The Canadian Smokers Rights Newsletter
A Section of The United Pro Choice Smokers Rights NewsletterIssue 516 - February 13, 2008
Mandigo acquitted of all charges in nursing home death -ON
Five People Arrested for Possession of Contraband Tobacco
CBSA, RCMP and OPP Operation Leads to the Seizure of Contraband Cigarettes
How far should the smoking ban go? -AB
Three Arrested for Possession of Contraband Cigarettes
RE: How far should the smoking ban go? -AB
Thoughts on Licensing Requirements for Tobacco Production
Cornwall Resident Arrested for Possession of Contraband Cigarettes
Six People Charged Following RCMP Contraband Tobacco Investigation
On The Point, January 21st
Five People Arrested for Possession of Contraband Tobacco
Two Arrested for Possession of a Tobacco Product Not Properly Stamped
Four vehicles seized carrying 111 cases of contraband cigarettes
Surveillance Leads to Four Arrests for Possession of Contraband Tobacco
Cornwall Resident Charged for Possession of Contraband Tobacco
CBSA and RCMP Surveillance Leads to Seizure of Contraband Tobacco
New ally in illegal smokes fight -ON
New system could fuel illegal cigarette market
Trial is about much more than just raw milk
Recession expected to choke Alberta VLT revenues -AB
Where there's fire, there's smoke -QC
Banning bottled water as odd as banning smoking?
A NAUGHTY LITTLE VIRUS THIS AD-36!
Wood stoves in 'burbs on back burner -QC
The Nanny State takes our choices away
Get healthier and happier
Mandigo acquitted of all charges in nursing home death -ON
Dec 17, 2008
by Michael Erskine
GORE BAY-It took the jury barely 90 minutes, including the time to eat a delayed lunch, to return a verdict of not guilty in the criminal negligence trial of Ted Mandigo. Mr. Mandigo had been charged on January 31, 2007, in relation to the death of Myles Patterson, a 65-year-old resident of the Manitoulin Lodge long-term care facility in Gore Bay.
Mr. Patterson had been forgotten outside in temperatures which witnesses told the court dropped to -20 Celsius. Mr. Patterson, who was wheelchair-bound after a recent health setback, had gone outside to smoke. Mr. Mandigo, a personal support worker with 15 years' experience at the nursing home, had assisted Mr. Patterson and other residents outside, but then was expected to leave them alone while he attended other duties.
http://www.smokersclubinc.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=4077
Five People Arrested for Possession of Contraband Tobacco
Jan 5, 2009
CORNWALL, ON, Jan. 5 /CNW/ - Between December 23rd, 2008, and January 3rd, 2009, the Cornwall RCMP Detachment arrested five people for possession of contraband tobacco after assisting officers from the Canada Border Services Agency, Cornwall Community Police Service, Ontario Provincial Police and the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service.
http://www.smokersclubinc.com/Page/6117.html
CBSA, RCMP and OPP Operation Leads to the Seizure of Contraband Cigarettes
Jan 7, 2009
SOUTH GLENGARRY, ON, Jan. 7 /CNW/ - A 36 year old male resident from Cornwall, Ontario is facing a charge under the Excise Act 2001 for possession of a tobacco product not properly stamped after he was found to be transporting contraband cigarettes.
http://www.smokersclubinc.com/Page/6117.html
How far should the smoking ban go? -AB
January 13, 2009 Volume 27, Number 2
Dan Singleton, For the Carstairs Courier Editorial
The tightening of restrictions on where Alberta smokers can and cannot practise their habit continues with the ban on all tobacco sales in pharmacies and stores containing pharmacies starting this month.
Sales are also now prohibited in all health-care facilities and post-secondary institutions.
http://www.smokersclubinc.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=3039
Three Arrested for Possession of Contraband Cigarettes
Jan 14, 2009
SOUTH GLENGARRY, ON, Jan. 14 /CNW/ - A young person and two twenty year old male residents from Akwesasne, Ontario each face a charge under the Excise Act 2001 for possession of a tobacco product not properly stamped. These charges result from two traffic stops by the Ontario Provincial Police on Highway 401 eastbound in South Glengarry, Ontario.
http://www.smokersclubinc.com/Page/6117.html
RE: How far should the smoking ban go? -AB
Sent: Sunday, January 18, 2009 2:05 PM
Doug Watt, Carstairs, AB
To: Carstairs Courier Cc: health.ministerATgov.ab.ca
Re: the above editorial-Carstairs Courier Tues. Jan. 13/08 by Dan Singleton.
