Smoking By-Law |
| This is the one issue that I believe the departing
council has taken the wrong approach to. As an adult, I believe that every adult has the
freedom of choice. This freedom has been taken from everyone in Ottawa with the
abolishment of smoking in Ottawa's bars and taverns. What this council has forgotten is
that these places are for pleasure and vice. That is what separates them from other work
establishments. People expect to be able to enjoy themselves when they go out, without
hindrance or fear of persecution of the law. I believe in freedom of choice, and the free market enterprise dictating how their businesses are run, not social policy being enforced by law. The council over-stepped their bounds by bring forth this law. The anti-smoking establishment saw this as an opportunity to "force" smokers to quit. All they have succeeded in accomplishing is a severe drop in revenue for bar owners and hospitality workers alike. People haven't quit, they just quit going out. This engineering has caused many businesses to close. I
propose a simple amendment that would see businesses that admit only adults to their
establishments choose whether to be smoke free or not. This gives everyone in Ottawa a
choice as to where they spend an evening out. If there is concern for the workers, air
filtration systems should be put in place to ease the anti-smoking groups collective mind.
It has been established that with modern filters installed in smoking bars have even
better air quality than in non-smoking places. |