Yellowknife (May 07/03) - Yellowknife council took another step closer to a total smoking ban in public places on Monday.

The priorities, policies and budget committee re-opened the issue by asking city administrators to tighten the smoking bylaw and bring it back to council.

Coun. Wendy Bisaro brought the issue to the table, saying she'd heard from restaurants in the community who faced losing their business over the partial ban.

"I refuse to allow one business to close over this," she said. "That was certainly not our intent."

She said Yellowknife bars were capitalizing on the ban by offering an expanded lunch menu. Smokers are responding in droves with the opportunity to light up over lunch. Bisaro recommended that council find a way to level the playing field.

Councillors Ben McDonald, Kevin O'Reilly and Dave McCann agreed.

"There's no question in my mind that society is moving towards a total smoking ban, it's just a matter of time," said McCann. "To me it's just the same to move forward on this."

Coun. Alan Woytiuk was the only councillor to oppose another look at the ban.

"I don't think we need to do this, the territorial government is already looking at it."

Bisaro said after the meeting that the request to administration is evidence that there is an appetite on council to look at tightening the bylaw.

"It will be quite an interesting debate," she said. "We have a fairly large population of smokers but many Yellowknife residents who want to ban smoking."

Mayor Gord Van Tighem predicted the bylaw could be back before council in the fall.

"We figure it's a good idea to look at the whole thing sooner rather than later," he said.

James Hodgson, manager of the Black Knight Pub said a smoking ban would definitely affect his business.

"It's fair to say that a large percentage of our clients are smokers," he said.

"It's fair to say that they come here because they can smoke."

He called council's argument is "like apples and oranges."

"Bars and restaurants are two totally different things," he said. "They serve in 10 dollar plates of food we serve five dollar bottles of beer."

Hodgson said the pub has been busier since smoking was banned in restaurants.