HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2003-05-14, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2003.
Smoking bylaw goes to municipalities
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By Keith Roulston
Citizen publisher
The debate over prohibiting
smoking in public places
moves to local municipal
councils after Huron County
council passed an anti
smoking bylaw, Thursday.
The law, which prohibits
smoking everywhere from
bars and restaurants to
Legions to seniors homes to
actors in plays at theatres,
requires a triple-majority to
come into effect, meaning a
majority of county council
plus a majority of
municipalities representing a
majority of the population.
While municipal councils
cannot amend the bylaw, “if
the majority aren’t giving
consent, we hope they’ll tell
us why,” said Craig Metzger,
manager of the health unit.
Confusion reigned right
until the end. Several
councillors who had spoken
out in favour of an exemption
for seniors in homes in the
long run voted for a 100 per
cent ban instead of voting to
defeat that bylaw so a new
one, including an exemption,
could be introduced. The vote
was 15-3 in favour of the
complete ban. North Huron
Councillor Doug Layton, one
of the three who voted against
the bylaw, admitted later he
thought he must have voted
on the wrong side because so
many of those who had
spoken out on behalf of
seniors then voted for a
complete ban.
Last- month, following
months of public
consultation, council turned
down a bylaw in a 9-8 vote
that would have immediately
banned smoking in all public
places. Instead Layton
proposed a bylaw to allow
exemptions to pubs, bars,
Legions and private clubs if
they paid a licence fee of
$500 per year. The proposal
was defeated in a 9-9 vote (tie
votes are lost) at the April 15
committee of the whole.
Instead the proposal to
impose a comp’ete ban but
give businesses and clubs a
year to adapt was approved by
a 14-4 vote.
But when that motion came
to Thursday’s meeting,
Bluewater Councillor Paul
Klopp asked if a “100 per cent
ban” meant people living in
apartments attached to homes
for the aged.
Metzger explained that the
provincial Tobacco Control
Act prohibits smoking in
long-term care facilities
except in a designated
smoking room with proper
ventilation but the county’s
bylaw would consider these
rooms a workplace for staff
and they would have to be
removed.
That prompted Layton to
call for compassion for
lifelong smokers who are
residents of seniors homes.
“We’U all be going there
sooner or later,” he said.
“That’s their residence. Is
there no simple way we can’t
leave the homes under the
Tobacco Control Act?”
Metzger noted that an early
version of the bylaw did
exempt long- term care
facilities.
Bluewater Councillor
Diane Denomme said she had
received numerous calls
regarding the plight of
smokers in nursing homes. “I
was going to put forward a
motion that we make an
exemption for long-term care
facilities,” she said.
Bernie MacLellan of Huron
East proposed an amendment
that would leave homes for
the aged under the Tobacco
Control Act but it was ruled
that the amendment would be
against the spirit of the
original motion so that the
100 per cent ban would need
to be defeated before a new
motion could be proposed.
Carol Mitchell, Central
Huron councillor, suggested
proposals for a change might
come from the local
municipal councils as they
debate the issue.
After the newest proposal
was approved, North Huron
Councillor Murray Scott
asked Penny Nelligan, health
unit director, if there were any
programs that could be
implemented to help seniors
stop smoking before the ban
comes into effect a year from
now.
Nelligan said work has
already been done with
officials at the psychiatric
ward at Goderich’s Alexandra
Marine and General Hospital
to try to find solutions for
patients there. “We would
encourage nicotine
replacement,” she said. As
well individual counselling
would be available through
the Huron Addiction Services.
Meanwhile the debate
started on the cost of
enforcing the bylaw as Klopp
suggested it was unnecessary
to hire bylaw enforcement
officers as proposed in a
health unit document. Rather
than spending $60,000 for
two part-time enforcement
officers the onus should be on
owners and managers to
enforce the bylaw in their
establishments, he said.
But Rob Morley, South
Huron councillor, disagreed,
arguing enforcement was
needed. “We’ve heard loud
and clear that bar owners are
dead set against what we’ve
done,” he
couldn’t be
enforce
regulations.
said and they
counted on to
no-smoking
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DangerouS
Teach young children to tell
a grown-up when they find
matches and lighters.
Z i*’ *■ LA J
Happy sales
Blyth Beavers, from left, Nathan Plunkett, Brendan Hallahan and Ryan
Plunkett had a great time staffing the table in front of Memorial Hall on
Saturday morning for the annual bake sale. (Vicky Bremner photo)
Is the party
finally over?
If you are concerned about
your own, or someone else’s
use of alcohol or drugs, the
Drug and Alcohol Registry
of Treatment (DART) can
guide you to the help you
need. Call us 24 hours a
dArt
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(DART) acknowledges the financial support of
the Government of Ontario. Ministry of
Health and Long-Term Care.
For our children to be happy and healthy, they need many things. Some are free, but
many are not. The National Child Benefit (NCB) gives financial support to
low-income families. This helps parents work towards a brighter future for
their children. And it also helps to reduce child poverty in Canada.
To find out more about all our services for children and their families and to receive your guide:
H 1 800 O-Canada (1 800 622-6232)
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