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.
Establishments in Creighton and Denare Beach may be forced to go smoke-free in less than a year. Saskatchewan Health Minister John Nilson declared Tuesday that a goal of his has been to implement a public smoking ban "as soon as possible." "I think January 1, 2005, is a day that is workable and we'll be trying to shoot for that," he was quoted as saying by the Saskatchewan News Network. Nilson made the statement in Regina after civic leaders from across the province agreed to lobby for a province-wide ban. It was one of the resolutions discussed at the annual meeting of the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA). "I've been a strong advocate of a smoke-free Saskatchewan for many years," Nilson was quoted as saying. "To have this motion there is a great help to me and my colleagues in the health field." Rod Gourlay, owner of RJ's Motel and Restaurant and Creighton, wasn't at all surprised by the news. "I think it's something as a society we're going to have to come to grips with," he said. "It is for the good of everybody." Gourlay voluntarily eliminated smoking in his restaurant two years ago, limiting the habit to the adjacent beverage room. The move certainly didn't hurt his restaurant, and while he has some concern about the impact on the beverage room, Gourlay believes things will work out. "Once everybody is on the same playing surface, it will be just fine," he said. Wanda Ginnell, co-owner of Raven's Roost Pub in Denare Beach, believes the forthcoming ban may represent too much government interference on private enterprise. "I've never been a smoker... but I don't know if it's right to take away people's rights," she said. "If you're a private business, you should be able to run it the way you want to." The Government of Saskatchewan already mandates that at least 60 per cent of each establishment be non-smoking. Many business owners, including opponents of a smoking ban, felt it was only a matter of time before that figure crept up to 100 per cent. See 'Debate' P.# Con't from P.# In an interview with CBC, Yorkton mayor Phil DeVos called the smoking ban debate "one of those political hot potatoes." "People have talked about it, but it's time to quit talking," he said. "It's time to step forward and do what people elect us to do." Meanwhile in Manitoba, the provincial government is expected to introduce a province-wide smoking ban by October.
