Glen Korstrom
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Nov 19/99) - A Yellowknife group is urging voters to make their desire for smoke-free legislation known.

Tobacco Action Yellowknife (TAY) is challenging all MLA candidates to publicly state their positions on tobacco usage and smoke-free legislation.

"There're more people who die in North America each day from smoking than would die if two jet airliners were to collide and kill everyone each day," said TAY member Nancy Trotter.

"We have one of the highest percentages of smokers in Canada -- 41 per cent of NWT adults smoke.

And that figure skyrockets as high as 69 per cent in some communities."

To help lower these statistics, Trotter said TAY has written four questions for voters to ask candidates.

First, since six provinces have raised the age for the sale of cigarettes to minors from 18 years old to 19 years old, would you support the GNWT enacting its own legislation to do the same thing?

Second, since the GNWT has a smoke-free policy in its workplace, do you agree or disagree with the idea of the GNWT enacting legislation regarding smoking in all workplaces in the NWT?

Third, would you support legislation that would make public places to which children have access smoke-free? Finally, are there other initiatives to control tobacco that you feel the government should be taking?

Trotter said TAY has regular meetings and usually draws about eight to 10 people.

"We want to get the public involved," said Trotter who is a community health nurse.

"We're already working on plans for national non-smoking week in January."

Some of the group's initiatives include lobbying the City of Yellowknife for stricter non-smoking municipal bylaws as well as making cards for people to leave behind at restaurants.

The cards say "Thank you for providing a smoke-free environment" or "We would return if this were a non-smoking environment."

Trotter said Health Minister Floyd Roland recently spoke publicly about efforts the GNWT were looking to implement.

"This is the perfect time for the new legislative assembly to take a stand on the tobacco issue," she said.

"So we just want people to get involved and to ask these kinds of questions."