If you don’t read anything else that I’ve said, this post is probably one of the most important that I can say — so at least read this. 

The problem isn’t that people smoke. The problem is the government making policies that target smokers based on their financial class and housing status. For those who think, “If you can’t afford market rent, you shouldn’t be able to afford cigarettes,” or “smoking costs the system too much,” — that’s not the point.

Even though the government might not like it, low-income people still have access to tobacco — especially through Native smokes. They’re cheaper, legal for personal use, and completely undermine the idea that raising taxes on tobacco will force people to quit. The government can’t stop that access without cracking down on Indigenous vendors, which they won’t (and shouldn’t). So instead, they target us — poor people — with policies they know won’t work, just to make it look like they’re taking a strong stance on public health.

It’s never been about stopping smoking. It’s about controlling who gets to smoke and under what conditions — and who doesn’t.

Tenants in municipally funded housing no longer get a choice. That choice has been made for us. And even though we’re told “just leave if you don’t like it,” we can’t — because we don’t have the option to pay market rent. This is absolutely financial discrimination. It’s a punishment for being poor.

If I were renting from a private landlord and they made their unit non-smoking, I’d at least have the option to look elsewhere. But because I rely on subsidized housing, that option is gone. This is the government exploiting our lack of options to force us into compliance — and that’s coercion.

It’s also a Constitutional issue. Because no level of government — especially the municipal government — has the right to selectively restrict legal lifestyle choices only for those who are poor, disabled, or otherwise marginalized.

And here’s the thing: we still live in a country where smoking is legal. The government promotes stop-smoking campaigns, raises taxes on tobacco, and warns about the health risks — but they also still collect the revenues. That money doesn’t just vanish. If they really believed smoking was so dangerous, they’d make it illegal entirely. But they won’t — because it’s too profitable.

Meanwhile, subsidized housing tenants lose the rights other Canadians still enjoy, like being able to choose whether or not to smoke — just because we rely on government help.

The truth is, right now this battle is Calgary subsidized housing tenants against the City of Calgary. But I have a sneaky suspicion that it’s not just happening here. I believe these types of policies and constitutional violations are quietly spreading across Canada — targeting low-income tenants in other municipal housing programs too.

In our city, our choices are being limited because of our finances, our disabilities, our age — and because the government assumes they can get away with it. Not everyone becomes disabled in life, but everyone ages. And many of us will eventually face limited mobility or need housing support.

So if you’re reading this and you’re from another city, another province — go look at your own local housing policies. If this is happening to you too, please use my posts, use my words, and fight it there. I’ve got my hill to die on here in Calgary — but I stand with you, and I see you. Because this is discriminatory, oppressive, and deeply ableist.

And don’t be surprised if the next move is to try banning alcohol in housing programs under the guise of “public health” — while ignoring that it causes far more harm to families and communities than smoking does. Or restricting vehicle ownership. Or food choices. Or whatever comes next.

Go ahead and feel offended if you want. But there’s something in this country called the Constitution. And when a government body starts acting like a private landlord to avoid accountability to the people they serve — they’re crossing a line.

We’re not wrong.
This isn’t about smoking. It’s about autonomy, dignity, and control.

#BadPolicyScandal2025
#CityOfCalgary
#CalgaryHousing
#TenantRights
#HumanRights
#StopForcedCompliance
#PovertyIsNotACrime
#AbleismInHousing
#CoercionIsNotConsent
#FightBackCalgary
#SubsidizedNotSilenced
#ThisAffectsAllOfUs
#ConstitutionalRights
#WeDeserveChoice
#AccountabilityNow
#StopGovernmentOverreach
#HousingIsAHumanRight
#NotYourPetProject
#DiscriminationByPolicy
#LetUsLiveWithDignity