Ontario Seeks Provincial Ban on Smoking in Public Places and Workplaces

The Ontario Medical Association (OMA) is urging the provincial government to pass legislation that would ban second-hand smoke in all public places and workplaces Ontario, Canada. At a press conference held earlier today at the OMA office in Toronto, OMA President Dr. Elliot Halparin released a position paper entitled, "The Duty to Protect: Eliminating Second-Hand Smoke from Public Places and Workplaces in Ontario." The position paper cites new scientific evidence that clearly demonstrates the direct causes and linkages between exposure to second-hand smoke and serious health effects among non-smokers.

The OMA has issued a four-point action plan that entails legislative measures to assist the province to address the second-hand smoke issue, along with a comprehensive media and public awareness campaign, and implementation and enforcement plans. Despite repeated calls for action by many municipalities and the health community, the provincial government has continued to allow the regulation of exposure to second-hand smoke in public places and workplaces to be a municipal responsibility. However, it is the position of the OMA that given the overwhelming new evidence, all three political parties should agree to legislate immediately a province-wide ban on smoking in all public places and workplaces.

"The dangers of second-hand smoke have been carefully documented over the past decade. In fact, the OMA produced a paper in 1996 that clearly outlined the health hazards of second-hand smoke and called for provincial action to tackle this problem," said Dr. Halparin.

"Since our 1996 report, new and damning information has corroborated and expanded the original research. We now have a better understanding of how even minimal exposure to second-hand smoke can cause damage. We also now understand how significant the benefits can be when second-hand smoke is eliminated."

"More than six years after our initial report, Ontario has become a 'patchwork' of regulations and various levels of protection. We don't allow different seat-belt laws in London and Thunder Bay, and we shouldn't allow different levels of exposure to second-hand smoke," said Dr. Halparin. "We know that the people of Ontario cannot wait for these communities to come on board. All Ontarians deserve equal protection from these deadly toxins," he said.

Furthermore, OMA polling results confirm that 73 per cent of Ontarians believe that the province should pass a law banning smoking in workplaces and public places. The OMA Position Paper is featured on the WebLink Home Page (www.oma.org), and will be reproduced in the February issue of the Ontario Medical Review.

Dr Reg Perkin
Ontario, Canada