North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit News Release ************************ May 31 is World No Tobacco Day, observed annually since 1988 by the World Health Organization to draw global attention to the preventable death and disease that tobacco
North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit News Release
************************
May 31 is World No Tobacco Day, observed annually since 1988 by the World Health Organization to draw global attention to the preventable death and disease that tobacco use causes. In the last 10 years, significant progress has been made in Ontario and in the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit area to reduce the impact of tobacco use.
• In 2000, Health Canada instituted pictorial health warnings on cigarette packs with graphic photos and text. Research shows that nearly half of smokers said the warnings increased their motivation to quit and more than a quarter said they smoked less inside their homes as a result of the warnings (Canadian Cancer Society).
• In 2003-2004, the municipalities of West Nipissing, North Bay, Callander and East Ferris adopted by-laws prohibiting smoking in workplaces and public places.
• On May 31, 2006, the Smoke-Free Ontario Act took effect, requiring all workplaces, public places and work vehicles to be smoke-free. In addition, all schools and school property are required to be smoke-free 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• On May 31, 2008, Ontario’s tobacco display ban took effect and removed all tobacco displays from retail stores.
• In January 2009, the Smoking in Motor Vehicles amendment to the SFOA became law making it illegal for people to smoke or hold lighted tobacco in a motor vehicle when children under 16 are present.
• Research from Statscan indicates a significant decrease (2003 to 2007) in the North Bay Parry Sound area in reported exposure to secondhand smoke in public places and at home.
“The Health Unit celebrates these gains of the past decade, and recognizes that the job of reducing the toll of tobacco use is far from over,” says Tom Zink, Manager of the Tobacco Control Unit. “In our district, the average income and education levels are lower than in the rest of Ontario, and both of these factors are correlated with higher rates of smoking which we continue to see locally.”
The Health Unit continues to protect the health of all people who live in the North Bay Parry Sound areas by:
• protecting the public from involuntary exposure to second hand smoke by enforcing the Smoke Free Ontario Act,
• helping adults who wish to quit smoking with one on one support in the Quit Smoking Clinic,
• engaging youth in tobacco use prevention strategies through peer leadership activities,
• and educating people about the health impacts of tobacco use through awareness campaigns and activities.
For more information visit www.healthunit.biz or phone the Health Unit at (705) 474-1400 or 1-800-563-2808.
