HEALTHY Living Minister Jim Rondeau noted the decision to ban smoking on Manitoba's beaches is backed by science on the health risks to people breathing in second-hand smoke. He would be hard-pressed to show the evidence to support this ban, a cheap political hit for little gain.

The province seeks to "de-normalize" smoking, to keep young people from picking up the dangerous habit. So be it. But it is fantasy to think a ban on the beach will protect asthmatics or prevent cancer.

If side-stream smoke on the beach is an abiding threat, where are the health alerts? You know, like the province's weekly notices warning people away from the beaches when waters are infested with E. coli and blue-green algae.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 9, 2013 A14