8 - Friday, March 19, 1993 — North Shore News Report recommends tougher penalties for tobacco dealers NV MLA chairs group studying smoke sales to minors MERCHANTS WHO don’t think twice about selling cigarettes to young people will soon have to think again. By Anna Marie D'Angelo News Reporter A provincial report recommen- ding tough consequences to any- one selling tobacco to children is expected to be released at the end of this month. “What will definitely happen is Merchants who repeatedly — sell tobacco te children will lose. the privilege of seHing tobacco altogether,’’ said David Schreck, North Vancouver Lonsdale NDP MLA. . Schreck is chairman of the 12-member legislative committee that has been studying the issue , ‘since last August. Ue said the committee has to decide whether to recommend continuing the implied type of tobacco-selling licence or set up an explicit licence. Anti-smoking lobby groups such: as ‘Airspace (non-smokers, rights society); the BC Lung Association, the BC Cancer Socie- ty and the BC Medical Associa- tion want. the government to in- stitute an explicit licence, Airspace director Deborah Wotherspoon, of West Van- couver, said education alone reduces smoking somewhat, but averall it is ineffective in reducing the number of young people who smoke. She said educating youths plus penalizing merchants who sell cig- arettes to them has been shown in some U.S. cities to be an effective way to curb teenage smoking. Currently, B.C. merchants break the law when they sell ciga- rettes to youths under 16, but the fiterchants face relatively minor consequences, if any, for the crime. Right now, selling cigarettes to minors is viewed as a nuisance- type offence with a $10 penalty on the, first offence and $100 max- imum fine. “Store owners have no right 'to sell kids cigarettes. Store owners _ don't have a responsibility to stop those kids that are smoking, but it is reprehensible of them to be supplying the cigarettes to kids,’? said Wotherspoon. "Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre" Salt Spring Island April 17/93 Package includes: Murder. Mystery Dinner Theatre at Waterside Bistro, Prime Rib or Salmon Buffet and one night's accommodation at Seabreeze Matel. : 9 9° 2 people tax incl. "CASABLANCA" theme - encouraged, * Door prizes © Star Detective Award costumes Reservations required by March 31/93 (To be guaranteed by credit card) - - Call the Seabreeze at oleae (604) 537-4145 or Fax (604) 537-4323 : circumstances” To demonstrate how easy it is for an underage person to buy cigarettes on the North Shore, Wotherspoon co-ordinated a ‘‘kid sting,’ in which a 13-year-old went into 11 Lonsdale-area stores. The teenager. was able to pur- chase cigarettes ‘from. four stores, which included two gas - stations and two independent corner stores. Cashiers in larger retail chains tefused to sell to the teenager without identification. Last month a similar sting that was well publicized, netted the youngster 10 packages of -ciga- rettes from 10 stores visited in Kitsilano. Schreck said the committee must also recommend an age at which young people ‘“tunder no can .buy tobacco products. The current age is 16 in B,C. He said if an explicit licence is recommended, i{ would cost be- tween $100 to $200 each year. The money from the licerice would go to increased enforce- ment of the law. Under an explicit licensing system, warnings, licence suspen- sions and licence removal would likely be consequences of breaking the law. On the federal level, the Senate is currently considering legislation that would impose fines tanging from $1,000 for a first offence in- volving the sale of tobacco to people under the age of 18 to a maximum of $50,000 after several offences, Spokesmen for various lobby groups have criticized the new federal initiative for not dealing with the problem of enforcement. Meanwhile, Schreck said picture identification would be a way to ensure cigarette buyers were of legal age under a new provincial law. “No one is going to kid around _ with this one any more. This is a ‘serious health problem,’’ said Schreck. Soil removal bylaw delayed IT TOOK aboul a year to develop, and now West Vancouver’s proposed Soil Removal and Deposit Bylaw is taking a long walk through provincial govern- ment. ministries before being returned to West Vancouver District Council for possible approval. “EUs the one bylaw that could stop ., the rearrangement of our _ hillsides,"’ said Coun. Don. Grif- Monday. night's West Vancouver District Council meeting, when (the bylaw was scheduled for reconsideration and adoption. . Last yeur, Griffiths and Coun. Andy Danyliu sat on a citizens’ task force that tried to address problems’ associated with extreme modifications”: to building — sites ~ fiths, at “through blasting, soil removal and Ueposit. Although a new blasting bylaw Loaded. 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