For Immediate Release
January 17, 2007

Liberals making up their own rules on Smoke-Free Ontario

Queen’s Park – Following news that casinos in Windsor and Niagara Falls are allowed to construct outdoor smoking shelters, Haldimand-Norfolk-Brant MPP Toby Barrett is questioning who’s helping to make decisions in the back room with Dalton McGuinty.

Liberal Health Promotion Minister Jim Watson was in the media saying that casinos are allowed to build outdoor smoking shelters because their primary business is not serving food or alcohol.

“This is hypocritical and deceitful,” Barrett said. “What I see here is two sets of rules – one for government-owned casinos and one for hard-working restaurant or bar owners.”

Barrett went on to question why Minister Watson would feel that the health of a casino customer would be less important than that of a customer in a bar or restaurant. The local MPP also doesn’t buy Minister Watson’s explanation that casinos are not receiving special treatment due to the fact that factories and office buildings are permitted to construct shelters for employees.

“The loophole government has created for casinos suggests backroom deals. Is it that Dalton McGuinty cares little for the health of Ontarians and more about protecting its revenues from the casinos?” Barrett asked.

Prior to the Smoke-Free Ontario Act coming into effect, many restaurants and bars spent thousands of dollars on creating a smoking room only to have the Ontario government tell them that they had to be dismantled.

“Mr. Watson and Mr. McGuinty know full well that they are violating their very own legislation,” Barrett said. “I encourage the bingo halls, billiard halls and our Legions to demand that they be treated like casinos so that the playing field can be levelled.”

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For more information, please contact MPP Toby Barrett at: (519) 428-0446 or 1-800-903-8629