Canadian trucker fined for smoking in his 'workplace'

A Canadian tractor-trailer driver was pulled over and ticketed for smoking in an "enclosed workplace." Officials say The Smoke-Free Ontario Act was simply being enforced, to the tune of C$305 ($290).

A 48-year-old trucker was fined C$305 ($290) for smoking in his vehicle. According to Reuters, Constable Shawna Coulter of the Ontario Provincial Police in Essex County said, "The Smoke-Free Ontario Act, adopted in 2006, prohibits smoking in an enclosed workplace or enclosed public area, and that extends to work vehicles." The tractor-trailer driver was stopped and ticketed "after an Ontario Provincial Police officer claimed he saw the driver smoking while driving near London, Ontario," reports UPI. Constable Coulter indicated to a local paper that this was the first ticket issued to a smoking truck driver since the effective date of the law on May 31, 2006. She did, however, say that "about 10 similar tickets have been given to taxi drivers," according to UPI. Long-haul drivers were critical of the police action. Trucker Brad Weber told the UPI:

He's not affecting anybody. If there's nobody else in the truck with him, then he's done nothing wrong. I could see if there were kids in the vehicle, I could see it if there was another non-smoking driver in the vehicle.

Still, however, Constable Coulter told Reuters, "We enforce the legislation and this truck driver was in violation of that."