Letter to the Editor – Not Happy About Cigarette Store Inspections – Tammy A Hart – Newington Ontario – June 15, 2010

Newington ON – My daughter phoned very upset.  She works at Nav Canada in the tuck shop and was in a hurry to leave her shift to go home to her three little girls, she only makes minimum wage.  She was quickly trying to explain to the worker while changing shifts what to do and what stock to fill, when a young girl comes up to the counter to ask for cigarettes. While being extremely busy, Pam repeats the question “what brand, again?” And the girl repeated the answer.  My daughter just then looked at her and said “I need your I.D.” and the girl hands her the I.D.  Turns out, she was 17 years old.  The next day daughter Pam was commended, the health board was pleased.  But my daughter wasn’t, her life could have been brought down by a seventeen year old.  What would have happened had she made a simple mistake?  Her name would have been tarnished, her pride in her job taken away and possibly relieved of her job.  She plus the establishment would have been fined big time. Who knows what the consequences could have been?  But then who really cares when it comes to big government, in this case the Eastern Ontario Health Unit destroying people’s lives and well being.

Cindy MacMillan and her convenient store were targeted as well; the employee there was under a lot of personal stress when she mistakenly sold a package of cigarettes, I repeat cigarettes, not illegal drugs.

Ontario use to be a prosperous province.  People had a sense of pride, and businesses thrived.  Now it seems, these days you’re lucky if you can keep your business alive.

Thanks for that Dalton.

Tammy A. Hart – Newington On

Angry about what’s happening to my Ontario

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19 Comments

  1. I talked with an owner of a small store with a Canada Post outlet recently and was appalled to hear of the practices of OUR governments. Not only inspections using underage people to buy smokes, but also Canada Post sending in a mom with baby in arms to buy 1 to 3 stamps in a different language commonly used in that community. Is this really making all of us safer?
    Why do we allow this crap? We are paying for this!

  2. Cigarettes should be treated as illegal drugs. It’s just the financial impact on what our society has become today that has kept them on the shelves. The change to a healthier society is not going to be easy considering both the physical addiction and the financial addiction of cigarettes.

    Suck it up and get with the program. Cigarettes kill!

  3. I’ve personally felt the impact of cigarette addiction having watched my father succumb to cigarettes and my mom’s deterioration. It’s horrible and I understand the issues of the dilemma, but I still think that the cooperation of government and the tobacco companies murdered millions of innocent people, and even with warning labels still kills.

    Prohibition isn’t the solution, but I think education and proper assistance with those addicted is the only solution.

  4. Yeah, its nice we have such a money grubbing, hypocritical government that sells us death and then complains about health care burdens. If they want to put their money where their mouth is, they should make cigarettes illegal. But then they’d lose out on the massive profits they pull in from selling us the death that they overtax to hell, providing an environment where criminal activity can thrive, all so they can justify pissing away in make work situations,potloads of our taxpayer monies!
    All of this is our government’s faults. Even pinnochio face McGuinty.. (I laugh every time he opens his mouth to complain about some burden to healthcare.) I laugh even harder when he wants to go and sue tobacco companies for billions and look at what he allows to happen.

    Unfortunately, business owners, end users, etc, have all been made the targets over this fiasco we have going on in the country and our province of Ontario. Government feels entitled, while we get the shaft! Some day hopefully, all this will backfire in their faces and we will get our country back!

  5. And Ontario is now a have not province. Thank you Dalton.

  6. Dalton engineered it that they have everything and we have nothing

  7. How much tax money has our goverment pulled in, the last 60 years from ciggerette sales.Seems to me they want there pie and they want to eat it to.The health board has did a good job of educating people on the dangers of smoking.And this is where there job should end.If people choose to smoke well its just to bad, live with it or make the only move this goverment should do.make it illegal to smoke.And while there at it make it illegal to sell food to over weight people.(is,nt this just as bad of a health problem as smoking]

  8. Grimalot, you are so right. What has Dalton McGuinty done to this province? The hypocrisy is unbelievable.
    How much worse can our health care get? Look what he has done to the pharmacies, when their own government receives kick backs from the brand name drug companies. Wait till we find out the cost of the new three year old and four year old daycare/kindergarten. Our education has been eroded. Big and small businesses are regulated to death. Public sectors pension vs the private, the increase in public sector numbers not to mention job security and the list goes on. Why does anyone vote this guy????
    We’re the next Greece.

