Be careful where you smoke in Toronto

Be careful, very careful, where you smoke in Toronto, and anywhere in Ontario. Once upon a time a person could smoke almost anywhere, including in the movies, and in the office. Those days have long passed. About 10:00 AM every day you'll find smokers huddling outside in groups, puffing on their cigarettes. On rainy days they may be found scurrying in the underground parking lots, catching a few puffs. If worst comes to worst they can hide in their automobiles. However the places a smoker can catch a few puffs has shrunk again. Most recently in Ontario, the anti-smoking Nazis have cranked things up a notch. Last Wednesday, the driver of a tractor trailer was pulled over on the 401 by the Essex County Ontario Provincial Police for smoking. The officer noticed the truck driver in his cab was puffing on a cigarette. Under the Smoke-Free Ontario Act of 2006, smoking is prohibited in an enclosed work space and public areas such as bars and restaurants. (The trucks cab was a enclosed workplace.) (I don't know if the driver owned the truck. I'm not certain that is matters in the eyes of the law.) Smoking in you car or truck is no longer safe. Who does this affect? Everyone from taxi-drivers, to delivery men. It might also apply to any vehicle with a business name on it. Then this morning, the TTC has bumped up its fines for smoking. It applies to more than just inside a bus, or a subway station. It applies to all TTC property. For example, if you are smoking in a bus shelter, be prepared to pay $195 plus a victim surcharge. However, it could apply to other places. Imagine you are waiting for a streetcar, and you light up. Bingo, you are smoking on TTC property. You know those "turn arounds" that exist for streetcars and buses at the end of the line. Don't smoke while crossing them. I'm not certain if you can smoke in front of a TTC station. I wonder what happens if they catch you smoking in you car in a TTC commuter parking lot. I wonder which is sillier, these draconian laws, or the time wasted to enforce them.