September 4, 2001

Campbell signals the fix is in

Speaking on Rafe Mair's CKNW show, September 4th, Premier Campbell said "Coming next April second hand smoke that is not properly managed won't be allowed." It looks like the Premier is signaling that the fix is in for "managing" rather than "eliminating" second hand smoke. The WCB has already found that air fans and filtration systems are inadequate. It looks like the fix is in for a "management system" that the WCB has found to be inadequate (pdf).

In the words of Rafe Mair, the Campbell government is paying off its friends in the pub industry. He could have added that the government is also protecting casino operators. The mini-budget noted that revenues could be affected by smoking. Government is dragging its feet on responding to my FOI request on that budget note.

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August 23, 2001

"Dr." Bruce gives hospitality workers false hope

The Campbell government has appointed six back bench MLAs to rewrite the regulation that was carefully developed by the Workers Compensation Board. The government's committee consists of: Vancouver-Burrard MLA Lorne Mayencourt will chair the committee; North Coast MLA Bill Belsey, East Kootenay MLA Bill Bennett, Saanich South MLA Susan Brice, Cariboo South MLA Walt Cobb and Victoria-Hillside MLA Sheila Orr.

Two of the six members appointed to second guess the WCB have municipal experience, but none have any background that would qualify them to write health and safety regulations.

The chair, Lorne Mayencourt, was described by the Vancouver Sun (May 4, 2001) as "a twice-bankrupt but personally popular and charismatic small businessman." Bill Belsey was Manager of Maintenance and Engineering at Skeena Cellulose's Pulp Operations. Bill Bennett was a partner in a Cranbrook law firm and a mountain wilderness lodge owner. Susan Brice is a former schoolteacher and school board trustee who was executive director of the Vancouver Island Better Business Bureau. Walt Cobb was operator of a small construction company, who served the City of Williams Lake for ten years as a councillor and for six years as mayor. Sheila Orr was a Saanich city councillor, small business owner and radio commentator.

By contrast with the two months given the six MLAs to undo the work of the WCB, the WCB held public hearings in which 546 oral and written submissions were received. As the following excerpts from a WCB release show, the WCB already considered and rejected the conclusion Minister Bruce is suggesting the committee reach. That is why the WCB recommended a total ban with any designated smoking areas being "safe, outdoor locations and separately ventilated indoor smoking rooms that workers must not enter except in an emergency, where there is a requirement to investigate for illegal activity, or until the smoke has been effectively removed."

"Since April 1998, the majority of BC's work sites have been smoke-free as a result of environmental tobacco smoke health and safety regulations. Many of those work sites went voluntarily smoke-free long before that. A partial exemption, that meant a lower standard of protection, was provided to hospitality, long term care and provincial correctional facilities until January 1, 2000. A BC Supreme Court judgement in March 2000 had the effect of restoring the partial exemption. Subsequently, the Board released draft amendments for public comment. A public hearing was held by the Board in four locations in BC - Richmond, Prince George, Kelowna and Nanaimo - between June 15 and June 23, 2000, in which oral submissions were made; written submissions were also received. All parties who wished to speak at any of the hearing locations were accommodated."

"The Panel resolution follows comprehensive consultation with all stakeholders through a public hearing process held in June 2000 in which 546 oral and written submissions were received."

"Proposals for general ventilation options were submitted to the public hearing on the proposed amendments to the environmental tobacco smoke regulation. A literature review was conducted to determine whether there are any ventilation technologies that eliminate exposure to ETS, and reviewed other relevant materials on the subject. The analysis concluded there is currently no credible scientific evidence that there is a safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke and that general ventilation systems are not a solution because:

1.they only filter out a small part of the contaminants found in ETS,
2.they recirculate still contaminated air back into the workplace, and
3.workers continue to be exposed to ETS before the ventilation removes it."

Graham Bruce, the Minister responsible for the WCB who announced the 8 month delay and appointed the committee to interfere with the regulation, was asked whether any hospitality workers would contract cancer as the result of his delay. Minister Bruce confidently replied, "no". Graham Bruce owns and operated Chemainus Foods, was elected to the North Cowichan Municipal council in 1976, then served as mayor from 1979 until 1987, was elected Socred MLA for Cowichan-Malahat in 1986 and Liberal MLA in 2001. Graham Bruce has no medical or other qualifications that would enable him to assure hospitality workers that they will not contract cancer as the result of his delay.