He really did.

He hoped they'd see the light of the new provincial law he created and not the one on the end of a cigarette.

He appealed to them not to opt out of his plan to nix public puffing Jan. 1. He couldn't fathom they would allow smoking in a public place in his otherwise smoke-free Alberta.

He couldn't bear to speculate on what he would do if they went against what he sees as an "historic moment."

But, at least on the Tsuu T'ina First Nation, it is painfully obvious nobody listens to Dave Hancock, the province's health minister and tireless anti-smoking advocate, who even had to fight folks within his own party before finally winning the day.

As Peter Manywounds, a Tsuu T'ina spokesman, says, dissing the provincial bigwig: "For the last three or four centuries, nobody has done us any favours."

So come Jan. 1, all public places and workplaces in Alberta will be smoke-free, but not on Tsuu T'ina land.

Provincial government mouthpieces will insist the law applies to all of Alberta, but the gamblers will be lighting up and breathing in the tar and nicotine with great frequency at the new and impressive Grey Eagle Casino at 37 St. and Glenmore Tr., on Tsuu T'ina land, right at the edge of the city.

At the beginning of next week, the feds will give the green light to a Tsuu T'ina bylaw allowing smoking in public places and the Grey Eagle Casino will have smoking, except in its restaurant, lobby and poker room, as is the tradition elsewhere. The gaming floor, with its 600 slots and 59 tables and the state-of-the-art bingo, not open until January, and the place where the Elvis impersonator performs, will allow smoking.

Of course, casinos in the city will gripe about the playing field not being level. Advocates against public smoking will not be happy where a public place is not free of smoke. Such reactions have happened elsewhere.

But the Tsuu T'ina hold the trump card. The province could take them to court, pitting Alberta law against Tsuu T'ina law. Good luck. The province will need it.

The provincial government could make the outlawing of smoking a condition of a gaming licence, but they would almost certainly be taken to court for many rounds of high-priced and nasty messiness.

And Premier Ed's minions don't want to be giving any grief to the Tsuu T'ina right about now, especially when the premier really wants a deal on a new ring road section for the southwest.

Chief Sandford Bigplume says it's crazy to talk about what would happen if the province reacted with any more determination than a turtle retreating into its shell.

The chief's goal is to allow smoking and his people aren't backing down.

"Absolutely, absolutely. It's a jurisdiction issue. Our laws prevail and supercede the province's law and we've been very clear on that from day one," says Bigplume.

Martin Brickstock, the casino GM, admits his place now has a competitive edge.

"People want to smoke and they can smoke here. Generally speaking, there are more smokers than non-smokers," says Martin, of the numbers in the gambling crowd.

Martin says he has heard "a very positive response" to their rules and talks about a ventilation system giving "100 percent fresh air" where it's "absolutely free of smoke."

The nix-the-nicotine lobbyists will gag on that comment.

Still, you can see some demand. There isn't a whole lot of hoopla leading up to the opening, but hundreds wait in vehicles and line up, well before the doors open. A group of ladies sit down for a smoke and look pleased. All right, a higher percentage of the gamblers outside speak with scratchy voices than you would find at, say, a gathering of the Green party.

But the doors open, folks rush into the building, one old fellow already carrying an ashtray, all smiles and coughs.

Up in Edmonton, there is huffing, but no puffing, as an official for the province's top cop says when the Alberta butt ban is law in the new year, it will be up to the local police to enforce it and ... let's lookee here ... the cops on Tsuu T'ina land are the Tsuu T'ina. Right. Don't see the hoosegow filling up any time soon.

Somewhere can be heard the quiet snickering of good old boy Tory MLAs who had to shut up and suck it up after losing their fight against Health Minister Dave. Peter Manywounds sure has a good chuckle about critics.

"As long as they spell the address right, we don't care."