16. nadian Champion Thursday; November 7, 2019 > S c x ib v - o S = = 2 bX HALTON CALLS FOR CRACK DOWN ON VAPING RETAILERS MELANIE HENNESSEY mhennessey@metroland.com . 'With cases of vaping-related illness and death starting: to emerge, Halton Region is urging the province to beef up regula- tions that govern vape products. During its Oct. 16 meeting, re- gional council passed a motion that calls on the minister of s health to immediately remove ex- emptions in the Smoke-Free On- tario Act so that retailers of vape products will be prohibited from promoting their merchandise, subjecting them to the same re- strictions as tobacco products. The motion goes on to request that vape product retailers with " one registered sales conviction insidehalton.com be subject to Smoke-Free Onta- rio's automatic prohibition clause, meaning they would be banned from selling or storing vaping products on-site for a pre- scribed time period. Currently these retailers are subject to monetary fines only, while tobacco retailers with a his- tory of non-compliance face auto- matic prohibition after two regis- tered sales convictions. In a report to council, Halton Medical Officer of Health Dr. Ha- midah Meghani detailed alarm- ing statistics about vaping and its impact on health. By the end of last month, the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention had 805 confirmed or probable cases of severe pulmonary disease linked to vaping and 12 deaths. In Canada, one confirmed case has been reported in Quebec, and one possible case is under investi- gation in Middlesex-London. "All reported cases of vaping- related severe pulmenary dis- ease have a history of vaping can- nabis, nicotine or both in the 90, days prior to illness," said Megha- ni, noting the majority of cases described were among youth and young adults. "The investigation to date has not identified any spe- cific vapour product or substance that is linked to all cases." With vape products currently exempt from promotion restric- tions in the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, the products are widely mar- keted on the internet and at con- venience stores, gas stations and grocery stores. "Evidence shows that youth who are exposed to vapour prod- uct advertising through various channels are significantly more likely to use the products," added Meghani. While it's illegal to sell vape products to people under 19, Hal- ton's medical officer of health said vaping retailers "repeatedly contravene" minimum age re- strictions. Halton's public health inspec- tors enforce the age restrictions for tobacco and vape products and regularly conduct unan- nounced youth access checks at local businesses. Meghani said they use a "pro- gressive" enforcement approach that includes the use of educa- tion, warnings and graduated charging options to reflect the frequency and severity of the lev- el of non-compliance. While she had recommended the province be asked to imple- ment an automatic prohibition clause for vaping product retail- ers with two registered sales con- Financial solutions are around the corner. Financial Advisor Suite 217 Milton, ON L9T 7X1 905-864-9969 www.edwardjones.com Brett J) Strano, CFP®, FMA, CIWM 330 Bronte Street South Edward Jones MAKING SENSE OF INVESTING Carlee MacQueen Financial Advisor 310 Main Street East 2 Suite 103 Milton, ON LOT 1P4 905-864-6959 So RR A EY --- es ch ren OR pein SE EE Torstaf f i 005 While it's illegal to sell vape products to people under 19, Halton's medical officer of health said vaping retailers "repeatedly contravene" minimum age restrictions. victions - putting them on par with tobacco retailers - Oakville Councillor Tom Adams said he'd rather see a "one strike and you're out" system. He put forth a motion amend- ment to that effect, which was supported by his council col- leagues. Locally, municipalities are starting to examine what they can do to crack down on vaping issues. Oakville Coun. Jeff Knoll said a town bylaw, with regula- tions around licensing for busi- nesses that sell vaping products, is expected in the new year, while pan nr TY "Evidence shows that youth who are exposed to vapour product advertising through various the products." Burlington Coun. Lisa Kearns said the city's council will be looking into what can be done to prohibit advertising of vaping products, particularly around schools. channels are significantly more likely to use -- Dr. Hamidah Meghani A letter from regional chair Gary Carr detailing Halton's re- quests on the matter will now be sent to the minister of health and also circulated to all Halton MPPs.