their bar, lounge and VLT business drop by half after those cities instituted smoking bans. "The government is taking the ability away from us to make decisions about our own lives," he said. "They're telling us what we can do now, and I think that's wrong."