  9. Unfortunately, even with all that Dalton has done, Hudak or the Conservatives won’t do any better in my opinion. Our politics these days are way too screwed up.

  10. Grimalot, please don’t give up there are some good leaders. Give Tim Hudak a chance, there are alot of good people working with him who really do want to make a difference ie. Lisa McCleod, Bill Murdoch, Randy Hillier to name a few. They believe in less government, accountable government trust me, I know them. I have voted liberal, and I have voted conservative and last federal election I voted independent (Howard Galganov) The politicians are only as good as we make them.

  11. When he first started his campaign on fighting the HST, I shot off 3 messages to him (Hudak). Not a single response. At least McGuinty, “in my opinion” as useless as he is, at least has the courtesy to respond. Even if its just a load of crap – I didn’t expect anything otherwise.

    As well, I don’t like someone riding coat tails up to power when in the end, there is nothing they can honestly do anyways. Hudak was screaming fight the HST, but what is he going to do to fight it? Its got a clause written to it that doesn’t allow him to do so. Plus he never said once, that he would repeal it, or want to repeal it if he were elected. I added the want part because again, there is a clause written to it, but at least he would make himself heard and his opinion heard. The only thing I like about him right now is if he can actually pull off the reversal of the reversal of the taxpayer protection law that McGuinty reversed so that he can shaft us with this HST. But then again, I think Hudak will bow to unknown pressures from the Fed Cons and so again, those politics will most likely be tainted.

    I’ve voted many various parties in the past. Unfortunately I’m one of those idiots out there that helped put McGuinty back into power. Before him, I voted Harris (bad mistake that was). So unfortunately, both main parties have their good points, but also have their bad points.

    I honestly believe we need a lot of government accountability, I think Sheila Fraser should get to audit it all. Not just federally but also provincially.

    I also think we need an impeachment process and that was brought on by none other than McGuinty.

    But with all this jadedness this has caused me, I don’t really have hopes for any party running things right. They all have their hidden agendas unfortunately and usually its the taxpayer that gets the shaft after.

    Lots of people said Harper was going to be awesome for the country and yet again, look what happened.

    The politicians unfortunately, are not only as good as we make them, because they get away with what they want and we unfortunately cannot do much about it. So they lie to get to power, then we get the shaft again for another 4 years while they end up doing the towing the party line routine again. I don’t think except for a little handful of them, that any politicians we have today actually are willing to put their jobs on the line and actually do what the people that elected them into place, want them to do. The one’s that do, usually get turfed from their respective parties somehow after the fact. Which is just wrong.

    If whatever Hudak is saying is true, Ill believe it when I see it. I don’t take anyone’s word in advance anymore. Especially if they don’t respond to my letters. I vote for who looks out for the issues most important to me but even then, I don’t hold my breath that they’ll actually do anything about it anymore. Ill keep an eye on what he has to say, but so far he hasn’t dazzled me in any way.

    I have said it on many sites and threads, we, the Canadian population as well as the Ontario population, need to take back our province and country from these corrupt powers that just end up regulating more and more aspects of our lives. All the while, we let them do it.

    Unfortunately, I think some sort of revolution or uprising against our governments needs to happen. So it sharply reminds all the government levels not to screw with the population that put them in place anymore. But sadly, that probably wont happen either because the majority of society is way to apathetic to actually do anything. And society only got that way because of the way they have been social engineered by the governments to begin with.

  12. Did you vote Howard Galganov in the last Federal election Mr. Grimalot? Or maybe your name isn’t Grimalot but perhaps “Gimealot” like most people. Howard Galganov was an honest, caring and said it like it is kind of guy as well as very knowledgeable. At all of is campaigns people loved him and said they would vote for him, he was factual when he spoke. Turns out he didnt get nearly the votes he thought. Go figure.

