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 mayor of Thompson expects his city to become the first Northern Manitoba community to ban smoking in indoor public places. Thompson City Council reviewed a draft of the smoking by-law last night, and Mayor Bill Comaskui believes it will become law by May 15. "There is no doubt that there is some opposition to it, but I believe the vast majority of people are coming down on the side of support," said Comaskui. "My belief is that Council will support it." Just like by-laws in place in Winnipeg and Brandon, the Thompson smoking ban will cover all indoor public places, including adults-only venues like bars. Some business owners in Thompson are concerned the move will cut into their bottom line, but Comaskui said he hasn't seen "any compelling information" suggesting that will be the case. "In our case, it's going to be a level playing field," he said. "It will be the same across the city. It's not as if people can go next door and dodge the issue, so it's fair for everyone." Some opponents of the by-law may argue that it represents an excessive amount of government interference into their lives. Again, Comaskui disagrees. "It should be noted that we're not saying to people they can't smoke," he said. "We are regulating smoking in public buildings. People are entitled to smoke, but people are also entitled not to have to endure second-hand smoke." With the Manitoba government expected to implement a province-wide smoking ban by October, some Thompson residents have wondered why their elected officials would bother with a ban of their own. "There are many pieces of (municipal) legislation that are companion documents to provincial legislation," Comaskui pointed out. "We're not trying to outpace the province, we're just doing what we believe is right." Comaskui said he expects compliance to the by-law, saying most Thompson citizens and businesses abide by the law. If that's not the case, he said, the by-law would be enforced by the police, City enforcement officers and Public Health.3/2/04
