Report Calls For Smoking Ban In Rental Apartments, Parks
Posted October 19, 2010 3:33 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Great strides have been made to reduce people’s exposure to second-hand smoke, but more needs to be done, according to an anti-tobacco group. It’s calling for a ban on smoking in multi-unit rental buildings, in parks and on children’s playgrounds.
In a recent report outlining recommendations for the province’s anti-smoking initiatives for 2011-2016, the Tobacco Strategy Advisory Group (TSAG) says it’s time for the government to enhance and change its approach to combating smoking.
“It’s time that we no longer treat the tobacco industry as a ‘normal,’ legitimate business. The tobacco industry should not be considered either normal or legitimate,” the 43-page report states.
The group recommends “de-normalizing” tobacco by using truthful advertising about how cigarette companies target young people and that highlights the fact the habit isn’t a choice, but an addiction.
Smoking related illness kills about 13,000 Ontarians each year, according to TSAG.
The report also calls for measures giving landlords more power to ensure rentals in multi-unit dwellings are smoke-free, a ban on all restaurant patios, in all parks and playgrounds and within nine metres of public building doorways.
It also recommends requiring businesses be licensed to sell tobacco products.
“We must do everything possible to reduce the very presence of tobacco in the consumer environment so that it is easier for non-smokers and smokers to make healthy choices,” TSAG member Dr. Roberta Ferrence said.
