Heart and Stroke Foundation Applauds the Passage of Bill 45

Hearts across Ontario cheer

TORONTO, May 26, 2015  /CNW/ - The Heart and Stroke Foundation is thrilled that the Making Healthier Choices Act, 2015 passed today with support from all parties. Years of tireless advocacy efforts have paid off and today we can celebrate the results: MPPs have voted unanimously to improve the heart health of Ontarians. This legislation will help protect youth from the deadly effects of tobacco, and make it easier for Ontarians to make healthy choices.

"The Heart and Stroke Foundation commends the Ontario government's commitment to reducing obesity and smoking rates in the province," says Mark Holland, Executive Director, Ontario Mission, Heart and Stroke Foundation. "This legislation will help protect our youth from the deadly effects of tobacco and will empower Ontarians to make informed and healthy food choices for themselves and their families. Together, we are making progress to help Ontarians live healthy lives free of heart disease and stroke."

Every seven minutes a Canadian dies from heart disease and stroke, and 1.6 million Canadians are living with the effects of heart disease and stroke. Yet, up to 80 per cent of premature heart disease and stroke is preventable. Healthy public policies, like the measures in Bill 45, play a significant role in improving the health of all Ontarians.

As part of the government's commitment to achieve the lowest smoking rate in Canada, the new legislation will:

• Increase the maximum fines for those who sell tobacco to youth, making Ontario's maximum fines the highest in Canada.
• Ban the sale and supply of e-cigarettes to anyone under the age of 19.
• Ban the sale of flavoured tobacco products, with a temporary exemption for menthol flavoured products.

The new legislation will also make it illegal to:

• Use e-cigarettes in certain places where the smoking of tobacco is prohibited.
• Sell e-cigarettes in certain places where the sale of tobacco is prohibited.
• Display e-cigarettes in places where e-cigarettes are sold, or offered for sale.
• Promote e-cigarettes in places where e-cigarettes or tobacco products are sold, or offered for sale.

To make it easier for families to make informed and healthy food choices, the new legislation will:

• Require restaurants, convenience stores, grocery stores and other food service premises with 20 or more locations in Ontario who sell ready to eat and prepared food to post calories for standard food and beverage items, including alcohol, on menus and menu boards.
• Require regulated food service operators to post contextual information that would help to educate patrons about their daily caloric requirements.
• Authorize the Minister to appoint inspectors to enforce menu labelling requirements.

"The Heart and Stroke Foundation has worked tirelessly over the past 50 years to reduce smoking rates and has seen great success," Holland adds. "We strongly support these measures, in particular the decision to protect youth from flavoured tobacco, including menthol, and the potential harm of electronic cigarettes."

Approximately 12 per cent of high school students smoke, and 18 per cent have smoked in the past 30 days. Of those who used any tobacco product, 50 per cent of those reported using flavoured tobacco products. Disturbing trends among young Ontario menthol smokers show that one in four Ontario high school students have smoked menthol cigarettes in the last 30 days (Canada's 2012/2013 Youth Smoking Survey).

There is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke. Although smoking rates are at an all-time low of 18 per cent, more than 13,000 Ontarians still die each year from tobacco-related illness, including heart disease and stroke. In Ontario, tobacco-related disease results in approximately $1.6 billion in healthcare costs annually, $4.4 billion in productivity losses, at least 500,000 hospital days and 13,000 deaths each year.

A long-time advocate for tobacco control legislation, the Heart and Stroke Foundation has worked with its partners in the Ontario Campaign for Action on Tobacco (OCAT) to lead public education campaigns, and to strengthen legislation and regulations pertaining to second-hand smoke, tobacco-related pricing, labelling, advertising and sponsorship. We continue to advocate for healthy public policies and additional measures to help Ontarians make informed and healthy decisions when eating out, reducing sugar intake and restricting commercial marketing of all foods and beverages to children.

About the Heart and Stroke Foundation
The Heart and Stroke Foundation's mission is to prevent disease, save lives and promote recovery. A volunteer-based health charity, we strive to tangibly improve the health of every Canadian family, every day. 'Healthy lives free of heart disease and stroke. Together we will make it happen'.Heartandstroke.ca

SOURCE Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario

Alexandra Maheux, 416-729-5913