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.
Some local establishments are bracing for a hit in their bottom line with a provincial smoking ban expected to take effect by October. Such legislation, already in place in Winnipeg and Brandon, would forbid smoking in all indoor public places, including adults-only venues such as bars. "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." Thorgilsson estimates that his customer base during peak times is evenly split between smokers and non-smokers. The entrepreneur said he doesn't have a problem with the anticipated ban since it will apply to all indoor public places. "As long as it's a level playing field, I don't think it will hurt too much," he said. "It definitely lessens the impact then if people could still go to a bar and smoke." Thorgilsson doesn't believe any negative impact on his business will be long-term. "I'm confident enough in our service and product that I think people will continue to come here," he said. David Brooks, manager of the Victoria Inn, has mixed feelings about the ban. While he believes it won't hurt his restaurant, he is far less optimistic about The Unwinder, the bar based in the hotel. "You have to be 18 to get into a drinking establishment to start with, plus in our case we have our VLTs down there," he said. "It's a place where you can go and let loose and enjoy yourself, and I think if people want to have the ability to smoke down there, they should be able to. It's concealed, it's away from the public, it's a controlled area." Brooks worries his hotel will 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. Even today, he said, those hotels have only recovered about 10 per cent of that business. The hotel manager is, of course, hopeful that his business will bounce back from any negative impact but is clearly frustrated with what he sees as a government intrusion. See 'Make' P.# Con't from P.# "The government is taking away 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." Brooks feels his customers will react to the ban with similar disdain. "Flin Flonners work hard and they play hard," he said. "They like to smoke, and the government is taking away their opportunity to do that." One concern Brooks has about the ban has nothing to do with economics. He worries that forcing smokers to go outside to light up will place more of them in the public eye, where children will see and potentially be influenced by them. At the end of the day, however, Brooks is ready to get creative to keep his smoking customers coming back. "It's a law we're going to have to live with," he said. "It's going to take some very innovative thinking to get sales back up, but hey, that's business. It's a challenge." With more than half of her customers lighting up, Evelyn Laval, co-owner of Verona's Pizza and Specialty House, has some concern about the ban. While she said the ban "will definitely hurt," she accepts the fact that the ban is forthcoming and will do her best to keep her customers happy. One business person who doesn't believe he will take a hit over the ban is Peter Pannu, owner of Donut King. Pannu said if he were to lose customers, he is confident they would be replaced by non-smokers who are currently bothered by the smoke.
