As a non-smoker myself, I disagree with the chair of Toronto’s public health committee, a
political anti-tobacco activist's with a personal political agenda at the
expense and rights to the fundamental freedoms of Torontonians.
Including freedom of assembly, association, and other means of
communication as guaranteed under our Canadian charter of rights.
This committee on the one hand for purely political reason
continues its attempts to appease anti-smoking groups a major growth industry
that has accomplished all of the reasonable and rational measures which the
science can support.
Then on the other for solely monetary reasons seeks to license
water pipe hookah patios and lounges?
The city’s Board of Health should and must stick to the health
and safety issues mandated by the province for which the city receives 100%
reimbursement.
Until such time as the province
of Ontario mandates that
smoking be banned on all restaurant patios throughout the province it is a not
a health issue but rather a political one.
While anti-smoking groups thanks to their political allies have
become a growth lobbying industry they must continually keep up the political
pressure for more draconian legislation that takes away the rights of their fellow
citizens in order to obtain funding and thus keep their jobs.
Society is well aware of the enormous monetary and political
pressures faced by public health units and scientists whose financing to a
great extent are controlled in large part by eliminates by special interest
groups, lobbyists and unelected bureaucrats.
Perhaps that is why we have recently and continue to witness the
abuse of scientific integrity through an unfortunate generation of faulty and
questionable scientific outcomes in a number of prevalent issues pertaining to
the environment and health issues through mischievous statistical acts and
findings.
Yes, smoking is harmful and so is the elimination of the individual’s
fundamental freedoms of choice, association, and assembly by other means of
communication.
Other Stories:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1278818--dimanno-toronto-s-choke-out-for-smokers-escalates