Inuvik (July 04/03) - Inuvik smokers will likely be kicked outside soon, but they won't be forced into the street.

Town council made and amendment to the smoking bylaw that would have made it illegal to smoke within three meters of a building entrance.

Denny Rodgers made the motion to have the entrance restriction removed from the bylaw that will see smoking banned in all public buildings where children are allowed.

"It just seems to me that we've drifted from the real point of this bylaw and that was to protect the kids from second-hand smoke," Rodgers said. "Smokers have some rights too."

Coun. Alfred Moses said people should realize that smoking is more of a privilege than a right and non-smoker's rights need to be protected too.

"We've got rights just as much as the smokers have rights," Moses said. "We should have the right to breathe fresh air."

He said smoke drifts into the building from doorways.

"If we let them smoke in the doorways, the smoke's going to come into the office areas," Moses said. "We're talking about three meters here; that's about four steps."

Council's youth representative Amanda Johns said the school had ordered student smokers off school grounds, but when they were standing on the street, the school allowed a smoking area in the yard.

Johns said it matters little if the smoke is in the doorway or on the street.

"Walking down the sidewalk, you're going to walk through the same smoke you'll walk through going through the doorway," Johns said.

George Doolittle thought the entrance way restriction made the bylaw stronger.

"We don't need to get radical about it, but it does strengthen the bylaw," Doolittle said.

Mayor Peter Clarkson recalled how over the past weekend, smoke was coming into the recreation centre from a group of people standing directly outside the doors.

"As soon as you open the door, that smoke comes directly in the building," Clarkson said.

Voting in favour of the amendment were councillors Denny Rodgers, Cheryl Sharpe, Marja Van Niewhuyzen and Clarence Wood. Second reading of the amended bylaw passed unanimously.

Third and final reading is next week and there may be another amendment.

The bylaw also restricts smoking from private clubs, which means the Legion and Lion's Den would have to ban children or make the premise non-smoking.

Clarkson said there has been no official complaints filed at the town and he thinks council is united on the club issue.

"I think council's pretty firm that those facilities that allow minors be non-smoking," Clarkson said.

The Inuvik Curling Club faces a double-edged sword on the bylaw, as it is in a town-owned building and they allow minors.

"There has been lots of coffee shop talk, but we haven't heard any official opposition from the curling club," Clarkson said.

Legion manager and town Coun. Derek Lindsay said the Legion membership has mixed feelings over the bylaw, but he opposes the inclusion of private clubs in the bylaw.

"Parents bring their kids here and I think that's really up to them to decide," Lindsay said.

"We just spent 12,000 on an air-handling system to pull the smoke out of the building."

Lindsay said he'll oppose the bylaw at next week's meeting.