THUNDER BAY – Editorial – I don’t smoke. I have lost friends and family to lung cancer brought on by smoking. So don’t get me wrong, I am not a smoker’s advocate. However a move by Thunder Bay Transit to ‘fence in smokers’ appears not to be as well thought out as it should have been.
Is a Smokers Corral the Answer?
Transit has put Thunder Bay in the National News too. However it is not in the most positive image.
When we treat smokers as some kind of sub species of human being, it is not right either. Ironically six to eight weeks ago, a Thunder Bay Transit driver was observed smoking in his bus on repeated occasions. There has been no reaction from Transit management on this instance. Repeated reports of this situation were reported to Transit.
The issue of second hand smoke, is one that is a huge health concern. However unless the Transit, the City or the Thunder Bay Police are going to be spending massive time on enforcement, it is likely that the smoker’s corral will be looked at as mostly a joke by most smokers.
Transit is innovative in more positive ways
In the 2012 Report to the Community, Thunder Bay Transit reported, “Partnered with Google to introduce an online passenger trip planning tool for Thunder Bay Transit. introduced Transit Priority Courtesy Seating in keeping with new Provincial regulations for passengers with disabilities and other passengers who may need priority seating space”.
Transit in the city is in the midst of updating many of the systems in place to comply with new provincial regulations. New transit buses with much larger areas for seating for handicapped persons is a good step forward.
Is the move to corralling smokers a good idea?
Time will tell.
James Murray
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