One of my most enduring (not endearing like my caffeine addled brain first wrote) first memories of Arctic Bay came on my second or third day here (maybe the fourth). My stuff hadn’t arrived yet and I had sent my partner out for the weekend on a prisoner escort, so I was staying at his residence, which had those little luxuries like plates and pots and bedding.
As I sat at the kitchen table, drinking a coffee while looking out at the incredible view, I was startled to see an eleven or twelve year old walking down the street smoking, not making any effort to hide the fact. I think I actually got up and started for the door to ask him what he was doing when I realized that he was with an adult, possibly even a parent, and I sat back down shaking my head. A scene like that no longer surprises me.
An incredible percentage of people smoke here, it is absolutely mind boggling. I can’t really speak for other communities in Nunavut but based on what I see here Nunavut must have, by far, the highest smoking rate for Canada. I cringe every time I see a mother smoking with a baby in an amautiq. There are times when it seems like everyone smokes, and they start early.
When I was still a member I usually started my drug talks by asking if anyone there used drugs. I then asked if anyone drank alcohol, then smoked, then drank coffee or tea, and if I still had hands unraised drank cola or ate chocolate. The point was that a drug was some substance that we take into our body that alters something about us. At one of my first school talks with Grade VI’s here (we’re talking twelve year olds) all but two students put up their hands when I asked if anyone smoked. And three of those that did smoke said that they had tried to quit but couldn’t!!!
And one of the consequences of all this isn’t just that everyone’s health is being effected, we’ve already lost far too many Elders far too early to lung disease. One of the consequences is that it makes this a very difficult place to raise children to be smoke free. Neither Leah or I smoke which is a great start, but all of Travis and Hilary’s aunts and uncles here do, and they are exposed to people smoking all of the time. When one of her brother’s turned fifteen her mom bought him a pack of cigarettes (they cost in the neighbourhood of $16/$17 a pack up here). I’m pretty sure that had my parents found out I was smoking at fifteen (I’ve never smoked by the way) not only would they not have bought me cigarettes I probably wouldn’t have seen the light of day for oh, two and a half years.
We try and drill it into their heads constantly that smoking is yucky and that we do NOT approve of smoking, but still it is so ubiquitous that you have to be constantly vigilant. When Travis was much smaller and playing outside I looked out and saw him putting a discarded cigarette butt to his mouth. I’m pretty sure I was bleeding from one of my temples by the time I got outside. He also held up a candy cigarette (although they no longer call them candy cigarettes anymore, it’s something like "candy sticks") that one of his friends gave him and said "Look dad, a smoke." Just what does an aneurysm feel like anyway?
And just what precipitated this rant anyway? Well this morning as I dropped him off (a couple of minutes late) at Kindergarten a teacher, A TEACHER!, and two parents were smoking at the entrance to the school that he uses. Yes, one of the parents put away the cigarette as he passed but the teacher and the other parent just kept smoking away as he passed. Nice example teach. Please tell me that the school has some policy against this.
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15 responses
While I am not surprised (but certainly sad) to see any kid smoking, I am surprised that the school does not have a non-smoking campus policy. If they don’t, they should, because it really is a bad example to see teachers standing around smoking cigarettes! Where I work, it’s a non-smoking campus meaning that you cannot smoke on company property at all. So folks have to walk off-campus and stand on the sidewalk near the streets. I’m not a smoker so this is fine with me, but I have to wonder sometimes just how much extra break time these employees rack up with the walking back and forth and then the time to smoke the cigarette. Sorry, I digressed. I really think that it’s a shame that young people smoke, given we know the risk and dangers of doing so. But I agree on your observation and hope that there is a school policy.
While I was a little hesitant to make this comment because of that the fact that the school here is my workplace, I can tell you that the school does have a staff smoking policy in place as set down by the DEA. There is a designated smoking area for staff and this was very clearly laid out at the start of the school year. While our all-mighty union may state that it is “not nice” to criticise other members. I will most certainly state that this is surely a very poor example to set.
Regardless of whether or not the school has a smoking policy, under the Nunavut Tabacco Control Act, s. 14(3) states:
“No person shall smoke in the fifteen metre radius surrounding any entrance or exit to a school.”
The punishment for such an offence? For the first offence, up to $1000. Subsequent offences are a maximum of $5000 each.
While this information won’t help you with what happened today, it might aid you should you feel that it needs to be addressed further.
I started smoking when I was 12 but never smoked in front of my parents untill I was 15. I started smoking because my friends were smoking. My parents never wated me to start smoking and my brothers and uncles but started because my friends were doing it, I also think too is because my friends didnt always had 3 meals a day and so the cig was more of a distraction from being hungry, just like drinking coffee, it slows down the hunger for food.
Sad Clare, I’ve had four people close to me die of smoking related diseases, it’s a deadly habit.
This subject (i HATE smoking) lays strong with me. I would have been just as discusted several months ago…Now that I am the mother of a gorgeous baby girl, it seemes to hit that much closer to home…
I’m not sure that if I find myself in this scenerio ever, that i could walk by… Hopefully that teacher and parent has read your article and realize that whether they choose to maintain this gross habbit…they both have an obligation and duty to the youth up there (and everywhere really) to lead BY EXAMPLE!
Good article Clare.
