Quebec says smoking ban won't lead to economic disaster

The smoking ban that takes effect at midnight Tuesday will help the economy, and not be the kick in the cash register bar owners fear, Quebec's health minister insists.

• RELATED STORY: Undercover tobacco inspectors prepare to enforce ban

Banning tobacco use in public places will have a trickle-down effect on people's smoking habits, and that makes for sound fiscal policy, Philippe Couillard said.

The health minister hopes the ban will reduce the number of smokers to 20 per cent of Quebecers from the current 25 per cent.

Any reduction will help the province reduce health-care costs, Couillard said. "If you want to adopt a purely economic analysis, we know a one-per-cent decrease in tobacco use saves roughly $115 million in the health-care sector," he said on Monday.

Bar owners fear financial losses

But that's of little comfort to bar and restaurant owners who dread having to tell their clients to butt out.

Laval bar owner Mike Briar said bar owners in other provinces have told him they lost up to 50 per cent of their business when smoking was banned in their jurisdictions.

Briar, who opposes the ban in Quebec, said the government should pay attention to what he believes is a cautionary tale from the rest of Canada.

"Why don't we listen to people in other provinces?" Briar asked. "Why should ours be any different?"

The Quebec ban will lead to job losses, lower video lottery terminal (VLT) revenues and slimmer profits for bars and restaurants, Briar predicted.

None of these things will necessarily happen, Couillard argues. When cigarettes were banned from drugstores in Quebec, the health minister recalled, retailers warned it meant imminent bankruptcy. That didn't happen.

Smoking ban won't wipe out tobacco

The smoking ban doesn't mean tobacco will one day become illegal, Couillard said.

"It makes no sense for the state to outlaw cigarettes altogether, the way alcohol was once prohibited in the early 20th century. You would just open the market for organized crime and smuggling," the health minister said.

"The right approach is to combine education and some restrictive actions by law."

Couillard recognizes the tremendous cultural shift that is about to take place in the province. But he's confident Quebec can handle the challenge.

"If Ireland can ban cigarettes from their pubs, I'd be extremely surprised if Quebecers cannot do the same," he said.