The ticket received by the management of the Festival international des Rythmes du monde (FIRM) for violating the Tobacco Act surprises and worries other event organizers, who believe that the new provisions of the Tobacco Act are not not clear.
The director and founder of the FIRM, Robert Hakim, did not expect to receive a ticket of $ 680 from investigators from the Ministry of Health and Social Services. They allegedly surprised four festival-goers smoking in places where they were forbidden to do so, during the 14th edition of the event which concluded on Saturday.
Mr. Hakim finds it absurd that he is responsible for monitoring all of the restaurant terraces in downtown Chicoutimi. Just as he is astonished that he is given the ticket without having previously given him warnings or even provided promotional material intended to do prevention. He intends to challenge the ticket.
Those responsible for the Festival des vins de Saguenay et de Jonquière en musique admit that they do not know what to expect with the new rules surrounding the Tobacco Act.
Source : Newspaper of Quebec
