Region’s workplaces should be smokefree Jan. 1st

NWHU Press Release

January 1, 2003 marks the first day of a healthier future for all the residents and visitors of Kenora and Rainy River Districts. That is the date by which all workplaces and public spaces from English River west to the Manitoba border and from Fort Frances and Rainy River north to Red Lake and Pickle Lake are required to be 100% tobacco smoke-free indoors.
The Northwestern Health Unit, under the leadership of Dr. Pete Sarsfield, the Medical Officer of Health, has spent the past year running public awareness media campaigns, working with the few municipalities who opted to use their authority to pass smoke-free bylaws, and most recently, delivering info packages to businesses not covered by municipal bylaw to assist them in understanding their individual obligation to make their business smoke-free to protect their employees and customers.
“Our year-long efforts to protect workers and the public from this known health hazard have been more labor intensive than some of our other health promotion work in the past,” says Jennifer McKibbon, Health Promoter in the Dryden office, “but the significant social attitude change required to achieve this health goal required that we assign appropriate resources to the effort. There are few things as powerful as an idea whose time has come.” McKibbon continued, “ I believe this idea of smoke-free indoor spaces is one of them.”
The result of the Health Unit’s requirement for 100% smoke-free indoors is a simple and easily achievable change in individual behavior – all that is required is that the smoker take their smoke break outside. Most smokers are very courteous about their habit and understand that their indoor smoking has a negative health effect on others in the same space. The vast majority of smokers are willing to adjust to the new requirement and “take it outside.”
Those few smokers that continue to expose others to their second-hand smoke should be asked by the owner of the workplaces to “put it out” or “take it outside”. The owners/managers of businesses have the responsibility for meeting the 100% tobacco smoke-free requirement starting January 1, 2003. Complaints regarding second-hand tobacco smoke indoors should be directed first to the owners/managers and then, if necessary, to the health unit.
Bill Limerick, Director of Environmental Health, says that the Public Health Inspectors will carry out the enforcement of the Health Unit’s smoke-free requirement on a random or complaint basis. Most businesses have indicated that they would comply. Those that decide to ignore the requirement are subject to enforcement measures that include Orders under the Health Protection and Promotion Act and hefty fines for non-compliance.
“I would hope that businesses would see that there is broad public support for this,” say Limerick, “ the majority of their workers want it, their customers want it, and thus it could be considered a good business decision to be 100% smoke-free for 2003.”