Anti-smoking crusaders will be lobbying Government to ban smoking in public places like bars and restaurants.

The anti-smoke group, the Bermuda Advocates for Non-Smoking, will be meeting tonight to draft proposals on how they can raise awareness with bar and restaurant owners about the ill effects of second hand smoke and the rights of non-smokers to enjoy a smoke free environment. They are requesting local bar and restaurant owners adopt bans on their premises similar to those adopted in such establishments in Canada and the United States.

Chairman of BANS, Joy Pimental, has interviewed about 40 restaurant and bar owners proposing a complete smoking ban on their premises. ?Limiting the ban to a period during the day or allowing a smoking section is unacceptable,? said Mrs. Pimental.

BANS? focus this year will be on raising the awareness of the harmful effects second hand smoke has on the public, including not just patrons but also the employees of such establishments. Some of the Island?s restaurants and hotel dining rooms are smoke free with others posting friendly suggestions about the ill health effects of smoking.

Mrs. Pimental said she was concerned about smoking in family restaurants where young children may be present.

Some restaurants on the Island have already gone smoke free with The Landfall restaurant in Hamilton Parish and hotel dining rooms such as those at the Fairmont Southampton Princess and the Pompano Beach Club. spoke with restaurant and bar workers to see what they think of a ban on smoking.

While they said breathing second hand smoke was an issue, they felt working in a bar came hand in hand with putting up with people who choose to indulge in the habit.

Gordon Henry, a bartender at The Porch, said the bar restricts cigar and pipe smoking to the pub?s outdoor porch. He occasionally receives complaints from customers who are bothered by smoke, but says the majority of people feel smoking is an individual choice and understand if they decide to go to a bar they?ll usually have to put up with smokers. ?I don?t think any bar in Hamilton would go out voluntarily and ban smoking, they would only do so if it was mandatory,? said Mr. Gordon.

Island restaurant and bar workers seem to be in agreement that if they work in the hospitality business breathing second hand smoke comes with the job. General manager of Port O?Call restaurant Rory Johns says it would be unheard of in Europe to enforce such restrictions. ?We?ve got an excellent ventilation system that sucks everything out. I don?t like smoke but it doesn?t bother me,? he added.

La Trattoria manager Nicky Russo said the restaurant had discussed such an issue but would leave it up to Government to have the final say before taking any anti-smoke action themselves. ?If people in the community are concerned enough about the smoke then we will go ahead with a ban, if they don?t want it then we can?t upset our customers,? he said.

He said the layout of the restaurant ensured both parties were far away enough from those who smoked, and that children were generally kept far away enough from smoke so that it was not an issue for customers.

A dining room manager at the Pompano Beach Club told yesterday that the dining rooms were entirely smoke free. ?It?s much nicer and makes it a lot easier for people who don?t smoke to work without having to worry about breathing in the smoke,? she said.

Picked Onion assistant bar manager Dwight Lambert felt very differently. He said people should be able to enjoy a drink and a cigarette without following a US led mandate. ?I personally enjoy a cigarette and a drink and I don?t want to be told that I have to go out on a pavement or a thoroughfare to do so.?

He said people who went to a bar and interacted with the public chose to do so at their own discretion. ?To me the public means putting up with the unpleasant personal habits of others even if we don?t like them.?

He added that Pickled Onion would comply with legislation if the Government chose to ban smoking in local bars.

Health Minister Patrice Minors told that she would be discussing the issue with restaurant and bar owners before the Government moves closer to a ban. The United Kingdom recently signed a treaty with the World Health Organization on Tobacco Control which is extended to overseas territories like Bermuda. One of the issues put forth in the treaty is controlling smoking in public places. ?One of the articles of the treaty is protection from exposure to tobacco smoke,? said Mrs. Minors. ?We are looking at educating people in the community with workshops and with an advertising campaign receiving consideration by Government.?

Mrs. Minors said Government is looking at how the Island can comply with the UK treaty. ?My desire is to see a more healthier population to encourage smokers to stop smoking and to reduce the health risks of people who are exposed to second hand smoke,? she said.

Last year Dr. John Cann said Government is looking at a new advertising campaign and will be looking at restricting the number of vending machines outside bars and restaurants, especially areas frequented by young people.

In countries such as Canada and the US the Government has adopted harsh restrictions to encourage smokers to give up their cancer causing habit. Britain has recently been criticised for being caught in a tobacco time warp by health experts since Britain has yet to introduce smoke free policies in public places. Ireland will be the first country in Europe to introduce a tobacco ban at the end of March in the country?s pubs, bars, and restaurants. So far, Bermuda is taking cautious steps towards restricting smoking with the idea in mind that people should make the choice to stop smoking themselves. National Quit Day this year will be on Friday May 28.