Unfortunately, once you reward a 'Mob Mentality' with a bit of success (such as we have done with the anti-tobacco lobby), there's no stopping it until it's too late.
http://www.smokersclubinc.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=3039
Thoughts on Licensing Requirements for Tobacco Production
01.19.2009
The federal government has released guidelines for the Tobacco Transition Program, under which producers will receive funding to exit the industry, beginning in March 2009. Those who wish to remain will require a license in order to continue producing tobacco.
http://www.smokersclubinc.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=4955
Cornwall Resident Arrested for Possession of Contraband Cigarettes
CORNWALL, ON, Jan. 20 /CNW/ - A 41 year old male resident from Cornwall, Ontario faces a charge under the Excise Act 2001 for possession of a tobacco product not properly stamped after the vehicle he was driving was stopped by officers from the Cornwall RCMP Detachment.
http://www.smokersclubinc.com/Page/6117.html
Six People Charged Following RCMP Contraband Tobacco Investigation
Jan 20, 2009
CORNWALL, ON, Jan. 20 /CNW/ - Six people have been charged with various offences after an RCMP contraband tobacco investigation. On July 30th, 2008, members of the Cornwall RCMP Detachment with the assistance from a Canada Border Services Agency officer followed a 1999 Mercury Sable from Akwesasne, Ontario to a residence located in Ingleside, Ontario where officers observed the vehicle park beside a 1989 GMC pick-up truck. Police seized 500 resealable bags of contraband cigarettes as well as the Mercury Sable and arrested the driver, 23 year old Donald Joseph Giasson, a resident from Rooseveltown, New York. The driver of the pick-up truck, Carson Mitton, a 59 year old resident from Denbigh, Ontario along with the passenger, 23 year old Mary Ann Woodcock from Scarborough, Ontario were also arrested as a party to the offence. Officers seized the pick-up truck, $17,840 located inside the truck and a small quantity of a controlled substance.
http://www.smokersclubinc.com/Page/6117.html
On The Point, January 21st
January 21, 2009
Point People: Simi Sara, broadcaster in Vancouver; Naheed Nenshi, educator and business consultant today in Washington D.C
Topics include:
Walmart Union Blues: Should unions just give up?
Handwriting: is it an art worth saving? Part 1
Urban chickens: in my backyard?
Smoking: should we ban it outright? Part 2
Gastronomic code: why not in Canada? Part 3
http://www.cbc.ca/thepoint/MT/2009/01/on_the_point_january_21st.html
Five People Arrested for Possession of Contraband Tobacco
Jan 26, 2009
CORNWALL, ON, Jan. 26 /CNW/ - Between January 19th, 2009 and January 22nd, 2009, the Cornwall RCMP Detachment arrested five people for possession of contraband tobacco after assisting officers from the Canada Border Services Agency and the Ontario Provincial Police. The interception of four vehicles by the RCMP and our partner law enforcement agencies resulted in significant seizures in the following regions:
http://www.smokersclubinc.com/Page/6117.html
Two Arrested for Possession of a Tobacco Product Not Properly Stamped
Jan 27, 2009
AKWESASNE, ON, Jan. 27 /CNW/ - Officers from the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service stopped two vehicles that lead to the RCMP arresting a 26 year old Jeremy Labelle from Cornwall, Ontario and a 44 year old female resident from Akwesasne, Ontario for possession of a tobacco product not properly stamped according to the Excise Act 2001.
http://www.smokersclubinc.com/Page/6117.html
Four vehicles seized carrying 111 cases of contraband cigarettes
Jan 28, 2009
PRESCOTT, ON, Jan. 28 /CNW/ - On Tuesday, January 27th , 2009, law enforcement agencies from across Eastern Ontario intercepted four vehicles found to be smuggling contraband cigarettes. This was a joint operation which took place on Highway 401, west of Prescott, Ontario with significant roles by Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Kingston Customs and Excise Section.
http://www.smokersclubinc.com/Page/6117.html
Surveillance Leads to Four Arrests for Possession of Contraband Tobacco
Jan 29, 2009
IROQUOIS, ON, Jan. 29 /CNW/ - A 36 year old male resident from Iroquois, Ontario, an 18 year old male from Cornwall, Ontario, a 57 year old male and a 48 year old female both residents of Kemptville, Ontario all will face charges for possession of a tobacco product not properly stamped under authority of the Excise Act 2001 after a vehicle was followed from Akwesasne, Ontario to a residence located in Iroquois, Ontario.
