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A major Vancouver restaurant is stubbornly defying the city's butt-ban bylaw, despite being recently hit with a $1,000 fine and threats from the city that its business licence could be pulled, the Vancouver Sun reports. A spokesman for the franchise holders of the Keg Caesars on Hornby in downtown Vancouver said the operators simply want to give their customers what they want. Cam Watt said the smoking ban bylaw is costing restaurants business and restaurant employees jobs, and that the Keg Caesars plans to continue to let customers smoke. He said he plans to take that message to the media in the days to come. Three restaurants in Vancouver have been convicted and fined for breaking the bylaw, and at least another dozen are awaiting court dates. Dominic Losito of the city's health department said the Keg is the first restaurant to continue flouting the law following a conviction, and inspectors will visit the premises soon to see if smoking is still being permitted there. The Keg Caesars caters to a business and professional clientele. Meanwhile, a blanket smoking ban for all publicly accessible places has been nixed for the city of North Vancouver, despite earlier support for the measure. It was defeated after calls from concerned members of the community that it was too draconian. Council has decided to plan for a complete smoking ban in the year 2000, in order to be in step with other municipalities that are planning bans for that date.
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