Ontario Hansard - 17-May - 2006

ANTI-SMOKING LEGISLATION / LOI CONTRE LE TABAGISME

Ms. Laurie Scott (Haliburton-Victoria-Brock): In response to the Minister of Health Promotion, we certainly appreciate the efforts to decrease smoking and limit exposure to second-hand smoke. I agree with things that will encourage young people not to smoke, and I'm glad to see that you're helping municipalities with the cost of enforcing your rule. But I have some concerns with the legislation that will impact businesses, such as those that have invested millions in designated ventilated smoking rooms, to comply with the municipal legislation. These business people have acted in good faith. They complied with the bylaws put in place by the democratically elected local governments. Will you help them pay off the cost of their smoking rooms?

I'm also concerned about work for residents in long-term care centres. In the legislation, you say that a ventilated smoking room can be made available for residents of long-term care, but that they must be able to get themselves in and out of the room without assistance, and staff must not be required to enter the room. What if someone can't get themselves in and out of the room without assistance, and what if they need medical help in the room?

So we support the efforts to decrease smoking and decrease exposure to second-hand smoke, but at the same time we believe that we should be helping those business people whose livelihoods will be negatively impacted. This includes tobacco farmers and convenience store owners. These people's businesses rely on a legal product. We know that tobacco is dangerous, but it is a legal product. We all know that you have not produced a plan to help the Ontario business people make this transition to producing or selling other products. So I ask you, where's your plan to help tobacco farmers and convenience store owners? Your goal is good, but you have to have a plan to achieve this.