  13. Yes Ms Hart. It’s a shame that Mr. Lauzon barred him from the French Language debate in Cornwall….

  14. Hudak is just saying what the people want to hear. He reminds me of mayor Quimby from the Simpson’s. He was part of the Harris/Eve govt that passed a bill making it illegal for the province to run a deficit. They sold the public toll hwy 407 to friends of conservatives, (SCN Lavalin). They also left, and lied about a 6 billion dollar deficit. And then came Dalton. His lies were as good as Brian Mulroney. Mulroney bankrupted the country, Dalton has made Ontario a have not province.Please note, Bob Rae is a liberal, always was a liberal, and will always be a liberal. I just think it is time for a change, other than the Liberals and the Cons-….ervatives.

  15. Ok, so I gave you a clear and concise answer on what I think of politics these days and you choose to insult me? or lump me as one of all the others? nice.

    No I didn’t vote Galganov, I told you my voting choices and mistakes over the last few elections.

    I don’t ask for much. I just want to live my quiet life in freedom. That’s all.
    I work, I do my outside duties, I enjoy my quiet evenings in, and I just want to not be gouged to hell by our governmental systems. Is that a lot to ask for? I certainly don’t think so.

    I put in very long days, and hardly have much to take back for it. But I don’t generally complain about it, at least what I do is relatively stress free which is all that Im looking for. In fact, I pull in even less in a year then what these city councilors are complaining about pulling in. I am plagued with panic attacks from stress. And adding more taxes on me adds more to that stress. Im more of a hippie than anything else. I just want to be happy and enjoy life in my relative freedom. And unfortunately, some (especially politicians with their own agendas) try to trample all over that.

    Am I jaded though, yes, I already admitted that, its not hard to happen this day in age. And until someone actually proves their worth, then Im not going to think a second shot about them. Thats my personal way of handling things, you can handle your affairs and who you vote for as you see fit.

    Otherwise, this is another point, sometimes those that care the most for change (Galganov as you mentioned), are the ones shut out because of old boys clubs, entitlement suckers, or most idiots today vote for who their parents vote for or don’t vote due to apathy.. people in general don’t take the time to make informed decisions these days, and then we get more of the usual crap happening to us all for it.

    Am I apathetic, no, I will at least vote, even if its a protest vote. I don’t believe Hudak at this time, thats my opinion. It is up to him to prove otherwise, or get lumped in with the rest of the bad ones.. If he makes it in as Premier, and I see from his first term that things are getting done, I may change my mind.

    And that is a shame Jamie, I didn’t even know that happened, but that just add’s another dark mark to the fed cons as far as I’m concerned.

  16. As I said willie191, he’s riding the coat-tails of others misfortune. As you said, saying what the people want to hear. But saying, and actually doing, are 2 vastly different things. Quite frankly, Ill probably vote Green, because the 3 main parties all tick me off in one way or another. Maybe if we get an independent, Ill consider what they have to say. If Hudak gets in, and does good, I may change my mind.

  17. I am still gambling on Tim Hudak. Right now he is all we have. He is keeping quiet knowing full well that Dalton McGuinty will pull a fast one as the provincial elections draw near.
    Your right Grimalot…you do care, sorry if you felt I insulted you that was not my intentions. Turns out the reason this province/country is in such a mess is because of the “me” syndrome, there really isnt much hope for change. But I for one will keep on trying.

  18. (Grimalot, this board at least, is better because of you.)

    People are afraid of change and just don;t get involved enough to read past the headlines. Politicians get in meaning well but find a struggle to change the thinking of a very large group of employees/unions/processes, and of course, their party.

    To get back to the original story, our provincial government is taking over every aspect of our lives and at what cost?

  19. (thanks Eric) 😀

    Otherwise its not just the provincial governments taking over our lives, its also the feds.

    I keep singing a little jingle in my head “sign’s, sign’s, everywhere sign’s”

    Unfortunately I don’t think they realize the cost of what they are ultimately doing. But, then again, they don’t really care either because its their followers that will need to deal with it down the road. So they do what they want, everyone flips out for a while, then someone else gets in, and then the same vicious cycle takes place again. Its sad really, the prov’s and the fed’s are playing games with our lives.

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