Cheers,
I’m a former smoker, so smoking around me is a real issue. I’ve lost 2 close friends to lung cancer this year. Our 3 hospitals in Anchorage have just made their campus smoke free. In Anchorage you can’t smoke in a bar, resturant, any public building and many other places. The bars and resturants said they would loose business if these laws passed. They actually had a business increase. Smokers are a dying breed.
Thanks Kat, It is an issue about the extra time that smoking workers take. One thing I have to remind myself is that this is an addictions issue in many cases, which makes it all the more important to stop kids from starting in the first place.
Thanks for commenting Darcy, I know that it is a difficult position for you. But if the policy has been laid out and the staff knows about it, it certainly would be hard to criticize you for saying it is a poor example.
Thanks for that info Adam. I didn’t realize that was the case, I was aware of the WCB’s regulations about workplace safety (I wonder if they’ve ever thought of checking out Nanisivik Airport?) I think there would be a number of steps I’d take before I’d ever get to that step.
Thanks Ida, I think that (obviously) we need to do more than just a parent’s disapproval, although I firmly believe that that disapproval is one of the keys. Far far too many young people are smoking, and it must be with the approval of at least some adults because you need to be 18 to buy cigarettes. We are failing our youth by not doing more. And if our youth are smoking because they are hungry (I want to resist pointing out that $16 for a pack of cigarettes could buy bread and meat to make two loaves of sandwiches, even up here, because I recognize that the problem is more complex than that), if that is the case than we are failing our children in so many ways and so badly that I want to cry.
I’m sorry about your friends Duncan. We are losing far too many people to this problem, not to mention starting babies off with asthma and other diseases. Having watched someone I love die of cancer (not smoking related I hasten to add) I can’t imagine why anyone would want to help hasten a love one along that path.
Thanks Stacy, Probably the best thing I could have done for all concerned (including this rash of aneurysms of mine) was to get out and politely expressed my concern. But I didn’t so that was a lesson learned.
Thanks Dave, sorry about your friends. I’m glad to hear that business has gone up with the smoking ban, I’ve long thought that would be the case but that needs to be publicized more. I’ve walked out of restaurants that the smoke has drifted over from the smoking section and never go back. It amazes me that hospitals would have still had smoking in this day and age. When Janice was in the hospital I marveled over the smokers pulling their two IV racks along, wrapping their bathrobes tighter and heading out of doors for a smoke. It left me shaking my head. But.. again I recognize that this is a powerful addiction and it is easy for me not ever having started.
Here in Kugluktuk, I have seen parents buy their kids chewing tobacco. Many think it is better than giving their kids smokes!!
At the college I asked my students to smoke on the side of the building that was away from the schools and daycare. It was like pulling teeth getting it to happen.
I am pretty anti-smoking as well. My husbands father died at age 51 as a direct result of smoking. The rate of smokers here is astonishing!
Hi Clare, I wasn’t sure if you wanted to post this comment or not but just as a follow up to my earlier comment, I can tell you that I did mention this incident to the principal to ensure it would be addressed at the next staff meeting.
regards.
There isn’t that much snuff chewing here Kara (thankfully). Can’t imagine anyone thinking it would be better. There have been a few places I’ve been at that are big into snuff. One of my first experiences with it came when I was a summer student with the RCMP in northern Manitoba. I had arrested a fellow for impaired driving and after I turned him over to the Breath Tech I went to retrieve my briefcase from the truck. It happened to be right under where he was sitting, chewing snuff, and was covered, COVERED, in snuff spit. I still shudder thinking about it.
Thanks Darcy. Hopefully that will be the end of it. I appreciate that.
I have been subbing at the high school here and am constantly amazed to see how many students smoke, literally right outside the doors.
At our high school, the morning and afternoon breaks are called “smoke breaks” by the kids. They set out for the front entrance porch and ramp which is protected by the wind and gather for their fix. Some teachers are trying to change this, get some policy about not smoking on school property but they are afraid of an uprising.
The elementary school kids move up to the high school after grade 7. A few times I’ve asked a grade 7 student if they were excited about going to high school the next year. The response was “Ya cause I can smoke at school there”.
Despite the efforts of teachers (many of whom don’t set the example for students to follow) who teach and preach the anti-smoking message, it’s just not getting through because it isn’t enforced at home.
no comment on the smoking issue- i dont drink, nor get behind the wheel and use a cell phone.. but i do still smoke- an addiction that i will get rid of when i’m not so confined and bored 2 smitherrens 😉 but yep, they’re nasry.. in many ways.
just dropped by to wish you and yours a joyous holiday.. have alot of catching up to do, will try to visit again soon..
(i love the new virtual furnisings/photos.. nice!)
It is amazing how many do smoke Tina, although it didn’t seem as prevalent in the Deh Cho as it does up here.
How sad thing are when schools are not implementing policies (or allowing the law to be broken – see Adam’s comment above) because they are worried about the student’s uprising? Who is supposed to be running the schools? I suppose a way of letting the school/DEA abdicate their responsibility and still enforce a school property smoking ban would be to refer to the law “Look we’d love to be able to let you smoke here but it’s not our choice, the law forbids it. We don’t want to see anyone getting a thousand dollar fine. We’d love to let you continue, we just can’t it’s that darn Nunavut Government.”
Hey Cindy, Good to hear from you again. Loved the mink picture on your blog. Happy Holidays to you also.
And as an aside, the title of this post is a nod to one of my favourite Coming of Age movies, “Flirting”, which was also the debut of Thandiwe Newton (Thandi).