As the Yukon government wrapped up its final public meeting on proposed anti-smoking legislation in Whitehorse Tuesday night, the B.C. and Yukon division of the Canadian Cancer Society proposed 11 amendments to the potential Smoke-Free Places Act.

An all-party committee, created by the legislature, has been touring the Yukon since Sept. 11 looking for input on the legislation, which would ban smoking in almost all public places, including outdoor patios.

Health and Social Services Minister Brad Cathers, Liberal MLA Darius Elias and NDP MLA John Edzerza make up the committee.

Reviewing the recommendations, Katherine Seely of the cancer society stressed the importance of children not being exposed to tobacco products.

'Children should not be exposed to the sight of tobacco products as if they were benign as bubble gum or hockey cards,' she said in reviewing the society's request to ban visible tobacco displays and signs at shops selling smokes.

Among other amendments the society wants in place to protect children would be a ban on smoking in vehicles carrying anyone under 19 and at outdoor sites such as playgrounds, city parks, bus stops, lineups, sports fields, outdoor seating areas and within 10 metres of parades.

As well, if the society had its way, retailers would be required to ask for identification of anyone appearing to be under 25; staff under 19 wouldn't be permitted to sell tobacco products; and candy cigarettes and other sweets and toys looking like a tobacco product would be prohibited.

'It's an up-and-coming concern for us,' she said.

Other proposals from the cancer society would prohibit where tobacco could be sold; see a regulatory authority established to come up with product standards; ban tobacco company logos on non-tobacco items; ban cigarette holders; and require tobacco companies to report to a regulatory authority on marketing, sales and possibly other activities.

Taxes should also be hiked by $15.60 a carton to match the other two territories, bringing the price up from $26.40 to $42 a carton, local cancer society representative Scott Kent told the approximately 15 people who turned out for the meeting.

'Higher tobacco taxes are the most effective measure available to reduce smoking, including among price-sensitive teenagers,' said Kent, a former Liberal cabinet minister.

He went on to suggest the taxes on roll-your-own tobacco increase as well so that 0.5 grams of tobacco would be equivalent to one cigarette.

An information sheet detailing the society's proposal states that since roll-your-own tobacco is taxed by the gram, manufacturers have created a loophole allowing 'unacceptably' low taxes for roll-your-own smokes.

The cancer society was joined by others who all spoke in favour of the public smoking ban and health effects of second-hand smoke.

Rather than going into the statistics and numbers on the health issues coming from tobacco, Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada research director Neil Collishaw told the small crowd about the late Heather Crowe.

A non-smoker, Crowe worked as a waitress for 40 years and developed lung cancer after breathing in smoke from her customers' cigarettes.

Her goal was to be the last person to die from the effects of second-hand smoke, and she worked with Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada to make that happen, Collishaw said.

During a visit to Yellowknife, Crowe contracted pneumonia. Initially, meetings with the workers' compensation board there cancelled until Collishaw received a call from the WCB stating Crowe was at the office insisting she meet with officials as planned.

The meeting came three hours later than scheduled and Crowe, who had medication for the pneumonia, was introduced as a 'real Canadian hero.'

It was thanks to her visit that both Nunavut and the Northwest Territories soon banned smoking in public places.

Crowe died in 2006, four years after being diagnosed with lung cancer and beginning her campaign to be the last person in the country to die of second-hand smoke.

Collishaw noted the proposed legislation would help Crowe's goal become a reality.

Like Alex Furlong, president of the Yukon Federation of Labour, Collishaw encouraged the territory to lead the way, though he added he couldn't help noticing that currently, the territory is 'bringing up the rear.'

The advantage the territory has, he said, is it has a chance to learn from the experience of other regions and municipalities, including that of Whitehorse.

Mayor Bev Buckway recalled the city's ban on smoking in public places in 2004, then 2005 for bars and a Porter Creek pool hall.

'We dealt with the controversy,' she said, encouraging the territory to set a 'drop-dead deadline and go with it.'

The city's manager of bylaw services has offered to assist the territory with any questions on implementing the legislation if requested, she said.

'You're on the right track, and don't stop,' Buckway told the committee.

Others called on the territory to take an even more stringent approach on the ban.

Some suggested smoking should be banned in outside locations because smoke wafts to other places.

'You can't control it; it's impossible to control,' Kevin Wood said.

Lynn Martin suggested a public place should constitute any place where there is a person. In making her recommendation, she pointed out smoke from her neighbour's home travels to her own house and garden.

She suggested as well that smoking in a home where there are children present is tantamount to child abuse.

While first nation governments would have the authority to make their own laws on settlement lands, to Edzerza's knowledge, first nations have been ahead on the issue.

He pointed back to his own time as a member of the Kwanlin Dun First Nation council in the early 1980s when it implemented a ban on public smoking inside Kwanlin Dun buildings. Most first nations in the territory that he's aware of have banned smoking in their buildings.

All three committee members spoke on the importance of the anti-smoking legislation and the significance of the all-party committee touring the Yukon for the first time since 1993. After the session, however, Cathers said there have been disappointing turn-outs at meetings throughout the territory.

In Dawson City, there was a turn-out of only 10, he pointed out, with Whitehorse only gaining an additional five. It may be an indication of a lack of interest or conflict in bringing in the legislation, he said.

While most communities showed support for the legislation, residents of Faro and Haines Junction appeared to be split on the matter, Cathers said, though he wouldn't say what the issues are. He noted it wouldn't be appropriate to comment on those details until the report is complete.

The government, he stressed, will continue accepting comments until Oct. 15 by letter and e-mail.