http://www.smokersclubinc.com/Page/6117.html
Cornwall Resident Charged for Possession of Contraband Tobacco
Jan 29, 2009
SOUTH GLENGARRY, ON, Jan. 29 /CNW/ - Danielle Belanger, a 41 year old female resident from Cornwall, Ontario was charged for possession of a tobacco product not properly stamped under authority of the Excise Act 2001, breaching conditions from an undertaking and driving while disqualified after officers from the Ontario Provincial Police responded to a call that a motor vehicle was in the ditch on Highway 401 in South Glengarry, Ontario.
http://www.smokersclubinc.com/Page/6117.html
CBSA and RCMP Surveillance Leads to Seizure of Contraband Tobacco
Jan 30, 2009
CORNWALL, ON, Jan. 30 /CNW/ - Two people were arrested by the RCMP for possession of a tobacco product not properly stamped under authority of the Excise Act 2001 following a joint surveillance operation with officers from the Canada Border Services Agency and the RCMP Cornwall Detachment.
http://www.smokersclubinc.com/Page/6117.html
New ally in illegal smokes fight -ON
Last Updated: 31st January 2009, 4:16am
By CHRIS DOUCETTE, SUN MEDIA
Toronto Crime Stoppers joins the National Coalition Against Contraband Tobacco in an effort to fight the spread of illegal tobacco products
http://www.smokersclubinc.com/Page/6117.html
New system could fuel illegal cigarette market
February 2, 2009
By JOHN MINERThe London Free Press
TOBACCO FARMERS: Licensing change queried
LONDON -- A new licensing system for Ontario tobacco farmers could end up increasing Ontario's thriving illegal cigarette market, a Guelph-based agricultural think tank warns.
http://www.smokersclubinc.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=4955
Trial is about much more than just raw milk
Posted Feb 2, 2009
Editor:
There are some things that need to be said as the raw milk trial proceeds this week, because the outcome of this trial affects all of us -- even if we have absolutely no interest in the raw milk issue.
We must be clear on the fact that Michael Schmidt has never publicly marketed his raw milk products: he has not stood on street corners yelling "get your raw milk here!" or advertised in newspaper, magazine, or radio/television ads to try and convince us that we all need some (you know -- like they do with pharmaceuticals, "free" vaccines and junk foods). This has been a private agreement between him and persons owning shares in the dairy herd at his farm.
What business does the government have trying to put an end to such a private arrangement? Oh, yes, I just hit on the key word by accident: "business."
This has nothing to do with health at all: Michael is being used as an example so that the existing monopoly does not have to worry about any other such similar arrangements springing up and digging into their profits.
In their struggle to justify such interference in peoples' private lives and to gain public support, spokespersons for the Grey Bruce Health Unit have made the absolutely ludicrous statement that Michael must be shut down because those consuming his dairy products could potentially spread disease among others in the community.
Here's why this "sounds good" but is absolute nonsense:
1) Michael's dairy products have never made anyone sick, nor have they ever been found (with regular testing) to carry pathogenic organisms; and 2) anyone may drink raw milk as long as it is from their own animal (cow/goat), which means there could be many people running around infecting others in the community that the health unit doesn't even know about (and who in all likelihood do not keep their animals as scrupulously clean as Michael does, nor do any testing for pathogens).
If concern about the possible spread of infection is such an issue, attention should be focused on those who consume mass-processed meat products and on those who frequent hospitals.
According to Dr. Hazel Lynn, most Canadians are quite willing to submit to rules and regulations for the "common good" (in other words, for the protection of all). Again, this "sounds good", and the theory is correct.
However, I would like to ask Dr. Lynn how antibiotic resistance, genetic engineering, tainted mass-produced foods, depleted soil and food devoid of nutrients, mad cow disease, drinking water contaminated with toxic drugs and chemicals, food crops fertilized with "sludge", etc., are for the "common good"? Perhaps she meant to say, for the "corporate good."
We must be aware that if Michael loses this trial it will pave the way for further restrictions on purchasing farm fresh products (eggs, vegetables, etc.) because they too have the potential to carry the same pathogens as raw milk.
The big picture here is the plan to eventually wipe out all small farmers, having all food under corporate control. This trial is also about the extent to which the state "owns" its individual citizens -- who's ultimate decision is it regarding what we put into our own bodies (or refuse)?
