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.
Manitoba's public smoking ban hasn't caused a mass exodus of Flin Flonners to cross the border so they may light up. That was one concern some in the business community had when the ban took effect Oct. 1, but more than one month later, it appears that hasn't been the case. Management at establishments in Creighton and Denare Beach have seen either a very small increase in smoking customers or no change at all. "I have noticed a little increase in the lounge, but probably a decrease overall in business," said Rod Gourlay, co-owner of RJ's Motel and Restaurant. Gourlay attributes that overall decrease to the fact that most establishments in the Flin Flon-Creighton area are now smoke-free. In other words, being smoke-free isn't much of a novelty. That wasn't the case when he voluntarily made his restaurant smoke-free in 2002 while still allowing the habit in the lounge. Management at the Copperbelt Hotel in Creighton and Rocky View Ota in Denare Beach reported no lasting increase of customers. At the same time, some business owners and managers in Flin Flon haven't seen a decline in customers. "It hasn't done anything for us; it's stayed level," said David Brooks, general manager of the Victoria Inn, which features a restaurant, lounge and bar. But Brooks has noticed one difference. Restaurant customers who used to stay for drinks after their meal are now leaving earlier so they may smoke at one of the Saskatchewan establishments. "That's the unfortunate thing of being a border town," said Brooks. "We all live in one country, but each province has its own rules." Brooks said he will wait to see whether his customer base remains level when the weather turns bitterly cold and smokers have to step outside to light up. Evelyn Laval, co-owner of Verona's Pizza and Specialty House, noticed a slowing of business at first but said things have leveled off. On the one hand, she said some customers aren't staying as long as they used to, but on the other, there are new customers who may have previously stayed away because of the smoke. Both Laval and Brooks say there have been virtually no problems with people forgetting about the ban. "The attitude of the average customer, smoking and non-smoking, has been, 'Well, hey, it's a fact of life,'" said Brooks, adding that people upset about the ban direct their frustration at the government, not the establishment. Any Flin Flonners who may cross the border so they may smoke in public won't have that option much longer. Saskatchewan's public smoking ban will take effect Jan. 1.
