Quoted: a Toronto bartender on the city’s proposed ban on patio-smoking

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That’s what patios offer right now—a place to have a beer and a smoke. It’s your choice to come here.

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–A bartender at Esplanade pub Scotland Yard on a new set of recommendations from Toronto health authorities that would eliminate one of the few remaining sanctuaries for Toronto smokers. The report calls for a complete smoking ban on bar and restaurant patios, as well as beaches, sports fields, entrances to public buildings and public spaces like Nathan Phillips Square. According to a fact sheet from Toronto Public Health, 74 per cent of adults support the patio-smoking ban. Unsurprisingly, smokers and patio-owners are less enthusiastic about the proposal, which would effectively outlaw simultaneous boozing and smoking. [Toronto Star]