To the editor,
Recently, during a trip between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay on a spirit class vessel, I found it difficult to spend time on the outside decks because of cigarette smoke. The smokers stood in the doorways and wandered freely on both decks in spite of signs indicating that the ship had two designated smoking areas; one on each side at that level.
During that sailing which was full with at least 400 passengers, I counted the different puffers and concluded that there were about 15. According to my math, that means that B.C. Ferries has assigned two large smoking areas on these vessels to accommodate fewer than five per cent of the passengers who are compromising the health and comfort of everyone, including the 95 per cent of us who choose not to smoke on board.
I contacted BCFC customer relations to inquire why so much deck space had been designated smoking in spite of the negative effect on all the other passengers and crew. I also wondered why the designated smoking areas were only 10 feet from the doorway, when provincial regulations clearly require twice that and have since last year.
My inquiries got me sympathy and little else, other than the admission that the corporation was in violation of provincial law by having smoking areas that were not six metres from the nearest doorways. Then, the nice lady told me how difficult it was to create smoking areas on their ships due to various impediments including fire hazards, like gas on the lifeboats and distance from doorways, etc. To which, I reminded her that they have no obligation to provide a smoking area on such a short trip. In fact, no other transportation system allows smoking in British Columbia, so why bother? People don’t smoke on airplanes or buses or in taxis and they survive.
John Callas, Ganges