If he loses it is likely to be because he lacks the "smoke and mirrors" expertise of the other side, or because of the possibility that there's no such thing as "natural justice" (would the "system" really want us to think that ordinary citizens could actually win trials on their own, without paying tens/hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees?).
The government should keep in mind, however, that if they must have such total control over what we eat, they must also assume full responsibility. This means that if they remove our ability to seek our own alternative food sources, and it can be proven that corporations partnered with the government (government approved/regulated/ inspected) have been allowed to corrupt our food supply with things damaging to our health, or even sicken us accidentally, we will have every right to take legal action against our government.
Surely we can see that none of the major health and environmental challenges we face as a human race have been caused by the "Michael Schmidts" of the world. On the contrary, it is people like Michael who seek to reverse the damage that's been done.
Win or lose, we owe a big "Thank You" to Michael for doing his absolute best to stand up against injustice, greed and corruption. As to the Grey Bruce Health Unit, thank you for the multi-million dollar bill and the millions of dollars in interest payments to come.
Kim White Chatsworth
Article ID# 1416911
http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1416911
Recession expected to choke Alberta VLT revenues -AB
Thu, February 5, 2009
By RICHARD LIEBRECHT, SUN MEDIA
Alberta's gaming boss said she expects video lottery revenues to level off or even drop as gamblers cut back during the ongoing recession.
A drop would fly in the face of years of steadily growing profits and skyrocketing expansion in the number of slot machines in Edmonton.
"Adult Albertans get to choose if they seek some entertainment from slots or VLTs, or not," said Ann Hammond, acting CEO of the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission.
The commission planned on hauling in about $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2008/09, and numbers were looking even rosier right up to September.
But Hammond admitted that the economic downturn that first appeared in September has made those projections largely invalid.
Slot machines rang up a gross profit of $840 billion last year, compared to $479 million in 2003/04.
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2009/02/05/8270636-sun.html
Where there's fire, there's smoke -QC
February 5, 2009
Faced with record wintertime smog, Montreal is trying to snuff out wood stoves
MONTREAL -- The wood-burning stove, long associated with warmth, romance, and the cozy nostalgia of summer campfires, is facing a regulatory fire extinguisher in Montreal.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090205.WOOD05/TPStory/National
Banning bottled water as odd as banning smoking?
February 06, 2009 01:00
Urban Compass by John Sewell
Some political issues start out looking very odd and ambiguous, and one wonders where they are headed.
That was the case in the early 1980s when then councillor Jack Layton (now head of the New Democratic Party) asked Toronto city council to ban smoking in elevators as the confined space meant you couldn’t avoid smoke. Those opposed to the proposal argued individuals had a God-given right to smoke and if we banned smoking in elevators then American tourists would stop coming to our city.
You can see where this small initiative led. Smoking is now banned in public places in most of Canada and few seem to think that’s a problem. Now Toronto has decided to ban the sale of bottled water in city facilities. Does this strange and odd proposal have the same grand future as banning smoking in elevators?
Water from Toronto taps is tasty, drinkable and virtually free. So why, say those who favour the ban, should we help those who want to privatize water when it is (and should be) free? About one-third of all bottled water is reprocessed tap water anyway. (That’s what the label on Dasani says, and there are other examples.)
The number of bottled water bottles used annually in North America is in the billions, and creating those bottles uses energy and many barrels of oil. Only a quarter of these bottles get recycled. Instead of creating waste, we should encourage more public fountains where people can drink for free and fill up reusable containers.
Toronto is not the only city to pass this resolution — other cities in Ontario have joined in the campaign lead by the Polaris Institute, a public interest group. Will the campaign have legs and if, so, where will it go?
– John Sewell is a former mayor of Toronto
http://www.metronews.ca/toronto/comment/article/177768
A NAUGHTY LITTLE VIRUS THIS AD-36!
February 7, 2009
Since obese people do not hurt anyone else but maybe themselves and since forcing other people to lose weight is not totally socially acceptable…yet, the lifestyle trend setters aka politicized scientists and their pharmaceutical funders, are slowly but surely introducing the notion that obesity is contagious.
http://www.smokersclubinc.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=3074
Wood stoves in 'burbs on back burner -QC
By DAVID JOHNSTON, The Gazette
February 8, 2009
Issue has been controversial since the ice storm of 1998
Some of Montreal's most influential suburbs say they have no plans to introduce new bylaws to ban wood-burning stoves, like the bylaw that the city of Montreal is proposing.
