Plaque honours anti-smoking crusader
Ottawa server spearheaded the drive for legislation, Mayor Jim Watson writes.
From time to time, I’m asked, particularly by students, what one action I’m most proud of as a politician. And I always answer that it was having the opportunity to implement the Smoke Free Ontario Act, as Ontario’s first minister of Health Promotion back in 2006.
But while I had the honour of making sure this important law was implemented, the true credit for this groundbreaking piece of legislation rests with a humble and courageous waitress named Heather Crowe.
Heather was a kind, softspoken hospitality worker whom I first got to know when she waitressed at The Newport Restaurant on Richmond Road in Westboro. She had worked for 40 years in the restaurant industry, and never smoked a day in her life.
Yet for those four decades she was exposed to that awful blue haze known as secondhand smoke.
It seems unbelievable today, but it wasn’t that long ago that you could light up a cigarette in virtually any public place such as a dining hall or a bar. How many remember that famous line when entering an eatery: “Smoking or non-smoking section?”
Heather was diagnosed with stage 3B non-small cell lung cancer in the upper lobe of her left lung in 2002. Yet instead of bemoaning the fact that she had a serious health challenge, she quickly became one of the most effective advocates for a smoking ban in public places.
She travelled the country and spoke to politicians, service clubs and anti-smoking groups and eventually had the opportunity to speak with Dalton McGuinty, who at the time was provincial leader of the Opposition and putting together his platform for the 2003 campaign.
Because of her passion and personal story, her quest for a smoke-free Ontario found its way into McGuinty’s platform. The campaign promise made its way into a bill, which passed and became law on May 31, 2006.
I can still recall the outrage some restaurant and bar owners had towards the legislation, saying it would kill their business and that thousands would lose their jobs. Of course this did not happen, and today there are more people working in these establishments than ever.
Sadly, Heather passed away in May 2006, just a few weeks before the legislation came into effect, but thanks to her advocacy and her own personal courage and fight, Ontario led the country with the toughest and most progressive anti-smoking legislation. A decade after her passing, her voice is as strong as ever.
On Tuesday, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Smoke Free Ontario Act, and I know that this one act has and will continue to save the lives of both patrons and hospitality workers who are now no longer subjected to the dangers of second-hand smoke.
So when I have the opportunity to talk to students about what I’m most proud of, I also take the time to thank Heather for her courage and determination. Her actions have given waiters and waitresses the right to work in a healthy and safe environment, while eliminating the risk of second-hand smoke illness and death in the workplace.