Winnipeg Sun: NEWS - Butt ban kills, hotelier warns

Twisted humour- And the researcers did not get a grant to do this-obviously does not fit the current health agenda.Chuckle Q-J
Winnipeg Sun: NEWS - Butt ban kills, hotelier warns: "Butt ban kills, hotelier warns

Causes murder rate to rise

By FRANK LANDRY, LEGISLATURE REPORTER

Apparently, there are a lot of people dying for a smoke. Gary Desrosiers, a rural hotel owner who's leading a charge against Manitoba's indoor smoking ban, said yesterday he has extensive research that proves there's a direct correlation between butt bans and higher murder rates.

But the province has called into question the reliability of the data, which was gathered by Desrosiers and his brother Guy.

"This is all carefully researched stuff," said Desrosiers, owner of the Brunkild Bar and Grill. "We've known this for a long time but we wanted to make sure we had all our ducks in a row before we said anything."

Desrosiers said murders have shot up in cities that have introduced indoor smoking bans. For example, there were no murders in Fredericton, N.B., between 2000 and 2002. A smoking ban was introduced in 2003, and there were two homicides that year, according to the Desrosiers brothers.

They have similar figures for several other North American cities. The data is posted on their website, which is dedicated to convincing the province to reverse its ban on smoking in indoor public and work places.

A STRETCH

Healthy Living Minister Theresa Oswald said Desrosiers' conclusion may be a bit of a stretch.

"Certainly, I can understand why people who are very anxious about the smoking ban ... might really wish to see a connection between such things," Oswald said. "I have some personal difficulty seeing the cause-and-effect relationship."

In their research, the brothers note there were 18 homicides in Winnipeg two years ago -- when the citywide smoking ban kicked in. The number of homicides jumped to 34 last year.

According to police statistics, there were 19 homicides in 2003, not the 18 claimed by the Desrosiers.

The Desrosiers also claim to have found a correlation between butt bans and incidents of rape.

"Is voluntary exposure to second-hand smoke worth an increased workload on police, longer response times for police in an emergency, more unregulated drinking and an increase in murder and rape?" reads a portion of the website.

Desrosiers said he believes smoke bans drive people to drink more at home and at house parties. Without the supervision of sober bar staff, violence is more likely to escalate, he said.

Oswald said scientists would probably conclude the research methodology isn't very sound.

"What do you want for scientific evidence?" Desrosiers said. "I don't know what more we can do."

- On the web: www.smokeouthypocrisy.com



Apparently, there are a lot of people dying for a smoke. Gary Desrosiers, a rural hotel owner who's leading a charge against Manitoba's indoor smoking ban, said yesterday he has extensive research that proves there's a direct correlation between butt bans and higher murder rates.
But the province has called into question the reliability of the data, which was gathered by Desrosiers and his brother Guy.
'This is all carefully researched stuff,' said Desrosiers, owner of the Brunkild Bar and Grill. 'We've known this for a long time but we wanted to make sure we had all our ducks in a row before we said anything.'
Desrosiers said murders have shot up in cities that have introduced indoor smoking bans. For example, there were no murders in Fredericton, N.B., between 2000 and 2002. A smoking ban was introduced in 2003, and there were two homicides that year, according to the Desrosiers brothers.
They have similar figures for several other North American cities. The data is posted on their website, which is dedicated to convincing the province to reverse its ban on smoking in indoor public and work places.
A STRETCH
Healthy Living Minister Theresa Oswald said Desrosiers' conclusion may be a bit of a stretch.
'Certainly, I can understand why people who are very anxious about the smoking ban ... might really wish to see a connection between such things,' Oswald said. 'I have some personal difficulty seeing the cause-and-effect relationship.'
In their research, the brothers note there were 18 homicides in Winnipeg two years ago -- when the citywide smoking ban kicked in. The num"