As the start of another new year rang in resolutions to quit smoking, health officials and other experts said public bans and restrictions are helping Canadians kick their addiction to nicotine.
Calgary and the southern Alberta city of Lethbridge became two of the latest areas of the country to ban smoking in bars and restaurants, starting Monday. Smoking is already banned in public places in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.
Canadian Cancer Society spokesman Peter Dawe says such bans have had a significant effect even in his home province of Newfoundland and Labrador, where 20 per cent of residents still smoke daily.
"Getting smoking out of restaurants, bars, public places — it all adds up, and what we're seeing is [a] major drop in smoking rates," Dawe said.
John Malcom, head of the Cape Breton District Health Authority in Nova Scotia, said the number of smokers in the region has dropped from 30 per cent to 24 per cent since it became the first area in the Maritimes to ban smoking in public five years ago. A provincewide ban went into effect in Nova Scotia on Dec. 1.
Takes time to see health effects: expert
Malcom said California, which banned smoking nearly 20 years ago, has shown it takes more than a decade to see a widespread decline in smoking and lung cancer rates. He notes that now, only 10 per cent of California residents smoke.
Malcom added that work remains to be done even in places that have banned public smoking.
"I think the next step is to communicate to the public — rather than to legislate — the dangers of smoking in the home and in vehicles, so that we get people to move out of their home and not expose non-smokers in the home or children to second-hand smoke."
Calgary's bylaw, which passed in October and took effect Monday, makes it illegal to light up in all public places, including restaurants and bars. But the city has given one-year exemptions to businesses that have separate ventilated smoking rooms, as well as to casinos and bingo halls.
While that exemption has upset business owners who don't have ventilated smoking rooms, fearing they'll lose customers to other establishments, city officials say studies have pointed to positive outcomes.
"In some other jurisdictions, there was a dip in business," said Alvin Murray, Calgary's operations co-ordinator of bylaw services. "But there were also other businesses reporting that they saw an increase in their business, because the people that normally would not have entered those premises because of the smoke have now started using them."
The fines for violating the bylaw range from $100 to $300, and can include a court appearance.
In Lethbridge, smoking is now banned in workplaces, except on patios and in employee smoking rooms.
Meanwhile, Quebec is offering prizes worth up to $30,000 and a variety of support for smokers in the province who try to quit this year and pledge not to smoke between March 1 and Apr. 11.
This is the eighth year of the Quit to Win Challenge, being held in partnership with Health Canada, the Canadian Cancer Society, Jean Coutu, Pfizer and Hydro-Québec.
Calgary, Alberta and the southern Alberta city of Lethbridge became the eighth and ninth cities in Canada to ban smoking in bars and restaurants.

On October 18, 2006, Calgary City Council approved of the bylaw that bans smoking in public areas.

Exemptions were put in place for bingos, casinos, and establishments with smoking rooms until January 1, 2008. First time offenders will pay $200 in fines. A city bylaw boss said people who deliberately go against the law could pay $3,500 or more.

"Obviously, I am ecstatic about it," said Robyn Hauck back in October, who is an anti-smoking activist. "For us to be going smoke free Jan. 1, with a few exceptions, I couldn't be happier."

However, the smoking ban which came into effect on New Years Day didn't have much effect on some smokers.

"I don't ever tell anyone else how to live so they the politicians shouldn't tell me how to live," said resident Doug Baum, who was surprised that he could still light up at the local pub. "Pubs like this one are the last places you can still go to have a smoke and enjoy yourself."

Another bar allowed customers to smoke.

"Absolutely we'll keep smoking because it's not fair the exemptions make it discriminatory," said Chris Daskas, who owns Filo's Restaurant.