|
MANOR PARK CHRONICLE
MAY
2001
Ottawa Will Soon be More Smoke-Free
Council recently decided that all indoor public places and workplaces would be smoke-free. This measure was adopted unanimously, with all members of Council present and voting. This initiative by the City's Health Department, and in particular the Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Cushman, was clearly an idea whose time had come. This has been a goal of the Health Department for years. The complexity of 11 municipal administrations had always frustrated real progress. Implementation will begin with warnings in August. At the beginning of September, fines will be issued - $255 for individuals and up to $5000 for establishments. It is hoped that smokers will adapt to the new circumstances and respect the wishes (frequently unexpressed) and rights of the non-smoking majority to clean breathable air.
The decision was made more difficult than it should have been because of fears over its economic impact. History has lessons for us in this respect. Theatres used to be places full of smoke. Cinemas did not go out of business when smoking was banned - at least, not for that reason. Today, it is even difficult to recall that smoke-filled theatres were once viewed as the norm. Similar economic arguments were raised when airlines went smoke-free. The entire state of California has had smoke-free law for years and its economy has not suffered as a result.
In 2001, with society spending 90% of its time indoors, there was no measure with as much potential for improving public health. This campaign will rank in importance with the fight to eradicate polio in the 1950s, the struggle against typhoid and dysentery by treating the water supply in the 20's (Note: until 1913 Ottawans received only untreated water) and the pasteurization of milk. A family physician, during the hearings, said that this Council could have more impact on health in the community with this single decision than he has had in 25 years of providing health care. It was an extraordinary statement. It may be surprising to recall that it is only recently that hospitals banned smoking. I wonder how long it will take before we begin to find it hard to believe that society was once so tolerant of a habit that makes those choosing not to smoke sick, causing needless suffering and death?
A Bilingual National Capital
By the time the Chronicle is on the streets Council will have made a policy decision on the manner of providing bilingual services. Following a recommendation in Glen Shortliffe's report your representative, together with his colleagues Councillors Meilleur, Bellemare and Doucet, requested that staff provide a report to Council on the subject. We were asking that the policy of the previous City of Ottawa be adopted as a starting point and that Council request that the provincial legislature amend The City of Ottawa Act 1999 to incorporate this policy once accepted. The fundamental purpose of the Government of Ontario's own "French Language Services Act (1986)" was clearly to guarantee a person's right to receive "provincial government services" in the French language in designated areas. The entire City of Ottawa is an area so designated. The Act also gave those municipalities the right to provide services in both French and English. The city staff report showed very clearly that no incremental costs would be incurred over what the previous municipalities had spent and that no employee would lose employment with the City as a result. These are usually the principal fears raised by those who, while expressing support for bilingual services, refuse to actually support the policy. The report outlines the significant benefits of a bilingual society in attracting talented individuals to our knowledge-based economy. It also underlines the economic impact of this aspect of our City's character from a tourism perspective, the imminent Jeux de la francophonie being but the most obvious manifestation of that impact. Finally, the logic and importance of reflecting the nation's fundamental bilingual nature in its capital City can hardly be overstated.
You can communicate with me at:
City of Ottawa
110 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa ON K1P 1J1
Tel: 580-2483, Fax: 580-2523
e-mail: jacques.legendre@city.ottawa.on.ca
Web Site: www.city.ottawa.on.ca
(www.ville.ottawa.on.ca)
back
to index
|