The largest suburb on the West Island, Dollard des Ormeaux, says it plans instead to adopt a bylaw like the one in Pointe Claire, which allows for wood-burning stoves so long as they meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards.
Laval, meanwhile, says it will wait to take guidance from the provincial government. The government held public hearings on wood-burning stoves last year and is undecided on whether to adopt EPA standards or take a tougher line. "For us, it's really up to the provincial government," said Amélie Cliche, an aide to Laval Mayor Gilles Vaillancourt.
The future of wood-burning stoves in Quebec has become a controversial issue since the 1998 ice storm saw growing numbers of people install them in their homes.
Experts see a link between winter smog and increasing stove use. In response, the city of Montreal's executive committee has approved a new bylaw regulating wood-burning stoves that will be tabled in city council on Feb. 23.
As the debate heats up, a political standoff is emerging between those who say the stoves should be banned outright, at least in urban areas, and those who say only old, inefficient stoves are a problem.
The EPA adopted new standards in 1990 that saw manufacturers come out with a new generation of wood-burning appliances that eliminated 85 per cent of emissions produced by the old stoves.
After the ice storm, a lot of never-used obsolete stoves were dumped onto the unregulated Quebec market by U.S. manufacturers.
Because most were installed without any municipal permits, they're hard to control, experts say.
Montreal's bylaw calls for a ban on the installation of any more wood-burning stoves in its 19 boroughs.
At the same time, the city is asking the provincial government to come up with a plan to phase out existing stoves. The highlight of that plan, as the city sees it, would be a rebate program to help people replace their wood-burning stoves with wood-pellet, electric, natural-gas or propane fireplace inserts, or stand-alone stoves.
Hampstead became the first and only Montreal suburb to ban wood-burning stoves when it passed a bylaw in November, phasing them out over a period of seven years. Whereas the Hampstead bylaw still lets people light ordinary fires in ordinary fireplaces, Montreal's proposed new bylaw would put an end to it.
Beaconsfield Mayor Bob Benedetti said yesterday he'd like to see Quebec adopt so-called "EPA 2" standards - meaning standards that go beyond existing EPA guidelines - as well as introduce a rebate program for retrofitting.
Current rebate programs in the U.S. typically provide for a five- to 25-per-cent rebate; however, they are generally aimed at getting people to get rid of obsolete stoves and put in ones that meet EPA guidelines, whether they are wood-burning stoves or pellet or gas or electric.
In the short term, D.D.O., which does not have any bylaw regulating wood-burning stoves, wants to adopt the Pointe Claire regulatory model instead of the city of Montreal's, according to Dollard Mayor Ed Janiszewski.
"We're behind Pointe Claire," he said. "We want to make sure that we at least catch up with Pointe Claire next fall and then go on from there."
Pointe Claire Mayor Bill McMurchie said his town's 20-year-old bylaw regulating wood-burning stoves will change if and when the EPA standard changes.
"If that standard over time is proven to be unacceptable, we'll keep up with the new acceptable standard, too," he said.
Alan DeSousa, member of the city of Montreal's executive committee responsible for environmental matters, said the provincial government suggested last spring that it was leaning toward adopting EPA standards for Quebec.
"But at the same time," said DeSousa, "the majority of respondents (to the government's public consultation) were of the view that EPA was outmoded or outdated, and that if the ministry (of environment) was to consider a standard, it should go to the highest possible standard for Quebec."
DeSousa said he thought it might be possible for the regional Montreal Metropolitan Community council to adopt a common position on wood-burning stoves for the greater Montreal area, since the MMC has some jurisdiction over air quality control.
He said he hasn't talked to Laval and Longueuil about the matter yet, or even to the city of Montreal's own legal experts.
Longueuil city officials were unavailable for comment.
More information on EPA standards: epa.gov/woodstoves/basic.html
http://www.montrealgazette.com/story_print.html?id=1266052&sponsor=
The Nanny State takes our choices away
February 8, 2009
By David Warren, The Ottawa Citizen
One of the key functions of modern government is to reduce, by law, the options people have, especially when they are facing challenges to survival.
A classic example of this is socialized medicine. Like all socialist systems, government health care creates big shortages and surpluses, beyond the reach of market correction: in this case, serious shortages of doctors, nurses and essential equipment, balanced by huge surpluses of administration and unspecialized support staff.
