Smoking law leaves puffers out in the street ...

The bell tolled at midnight for provincial smokers on Tuesday, and they awoke the following morning to one of the toughest anti-smoking bans in North America.

The Smoke-Free Ontario Act bans smoking in all public, enclosed places across the province, including restaurants, bars and casinos. Also out are bingo halls, Royal Canadian Legion halls, bowling alleys, casinos and private clubs.

No more skirting the law with an enclosed patio, either.

Except for designated smoking rooms in some hospitals and health institutions, the only place you can light up in public is outside.

more at link
http://www.cbc.ca/toronto/story/tosmoking20060331.html


Smoke all you want, just do it where it isn't bothering someone else.

Sid

they are getting ridiculous with the laws. Can't smoke on an outside patio if the umbrellas are touching, it's considered a rooftop if that's the case. Gotta be so far from the doors to the place, in case someone walks in or out and they might get a little smoke in their face, it's insane, total infringement on my freedom. The whole smoking issue is just for the people that like to try to tell people what they can and can't do, the only problem here is they have a health issue to help push their crap. I understand restaurants, because I smoke and I don't smoke when I eat.. It is good after, but to a nonsmoker it could ruin their meal if they are trying to eat while I am smoking away next to them.. But that's why they had enclosed smoking sections, the people that want to smoke, or don't mind the smoke have their own section, usually in the back and hidden where they can enjoy it.

OK they ban smoking every-freaking-where, but "designated smoking rooms in some hospitals and health institutions"? :eyes:

it was seriously interfering with the aroma of diesel fumes from the buses that pass every 20 seconds.

:sarcasm:

Bias alert!? I smoke but I do hope to get up the motivation to quit sooner rather than later. In my defense, I never smoke when I know it's going to bother people around me. I won't smoke in non-smoker's houses. I never throw butts out on the ground creating litter and it chaps my ass when I see people who do. And I never never never smoke around children.

That being said, I understand the need local governments feel in wanting to protect the public from the unwanted health effects from second-hand smoke. Yet I rarely hear a peep about other pollutants in the environment that are far more hazardous and life-threatening.

When a city council bans public smoking, why not also demand emissions testing for cars or tighter pollution control for industry? We currently have an administration and an EPA that deny the existence of global warming and the adverse effects of pollution and the biggest concern is my half pack a day habit?

Puh-leeze.

where people know ahead of time that smoking is allowed . . . then it becomes a matter of individual choice ("knowing that smoking is permitted, do I want to patronize this establishment/be a member of this club?") . . .