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Blackjack dealer says she feared for her health, but can't get EI
Jump to full article: Halifax (NS) Daily News (ca), 2003-04-23
Author: Peter McLaughlin / The Daily News
Intro: Former casino employee Andrea Skinner has stopped gambling with her health, but after working almost eight years at Casino Halifax's gaming tables she's now paying a price.
The 30-year-old blackjack dealer quit the casino in December, fearing the constant clouds of second-hand smoke might kill her.
"It was pretty awful,'' Skinner said yesterday. "You couldn't get away from it. I could have anywhere up to seven people on a blackjack table within three feet or less of my face, smoking. On roulette, it could be unlimited.''
Two years ago, she began getting nosebleeds and feeling dizzy. With a history of cancer in her family, she knew she had to get out. . .
Skinner has been denied employment insurance benefits, even though statistics show 200 people die each year in Nova Scotia from second-hand smoke.
She is now appealing the decision to the HRDC's board of referees.
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