Yellowknife (Mar 21/03) - Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce President David McPherson said he worries that a workplace smoking ban will go ahead without proper consultation of business owners.

The Workers' Compensation Board announced recently that it would introduce a stringent smoking ban in workplaces around the NWT and Nunavut.

The board sent out feedback forms and plans to hold consultation meetings, but McPherson has his doubts.

"We have a number of concerns," he said.

"If they're willing to listen to us and work with the business community in addressing those concerns, then we haven't got a problem.

"But it sounds to me like they've already gone a ways down this road and that doesn't bode well for our consultation process."

McPherson said he wonders how much weight those talks will carry.

"It does seem that they have a fairly strong opinion on where this should go."

Dave Grundy, spokesperson for the WCB, said the hospitality industry will be allowed a say in what the ban looks like, but the board's primary concern is ensuring the safety of workers.

"People are missing the point here," he said. "It's not about people smoking or not, it's nothing to do with patrons, it's about providing a safe workplace for people in the territories."

Grundy said the smoking ban is also intended to cut down on future WCB claims from workers exposed to second-hand smoke.

He said the board will welcome the chamber to share its concerns in future consultations but the ban will be designed with workers' safety in mind.

"We're going to weigh everything here," he said.

McPherson said he's worried that bars and restaurants will take an unfair hit.

"Drinking and smoking go hand-in-hand," he said.

"And we have more smokers up here than the national average. I think using Southern solutions to Northern problems has some practical difficulties."

He said he won't hold his breath that the WCB will listen to the chamber's concerns.

"I get the sense they're looking at more of a union and workers' perspective at the board and they're forgetting that employers pay the fee here."