To the Editor,
I am a taxpayer and I am also a smoker.
I recently travelled on a B.C. Ferry that my taxes help support, and was disgusted at the way smokers are treated on my ferry system.
I am aware that my smoke will bother other people, and as a consequence try hard to respect non-smokers’ rights
But, I have rights too. Yes, I am willing to go outside to smoke. However, as I tried to find a place to sit in the designated smoking section on the ferry, I realized there was absolutely no sheltered area for smokers.
We are expected to stand out in the rain with no dry place to sit or take shelter from the wind. Seven metres away, is a covered, wind protected area for non-smokers with dry seating. Is this fair? I paid for my passage just like non-smokers, but receive none of the respect they expect.
Being a smoker is not a dirty word and I resent being treated like a pariah. Someone better take note.
Smokers pay taxes, but most important, we also vote.
How about a little respect?
Barbara Ek
Nanaimo