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Tuesday, June 23, 2015

It's true! GO Transit allowing smokers to smoke on platform at Oshawa station

I was told by several people yesterday that the far west end of the platform at Oshawa GO had a green smoking sign indicating smokers could light up.

I saw it with my own eyes this morning as my train pulled out of the station.

How does this help non-smokers avoid inhaling second-hand smoke? It's called wind.

If smokers need to smoke so badly, they can do so in the location Metrolinx set up for them near the bus loop.

Unless this was done to accommodate Bombardier and GO Transit employees, there was no need to bend the SmokeFree Ontario Act to do this. Metrolinx would have had to map out where their "place of business" ends in order to determine where it would be acceptable to have passengers or employees smoking.

How do you feel about this?

Me, I'm finding this ridiculous. Where's my designated drinking area?

Bring all the drank!

15 comments:

Squiggles said...

Well, that makes enforcement useless.

Because there will be those that will stray and keep straying. If it is ok in one part of the platform, it is ok on any part of the platform.

Then I can see it happening at other stations, because "it's done at Oshawa".

Bad move.

Nora1968 said...

Right up there with suggesting that smokers on restaurant patios aren't impacting non-smokers sitting there because "we're outside".

Idiots - and way to go to whoever thought this up for underlining that the health issues and concerns of non-smokers matter - oh that's right! - NOT AT ALL.

C.J. Smith said...

Right??? This is so wrong. I need to think about what to do here.

deepfish said...

Its a culture of enabling smoker entitlement. GO is on track (!) to have a quasi smoke free environment and a full commitment to pretending to provide a safe and pleasant and healthy trip for all passengers. There may be, though, a few delays...

I'm only surprised that it took transit officials such a short time to get rid of all the spittoons, seeing as how chewing 'backie only went out of favour a century or so again. Congrats on a job well done!

Anonymous said...

This is skirting close to a line for Smoke Free Ontario.

The Ministry of Health and Long Term Care appoints inspectors to investigate compliance with the Act. File a complaint and invite an inspector to attend at the Oshawa GO Station.

C.J. Smith said...

I'll start there.

Nora1968 said...

Excellent suggestion from Anonymous - I'm so on board (!) with any follow-up you undertake on this, Cindy - let me know if I can help in any way.

Anonymous said...

I encourage everyone to get a spray bottle filled with water and squirt it in smokers who smoke is no smoking areas.

Ardy ziff from the Simpsons did that once.

Bicky said...

This is wrong. The platforms should be a smoke-free zone.

Anonymous said...

Wow just wow,
Cigarette smoke bothers you, diesel smoke spewing from the train doesn't.

C.J. Smith said...

^ This has been addressed. If you failed to read through the site, myself or my contributors aren't wasting the energy to explain the difference.

I don't ride sitting on top of the locomotive with my head resting on the exhaust stack. I'm pretty sure you don't either. Nor do I drive my car with my mouth wrapped around the exhaust pipe.

But thanks for writing in.

Tal Hartsfeld said...

Canada's becoming like the U.S.: "Double standards rule!"

Anonymous said...

Who says you can't drink?

C.J. Smith said...

The law. GO Transit isn't licensed for open alcohol consumption. And did you know if you are caught with open alcohol, the TSOs are allowed by law to confiscate all your alcohol and dump it, including any unopened containers. In other words, let's say you have a 6-pack, you crack one open, you get caught, the officer can take it all AND you get a ticket...

For the record, I am now about to start openly drinking on the train as I am not a rule breaker.

You think smokers face the same fate? You light up on a train, a TSO "talks" to you but doesn't fine you, doesn't toss you off the train and doesn't take your cigarettes. Hardly fair, is it? If smoking is not permitted, smoking IS NOT PERMITTED.

Bicky said...

You need to carry a Timmy's cup for the alcohol... ;) Not that I've done it. Yet. Muah ha ha!