The government of Ontario is taking action to protect children and youth from the harmful effects of smoking. Beginning January 1st, it will be illegal to smoke on bar and restaurant patios, playgrounds and public sports fields. Noreen Chan, MAHC Manager of Diagnostic Imaging and Cardiorespiratory says she supports the new Smoke-Free Ontario act.
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The Smoke-Free Ontario Act will also limit universities and colleges from selling tobacco to students on campus.
QUICK FACTS
- Preventing youth from starting to use tobacco and protecting them from the harmful effects of smoke supports Ontario’s goal to have the lowest smoking rate in the country.
- Each year, tobacco claims 13,000 lives in Ontario — equivalent to 36 lives every day.
- Tobacco-related disease costs Ontario’s health care system an estimated $2.2 billion in direct health care costs and an additional $5.3 billion in indirect costs such as lost productivity.
- Ontario’s smoking rate fell from 24.5 per cent in 2000 to 18.1 per cent in 2013, representing 332,361 fewer smokers.