It’s a gas in this man’s backyard page 3
Hawks move on to become Eagles page 20
Tuesday October 16, 2012
Serving Surrey and North Delta
Smokers cloud Surrey cancer centre No-smoking policy not enforced by Kevin Diakiw DAVID THIELE is tired and sick after undergoing radiation treat-
ment for his brain tumour at the B.C. Cancer Agency’s Fraser Valley Centre in North Surrey. And he’s nauseated by the clouds of hazy blue tobacco smoke he must walk through when leaving a treatment session. The smokers aren’t allowed to be there. Under both provincial and municipal laws, they must be 7.5 metres from any door, vent or window. What’s more, under the rules of the Fraser Health Authority, smoking is not allowed anywhere on the property. Yet every day, as many as eight people huddle around the door of the building and puff away. On Friday afternoon, there was a steady flow of smokers. Two of them were cancer centre staff. One of them, whose name tag identified him as Ken, said he’s seen the signs but chooses to ignore them like everyone else. “It’s not enforced,” Ken said. Asked if that makes smoking there okay, he said, “Yeah, it does.” Cancer centre officials say they are sensitive to the problem and doubled their no-smoking signage out front. And when David Thiele that didn’t work, staff put out sandwich boards near the parking lot imploring people not to smoke at the entrance. Savik Sidhu, regional director for the Fraser Valley Centre, said they are trying to take the educational approach. But after four years of implementing the no-smoking rule, it’s just not sinking in with some people, he said. Melita Konn, secretary to the regional director of the centre, said some staff and volunteers have gone outside to ask people not to smoke near the door. “It’s a pretty tough crowd that we’re dealing with,” said Konn. “They (staff and volunteers) get their heads bitten off sometimes.”
See PATIENT / Page 3
Cassandra Vansnick (left) and Erick Medina-Castellanos steady themselves in The Vortex at the Potters House of Horrors, a Halloween event open nightly until Oct. 31 at 12530 72 Ave. A tamer Family Hour runs from 6-7 p.m., but from 7-10 p.m., all hell breaks loose. For more information about Halloween fun, see pages 24-25.
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