By contrast, one need never go far to find a dentist or a veterinarian in Canada, because these fields have not been fully "socialized."
So if you have a toothache, or your cat is ill, you know where to go. If the case is serious, you hardly need an appointment. It will cost you or your insurer money, of course, but within reason, and there will be no waiting lists, or all-night encampments in a crowded lounge outside the emergency ward, among the moaning and wheezing. (Then later, the waiting room inside.)
If you need serious tests, because you are stressed-out by medical symptoms, you may wait for a very long time. If you have money, and are still mobile (unlike so many of our old and ill), you may consider crossing the border. But in principle, in Canada, you wait your turn -- and if symptoms get worse you can try emergency. You might be extremely willing to pay for the tests, but the government won't let you. You could, in more than theory, die, because the government has restricted your options.
Guns are another good example. There are places on the surface of this earth -- and some of them are in our cities -- where life is fairly dangerous. Things may happen that have happened to others, and the police cannot be everywhere at once. The wisdom of our ancestors, not only Stateside but here, was to allow the honest citizen to carry. Gun accidents happen, as car accidents happen, but the citizen was granted a powerful "option" against assault, mugging, robbery and worse. This in turn reduced the options of potential assailants, muggers, robbers, etc.
The right to life, which necessarily includes the right to defend your life when it is threatened, underpins both freedom and order. The ham fist of government chips away at both, when it employs the implements of social engineering.
But survival does not come down only to select, momentary, life-threatening situations. The whole Nanny State was, after all, erected on the premise that someone must take care of the poor and helpless -- or more precisely, that this immortal task should be taken away from religious and other "faith-based" institutions. The vagaries of private donation -- in goods, services, time, money and devoted love -- were replaced by bureaucratic appropriation through taxes, and the love that comes from bureaucratic decree. From there, the state spread into taking over everything.
My third example of the withdrawn "option" is something that will be coming more clearly into view as our economy absorbs the shocks administered by the international financial crisis, and foolish profligate government responses ("bailouts" and "stimulus packages" on an unprecedented scale). Whole nation states may become effectively bankrupt, and thus unable to pay out welfare and other customary benefits without triggering hyperinflation by simply printing money. (We've been here before; we learned nothing.)
Labour law sets "minimum wages," which hardly make a difference in good times, but must be very constraining in bad.
Beyond such obvious legislation, the Nanny State has created an incredibly cumbersome apparatus to regulate the labour market.
The tax system burdens employers with huge costs -- both direct in cash and indirect through the cost of administrative compliance -- that are invisible to most employees. Each sees his salary, and the deductions taken from it directly; he does not begin to see the other costs associated with employing him, unless he is of an unusually curious, imaginative and generous disposition.
Compounding this, feminist developments in family law, over the last generation, have added a new layer of garnishes that trump labour law -- together with the bureaucracies to impose them -- as the social costs from the destruction of the family are monetized and arbitrarily reassigned. Males, the traditional bread-winners, especially in hard times, are often bankrupted by spousal and child support payments set at whimsical levels by ideologized family courts. This prevents them from, for example, supporting aging parents and the new families they have formed.
My question for today is, what will the citizen do when he has lost his job, can no longer depend on the "social safety net," and needs to earn money any way he can? Forget the minimum wage -- just money for immediate food and shelter.
We are presented, it seems to me, with two terrible "options." The first is, that honest citizen methodically continues to obey all laws, and he and his immediate dependents quietly starve. And the second is, the entire economy is metamorphosed into a black market, carrying society into real lawlessness, as the Nanny State crumbles under its own weight.
Perhaps my prognosis is too dire. Discuss.
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/columnists/Nanny+State+takes+choices+away/1266162/story.html
Get healthier and happier
February 10, 2009
The Ottawa Citizen
Similar to public smoking restrictions in municipalities, the City of Gatineau's imposition of regulations to prohibit unhealthy foods in arenas is proactive and responsible. The action is to be applauded.
Many schools, hospitals and other places have been restricting certain foods and offering healthier alternatives for years. Thankfully this trend continues. Of course, results will not be dramatic, but just as with smoking, in the longer term, people will become healthier, happier and health-care costs will be considerably reduced.
When it comes to great french fries and poutine that can be addictive, some people are fanatical about them often throwing good judgment to the wind.
Perhaps, it's time for the establishment of PA, Poutiners Anonymous, to help those in need.
Bob McRae, Gatineau
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/opinion/letters/healthier+happier/1271968/story.html
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