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328 people oppose total public smoking ban in Yellowknifer phone poll
Northern News Services
Northern News Services
Yellowknifer invited people to voice their opinions on the ban and call they did, in record numbers. In all, we received 484 votes on our automated voice-mail poll. The majority, 328, turned thumbs down to the new bylaw while 156 people said they supported the ban.
Here's some of what people had to say:
I think it is absolutely outrageous that you are telling someone that they cannot smoke in a bar. That is absolutely crazy. People go have a beer, they enjoy having a cigarette. It's stupid.
There's going to be drunks and people standing out on the streets trying to smoke, out in the back alleys, causing more violence. I'm totally against it.
I believe owners should be able to make their own rules in their own establishments.
One would think the city council would spend more time working on something ... like the homeless problem or the garbage problem, instead of imposing a smoking ban on people in Yellowknife.
This is a free country. What ever happened to letting the bar owners decide if they should allow smoking or not?
If I pay my taxes and I own a business and I pay my rent, where does anyone have the right to tell me what to do?
I think the council has gone a little bit too far with a smoking ban and they are lucky they haven't got bigger fish to fry.
Not only is smoking killing people but let's not forget the amount of idling vehicles in winter. You can walk right by there and get lung cancer. I don't think a place where adults are there should be restricted from smoking.
The council is crazy if they think the non-smoking bylaw is not going to have an affect on businesses in Yellowknife. Already the high cost of alcohol has had a big impact on the businesses. Now just tell people they have to pay a high price for beer and not have a cigarette.
Maybe pretty soon you guys will be able to come into our homes and tell us when to shit and when to not.
It's pretty scary when a small clique of people is deciding for other businesses and people in general what's good for them.
(Yellowknifer) had an editorial about how they're finally cleaning up the streets ... and now the city is forcing all the smokers and intoxicated people back onto the sidewalks. Way to go city, smart move.
What's next? No drinking in bars?
Has the city council thought of all the people standing outside of the bars and clubs smoking and putting their cigarette butts out on the pavement. Not only does this create an unsightly nuisance, in the downtown core especially, what about those visitors and children who have to walk past the possibly inebriated patrons of those establishments.
There are so many viable options. You don't realize what it's going to do to businesses in this town, what it's going to do to people's lives. This is not California. This is not 40 above; this is 40 below.
I'm a non-smoker, but I think it should be the business's legal right.
The city hall wants to change that and be in charge of everybody. They should be sticking to fixing sidewalks and fixing roads, not making decisions for people's lives.
I think city council should maybe manage their own city affairs rather than try to manage the lives and choices people make with their lives. Setting a smoking bylaw in the bars... have they got their heads up their butts or what?
I'm a non-smoker and I think smokers should have one place to smoke and that should be the bars.
This is stupidity at the utmost. The head of bylaw says they're going to have to move resources from during the day to the night to enforce this bylaw. So now we're sacrificing enforcement of traffic issues and attendance at traffic accidents, which means the RCMP will now have to do it, pulling resources away from serious crime and turning bylaw officers into smoke cops. The city needs to get a grip.
I think that each pub or club or bar should be able to make their own decision. They should be able to put in ventilation systems of some sort to compensate, if that's what the problem is.
Can you imagine what our streets are going to be like? You're going to have one big party. There's already problems down Range street with that. All the smokers who go into the bars are apt to go outside and smoke and party on the street. What seems better, party on the street or smoking in the bars?
Bars should be left for smokers. Seems to me we're making an illegal substance legal, marijuana, and we're trying to make a legal substance illegal.
I think it's ridiculous that people can't go out and have a drink or coffee and a cigarette in this town.
That city council actually considered banning smoking in hotel rooms makes me question their motives or their ability to use good judgment or fairness. It makes me question how big their heads really are.
I believe that when 40 below weather comes and people have to go outside for a cigarette there's going to be more deaths and more accidents. I hope people who don't smoke take that into consideration.
I am presently a non-smoker. I smoked for probably 45 years, but I do not believe you should ban smoking in hotels and bars or lounges.
I don't think the city has the right to tell bar owners what people, who are above legal age, what they can do or can't do inside a bar with a legal substance.
I think city council is blowing it out of proportion. They're not our moms and dads. Why don't they leave us alone and let us do what we want?
I don't recall anyone on council who was elected on a non-smoking platform. Maybe city council should have a plebescite on this issue in the next election.
They should leave it up to the private market. If there are some establishments who want to attract non-smoking only, all power to them. I hope they would survive.
If the city is so concerned about smokers, why don't they do something like charge the young ones who are out there smoking rather than going after people who should know better.
Those for smoking ban speak out
Not everyone who left comments were against the smoking ban. Here are the only six comments from people who spoke in favour:
It's about time.
As a smoker I do think it should be banned from all public places. Smoking is an epidemic. People have to realize that. It's going to save us money in the long term because of health care and people just have to go cold turkey. I think they're making a good choice.
I am a smoker and I would like to say I agree with city council. I would like to see the bars and the restaurants non-smoking.
Yellowknife city council has my full support.
I'm glad council is taking a stand for banning smoking in public places. It's about time they took health issues seriously. I'd sure like to see city council tackle the issue of increased noise in our city, not just downtown core but throughout. I'm talking about vehicles blasting loud music and loud bars and pubs that insist on disturbing residential areas. People that drive vehicles disturb a lot of people when they blast loud music.
Everybody thought Tim Horton's would go downhill after they stopped smoking, but if your look at it, it's doing fine. I think it's a great thing there's going to be no smoking in bars.
