On June 1 smoking will be banned from any enclosed patio in Toronto. It’s a good thing too. Our pristine air quality is certainly at risk from those little cigarettes. I’m sure that tomorrow afternoon, you’ll be able to see the CN Tower and breathe clean air. It will be a bright clear day.
Or maybe not. Aside from the coal burning plants we still have to deal with SUVs and traffic gridlock. And that shit is much more poisonous than second hand smoke. Don’t believe me? Just lock someone in a room with a smoker – even a cigar smoker – overnight and then try the same experiment with a running car.
So once again, our government has seen a problem and done nothing about it except attack the people who look like they’re having fun. That’s what the Canadian Guv does best.
Meanwhile, our air still sucks and now I can’t even enjoy a smoke with my beer if – God forbid – I’m under a patio umbrella. After all of these smoking bans childhood asthma is still up from the days when people smoked wherever they wanted. There must be something else at play. I’m betting that after the air keeps choking the kids they’ll start picking on the humble bar-be-que. It’s easier than actually changing something that would make a difference.
2 comments
melly
May 30, 2006 at 10:59 pm (UTC -5)
Ryan, you make excellent points, but…
While the issues you’ve mentioned have to be dealt with, it doesn’t mean that I want someone to smoke near me even in a patio. I don’t like it, thank you very much.
(You can always smoke on my front porch or back yard, mind you
Grumpy Owl
May 31, 2006 at 5:11 am (UTC -5)
I’m not sure that things should be banned based on what we like or dislike. There’s plenty of things I dislike and if they were all banned no one would be able to do anything. And I’m just one person!