Most persons with mental illness can and want to quit smoking. This Centre for Addiction and Mental Health policy will not restrict them but, rather, set them free. The ethical justification for CAMH’s outdoor smoking bans is sound, and similar policies have been successfully integrated in other jurisdictions. It’s supported by Canadian and international law, and doesn’t violate patients’ Charter rights. This policy, however, does incur a special duty to CAMH to support its residents with the necessary treatment to ensure safety and comfort.
Charl Els, addiction psychiatrist, Edmonton
Speaking of the CBC
Re Beating Up CBC Is Like Beating Up A Sick Puppy (Review, April 28): Interesting update. I used to watch the CBC before they improved it.
Jon Swanson, North Saanich, B.C.
Only in Toronto?
I feel for the gentleman who found no Good Samaritan among fellow Toronto subway passengers (The Unkindness Of Strangers – April 27). The other day, I tripped and fell on the sidewalk right in front of a man. He neither stopped nor looked back. A young woman following him helped me to my feet. She said, “That's Toronto. I’m from Montreal.”
Norah Smith, Toronto
When silence is loud
As Lorna Dueck suggests (Along With The Ashes, Blessed Silence – April 28), "silence” is one of the rich assets Canada offers its citizens.
When I was cycling through the northern Rockies en route to Tuktoyaktuk, I met two cyclists from Switzerland. They told me how beautiful the Rockies were and how much they were enjoying their trip. I asked them what it was like to cycle through the Swiss Alps. Given the high population density, they said, there were people everywhere in the Alps.
These Swiss citizens loved the fact that they could cycle through the Rockies and not see another human being. They cherished the Canadian silence. If Canada isn't heaven, it must be right next door.
Chris Robertson, Stoney Creek, Ont.
