Smoking loophole is windfall for government casinos

This past week a firestorm erupted over news that the Ontario Government was permitting government-owned casinos in Windsor and Niagara Falls the right to build smoking shelters.

The Smoke-Free Ontario Act came into effect last June, and according to the McGuinty government, the aim of this legislation was intended to protect the public from second-hand smoke and the dangers of smoking.

Now it seems that the government’s very own anti-smoking legislation has pushed patrons out of the casinos and therefore resulted in decreased revenues for the Ontario government.

Instead of revisiting their legislation and created a level playing field for the entire hospitality industry, Dalton McGuinty has developed a loophole that will allow only casinos to lure back smoking customers.

“We do allow offices and factories and other organizations that are not in the food or beverage business the right to construct these shelters,” Ontario’s Minister of Health Promotion Jim Watson said last week.

What Watson doesn’t say is that offices and factories are permitted to erect smoking shelters for their employees – not for their customers. Bingo halls are very similar to casinos -- and they are also not in the food and beverage business -- so why aren’t they being afforded the same latitude as casinos?

I’m sure Premier McGuinty and Minister Watson would balk at the idea that they care less about the health of casino patrons and employees. They’ll also balk at the idea that they have created for themselves a windfall for government-owned casinos. We know hypocrisy surrounding tobacco is nothing new but I’m left wondering what is at the heart of this mendacity? Wouldn’t one expect the Minister of Health Promotion to work to strengthen the ban, not defend a loophole?

Rightfully so, bars, restaurants, charity bingos and Legions are up in arms asking why the double standard that justifiably offends them and other Ontario taxpayers. I had the opportunity to sit through government consultation on Bill 164 – The Smoke-Free Ontario Act – and of the 88 groups that testified, I do not recall hearing testimony from any casino operator.

Hardworking restaurant and bar owners have seen dramatic losses in revenue since the introduction of the Smoke-Free Ontario. We’ve also heard from the charity bingos who have had to close their halls because players prefer to go elsewhere to light up. And for the Legions, I’ve said it many times over that if it was okay for our forces to smoke government-supplied cigarettes while they were overseas fighting, therefore, it should be okay to do the same in their halls.

Despite how you may feel about tobacco consumption we should all maintain the right to make personal decisions for ourselves.

I believe that the hospitality industry should have had the right to choose whether or not to cater to smokers or non-smokers. And, a consumer would then have the right to choose to support a smoking or non-smoking establishment.

Over the course of the past week, Minister of Health Promotion Jim Watson, has attempted to deflect his government’s violation of the law by accusing folks like me of trying to water down the legislation.

Instead of watering it down, I suggest Minister Watson scrap Bill 164 altogether or afford everyone in the hospitality industry the opportunity to set up a smoking shelter.

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