Saanich News, August 31, 2012

Page 1

SAAN SAANICH N NEWS ay Labour D *

Gray Rothnie

COMMUNITY

For Canada’s honour

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A Saanich historian is unearthing the lost stories of Canadians awarded the U.S. Medal of Honor. Page A3

r Ends Se esented nditions *Some co Coupon must be pr e ticketed prices. Offe excluded. . We take $100 off th other offers

Friday, August 31, 2012

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Smoking rules adrift in a haze Hookah pipes skirt regulations; chief medical officer issues health warning Natalie North News staff

S

ix twenty-somethings are cozied around two water pipes. As they inhale, water bubbles within the glass base and as they exhale, the cloud of smoke grows thick around them. The scene may look familiar to those from the West Coast, but the smell is a foreign one. Cleopatra Hookah & Coffee Lounge on Broughton Street is overwhelmed with the fragrance of burning molasses – not an ounce of tobacco and not a fleck of cannabis – a trend that finally made its way to Victoria after gaining popularity across the country. “It’s relaxing,” says Derek Sivorot, who had smoked vegetable-based products from hookah pipes while travelling and was excited to light up a double apple pipe back at home. “It’s always good to sit down with a friend, like having a beer.” Across the table, Daniel Cormier pulls the hose from his mouth. “I remember hearing about this place when it was moving here and I said, ‘Not in Victoria, no way,’” Cormier says. Kareem Serry opened the doors to the late-night lounge this spring, when he saw an untapped market in Victoria. Serry differentiated Cleopatra, one of three places in Victoria offering hookahs at that time, from the competition by

adhering to the highest standards for cleanliness and safety, he says. “We really want to educate people on what hookah is all about, which is clean, rinse, sanitize and does not contain narcotics,” Serry says. Serry, a 29 year-old trained in hotel management, backs up his claim by pointing to a high temperature sanitation machine, three compartment sinks and stainless steel canisters galore – each one labelled and tucked into place. Mouthpieces are replaced and water is changed for each customer, he says. All hookahs are served on a base designed not to tip. His list of voluntary precautions is long. “It’s the new way of smoking hookah,” says the Egyptian-born, B.C.-raised businessman. “We’re still holding up the same culture, but we’re taking it to the next level of hygiene and cleanliness.” But the health concerns from the Vancouver Island Health Authority doesn’t centre on sanitation, rather, the potential harm caused by inhaling burning vegetable matter. This spring VIHA’s medical health officers began canvassing municipal councils across Vancouver Island in hopes of garnering support for updated and consistent clean air bylaws – suggestions that include prohibiting smoking tobacco on beaches and banning the public use of hookah pipes. “You can get up to 30 times the amount of carbon monoxide in that (vegetable) smoke than what you would get from cigarette smoking,” says Dr. Richard Stanwick, VIHA’s chief medical health officer. PLEASE SEE: Hookah smoke, Page A12

Natalie North/News staff

Jonathan Bain, foreground, and Jordan Peltier smoke rose and double appleflavoured veggie product from water pipes at Cleopatra Hookah & Coffee Lounge on Broughton Street in Victoria. VIHA’s chief medical officer was caught off guard when he found that the region is void of regulations for hookahs.

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