Clean air bylaw 'stinks'!("Clean air bylaw has bad stink say business owners")Western Hospitality News, January/February 1999 VICTORIA, B.C. - Brian Mayzes is a non-smoker while Don Rittaler smokes. However, they both have common views when it comes to the issue of smoking in their establishments: give the customer the choice. "As business owners we should be able to decide whether we want to be a smoking or non-smoking establishment," says Mayzes, manager at the Esquimalt Inn. Victoria's anti-smoking bylaw, which bans all smoking in all indoor work sites and public places, went into effect January 1. It requires business owners to post "No Smoking" signs on the door and inform customers of the new regulations. But it does not expect owners and managers to enforce the rules; nor does the bylaw say that operators can't put up their own signs. So Mayzes and owner Vic Zanet posted their own sign saying, "This is a Smoking Environment. Enter at Your Own Risk." A few days later, on January 5, The Esquimalt Inn received national media coverage as having been the first bylaw breaker. Mayzes says the $100 fine was not for their sign, but for taking down the "No Smoking" sign that a customer had defaced. Don Rittaler has also posted signs in his Sooke River Hotel. His signs warn people that the bar is a privately-owned business where people may be socializing, drinking alcoholic beverages, dancing, singing, and possibly even smoking cigarettes. Customers should enter at their own risk. The problem he has with the bylaw, Rittaler says, is that it doesn't distinguish between privately-owned and publicly-owned buildings. "It's pretty hard to say to some of the patrons who have been with us over 30 years, 'You stand outside - we don't appreciate your business - good-bye," says Rittaler, co-owner of the 125-seat Sooke River Hotel bar. Last May, Rittaler launched a Supreme Court challenge to the Capital Regional District's clean air bylaw. The court case was to begin on January 4, but Rittaler says it's just too important a case not be fully prepared and it should begin sometime this spring. Paying for top constitutional lawyer, Joseph Arvay, won't be too difficult says Rittaler. Support has been streaming in - with cheques from smokers and non-smokers alike. ******* They're fighting for all of us - no matter where you live. Send donations to: Victoria
Freedom of Choice Coalition in Trust or send directly to: The Esquimalt Inn For further information contact: Tel: (250) 386-2152 Fax: (250) 386-4313 Email: focc@mcdpri.com The next fundraising Benefit will be held on February 28th at the Ingraham Hotel. **** |
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