While the province is knee deep into an election campaign, before business wrapped up in the legislature, leader of the Liberal Party Raj Sherman was able to unite the house in banning smoking in cars where a child is present.
    The bill passed third reading unanimously, but has yet to be granted Royal Ascent. If passed, a $1,000 fine could be levied for a first offense. While it is a step forward the province has been lagging behind. Save for Quebec, Alberta was the last province to pass such legislation.
    While it passed unanimously, addictions councillor for Alberta Health Services in Drumheller Martin McSween said he has seen a little bit of push back.
    “A lot of people have been calling in with objections,” said McSween. “The focus is to protect children and health but people start looking at it as a right issue and a choice issue.”
    He said the push back is typical with many different legislative changes from seatbelts, to distracted driving legislation. He remembers the opposition when legislation banning smoking in public places and bars and restaurants came in. It soon faded.
    “There is really nothing contesting that anymore,” said McSween.
    He feels the legislation will work more as an educational tool, rather than a punitive law.
“People are way more aware of the effects today. I remember smoking on planes and smoking on buses, so we really have come a long way and we have to remember that,” said McSween, adding there is still a lot of pro tobacco messaging in society.
    “Still in movies today it portrays more smoking than there really is, even T.V.”
 To help promote healthy lifestyles McSween said this month the Learn to Run For Smokers Program is kicking off. This is an eight-week program offered by Alberta Health Services and the Alberta Lung Association and the Lung Association of Nova Scotia. It is designed to promote a healthy lifestyle through running for people who smoke.
    “At the end of this you are pretty well doing a 5K,” said McSween. “This is a learn to run program, focusing not on smoking, it is related to lifestyle choices. We do a session with cessation, but the rest of it is focusing on running or walking.”
    The program begins on Thursdays, April 19 from 5:30 p.m.  to 7:30 p.m.  About a half hour of the session is in class, and the rest is running.
    “It is a program designed to help you increase each week. There is homework with the running or walking part. The day we meet is one of three runs each week,” said McSween.
    The program is facilitated by McSween, Cora Bolt and Trina Mcfarlane from the Drumheller office, with health promotion specialist Michelle Volkart as well as Erica Laycock of the Primary Care Network.
    Those interested can get more information and register at www.ns.lung.ca/learntorun for smokers. The deadline to register is April 12.