TOBACCO NEWS FROM CANADA
(Archives)

October 2004

Comments by Warren Klass
President, FORCES - Canada

Dateline - Toronto, Ontario

October 29 - Toronto Sun columnist Joe Warmington, in his most recent column, Smokers have havens, profiled the night scene in Toronto after the smoking ban. Here’s what he wrote:

“I notice pubs that used to be packed are often empty and if there is any action, it’s at the front door or out the front door on the sidewalk.”

For those looking for a place to smoke in Toronto, Warmington recommends: Prego Della Piazza in Yorkville, Hoops on Yonge, and Traders Lounge at the Sheraton Centre.

Dateline - Selkirk, Manitoba

October 29 - The Selkirk Journal profiled the continued defiance of Finley Michaud, the co-owner of Finley’s Restaurant in Selkirk. Finley’s is continuing to defy Manitoba’s smoking ban.

Finley told the Journal:” We’re prepared to fight. For how long? Until we beat it or they beat us. We’re not giving an inch.”Non-smokers account for 75% of his clientele, but they are still patronizing his restaurant.

Things are not as rosy at Brad’s Place in Selkirk, which is adhering to the smoking ban. Owner Brad Cyncora told the Selkirk Journal:” Our business has definitely dropped by 20 per cent.”

Selkirk is only 34 KM north of Loserpeg.Its worth the drive to patronize Finley’s because he’s planning to spend big bucks on legal bills to fight for our freedom.

Dateline - Winnipeg, Manitoba

October 29 - Last Sunday, the Winnipeg Sun published a letter from me, on the myth about smokers burden on health care. Here is what the Sun published under the headline Smokers pay their way:

“For the record I am the Canadian chapter president of the world’s largest smokers rights group, Forces International (Fight Ordinances &Restrictions to Control Eliminate Smoking, www, forces.org).

This correspondence is in response to the mythological claim of W.Wayde (Smokin’ mad at smokers, Oct 19 letter) who wrote, “the costs of medically treating you (smokers) far outweigh the collected tax revenue from tobacco.”

Here is just a brief synopsis of the voluminous evidence on this question:

In 1986,before the huge cigarette tax increases, Canadian smokers contributed $4.3 in tax revenue over any medical benefits received. Source: Smokers Burden On Society: Myth And Reality In Canada. Canadian Public Policy, September 1992.Using provincial government figures, Canadian smokers contributed 4.5 times in tax revenue as received in medical benefits for the years 1989-97.Source: Harvard economist Kip Viscusi.The Government Composition Of Insurance Costs Of Smoking, University of Chicago Journal, October 1999.

If people stopped smoking there would be a saving in health costs but only in the short term. Eventually smoking cessation would lead to increased health costs.”  Source: The Health Costs of Smoking. New England Journal of Medicine.Oct.9, 1997.

“On balance smokers probably pay their way at the current level of taxes on cigarettes…In contrast drinkers do not pay their way: current excise taxes on alcohol cover only about half the costs imposed on others.”  Source: The Taxes of Sin: Do Smokers And Drinkers Pay Their Way? Journal of the American Medical Association, March 17,1989.

Although these are U.S.figures, the principle is axiomatic, and 1989 was well before huge tax increases were imposed in the U.S. and Canada.

And that is but a tiny sample of the voluminous evidence from unimpeachable sources on this topic. The other research reached identical conclusions to what was quoted.

Warren Klass, President

Forces Canada

Winnipeg

Dateline - Jasper, Alberta

October 29 - There is more fall-out to report from the failed anti-smoking plebiscite in Jasper. Even though the results seemed definitive (1,050 voted no, and only 318 voted in favor of Proposition #57,a draconian smoking ban), the Jasper Booster reports this hasn’t discouraged the anti-smoking nuts.

Ginette Marcoux-Frigon of something called Smoke-free Jasper told the Booster:” I was surprised. I thought there would be more people in favor of adopting bylaw #57.”Has the massive repudiation deterred her? No.  She is busy lobbying city council to implement what the people massively rejected.

A far more reasonable voice belongs to Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland. Mayor Ireland told the Booster:” Council has a duty to ensure that bylaws in the community are fair, effective and enforceable…The community has spoken. Its time to move on.”

Dateline - Edmonton, Alberta

October 29 - One of the funniest skits from the early days of Saturday Night Live, was Gilda Radner as Emily Latilla.Every week, Miss Latilla would offer her commentary on Weekend Update. Some examples of her rant included:” What’s all this I hear about violins in school? What’s wrong with violins in school?”Or”What’s this I hear about crustacean terrorists? How can a crustacean be a terrorist?”

When Chevy Chase or Jane Curtin informed Miss Latilla the topic was violence in schools or Croatian terrorists, Emily would say:” that’s very different. Never mind.”

Edmonton Sun columnist Mindelle Jacobs is the Emily Lattila of Canadian journalism. Last week Mindelle wrote one of her usual anti-smoking diatribes, this time about the Light and Mild lawsuit. (Nothing’ light’ or’ mild’ about lawsuit). Mindelle wrote:” Ottawa encouraged the tobacco industry to lower tar and nicotine levels.”

No Emily, Ottawa did not “encourage the tobacco industry to lower tar and nicotine levels.” Ottawa passed a law in the 1970s MANDATING light and mild cigarettes. Ottawa passed this law even though they knew at the time that Light and Mild cigarettes contained no health benefits over regular cigarettes.

In fact the tobacco companies went to Ottawa in the 1970s to tell Health Canada that smokers were covering the holes on filters, inhaling deeper, and smoking more.

Rather than being a nefarious plot by Big Tobacco, the Light and Mild fiasco is really about the endless stupidity and incompetence of Health Canada, going back to the 1970s.

That’s very different. Never mind.

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