Government moving forward to provide healthier environments for children

Gerald Smith, Acting Minister of Health and Community Services, today said government is moving forward on its commitment to provide smoke-free environments for children and youth.

Minister Smith released today the regulations which will restrict smoking in public places, more particularly, those which are frequented by children and youth. The regulations will come into effect January 1, 2002.

"The intent of these regulations is to reduce the potential sources of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke by children and youth," said Minister Smith. "Children and youth are the most vulnerable people with respect to adverse effects from exposure to environmental tobacco. As well, children and youth who are exposed to second-hand smoke are more likely to smoke than their peers."

Under the regulations, food establishments which do not have a liquor license shall not permit smoking. Only food establishments which have a club, lounge, or special events liquor licence are permitted to allow smoking in designated smoking areas but only during the hours that youth under the age of 19 are not allowed on the premises.

"The ban on smoking in restaurants and other public places will significantly reduce the risk of children and youth being exposed to second-hand smoke," said Minister Smith. "With these regulations, we are ensuring that our young people are able to grow and develop in healthy environments."

The ban on smoking will also be in such public places as: boys and girls clubs, games arcades, shopping malls, common areas of hotels, motels, and convention centres, air, bus and marine vessel passenger terminals, and public libraries. Since 1995, there has been a complete ban in public places such as day cares, schools, retails stores, and transit buses.

"While these new regulations do not come into effect until January 1, 2002, many food establishments across this province have already moved forward to ban smoking," said Minister Smith. "I congratulate them for their initiative and I look forward to more public places becoming safer and healthier for our children and youth."

Media contact: Carmel Turpin, Communications, (709) 729-1377

Fact Sheet
Amendments to the Smoke-free Environment Act

• The amendments to the Smoke-free Environment Act to further restrict smoking in public places and to strengthen enforcement efforts are scheduled to come into effect January 1, 2002.
  
  
• The Act currently prohibits smoking in a variety of indoor public areas, including acute health care facilities, child care centres, schools, recreational facilities, retail stores and vehicles used to carry paying passengers. It allows; however, for designated smoking areas in restaurants and certain other public spaces.
  
  
• The amendments to the Smoke-free Environment Act will result in a complete ban on smoking in restaurants and other public places frequented by children (hotel lobbies, malls, etc.) and provide inspectors with the authority to issue provincial offence tickets for violations.
  
  
• This ban does not extend to bars or gaming rooms (i.e. bingo halls), where children would not normally be permitted access.
  
  
• The ban will significantly reduce the public�s risk of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (second-hand smoke), particularly for children, who are most vulnerable from the perspective of early growth and development.
  
  
• In Newfoundland and Labrador, an estimated 8,000 cases of childhood illness occur every year as a result of exposure to second-hand smoke.
  
  
• Second-hand smoke has been shown to be linked to a variety of health problems, including lung cancer, heart disease and other cardiovascular illnesses.
  
  
• For every eight smokers tobacco kills, one non-smoker is killed by second-hand smoke. This translates into more than 80 deaths in this province each year.
  
  
• In recent years, there has been a greater understanding of the negative effects of cigarette smoke on both the smoker and those around them. As such, many restaurants and public places have chosen to be "smoke-free", including the three largest shopping centres in St. John�s - the Avalon Mall, Village Shopping Centre and Sobey�s Square Shopping Centre - which adopted smoke-free policies as of May 1, 2000.
  
  
• Studies have shown that smoke-free environment laws have actually improved business, particularly those related to tourism traffic, or have had little effect on business revenues.
  
  
• Enabling government inspectors to issue provincial offence tickets for violations to the Smoke-free Environment Act is expected to reduce the burden on the Provincial Court system, which has been handling violations to date.

Backgrounder - updates

General

Currently in our province, there are several pieces of legislation in effect dealing with tobacco. The Tobacco Control Act deals with the issue of restricting sales of tobacco products to persons 19 years of age or older. Retailers or other persons who sell or provide tobacco products to minors are guilty of an offense. The Smoke-free Environment Act restricts the use of tobacco in a variety of public and workplace settings. Smoking is only permitted in appropriately ventilated designated smoking areas or rooms. In a variety of public places the use of tobacco is totally prohibited. In a recent session of our legislature, the Tobacco Health Care Costs Recovery Act was passed and when proclaimed it will allow the provincial government to launch legal proceedings pertaining to recovery of health care costs associated with tobacco sales and consumption. The other piece of legislation that exists is the Tobacco Tax Act which provides authority for the issuance and collection of taxes placed on tobacco products.

Recent Legislative Changes

• On December 14, 2000, an amendment to the Smoke-free Environment Act was passed and received Royal Assent in the House of Assembly. This amendment provided for a total ban on the use of tobacco products in food establishments and public places frequented by children and youth. The amended Act provides for the development of regulations to further define food establishments and public places frequented by children and youth. This change is due to take effect on January 1, 2002.
  
  
• On December 14, 2000, an amendment to the Tobacco Control Act was passed and received Royal Assent in the House of Assembly. Upon proclamation, the sale of tobacco products by pharmacies will be banned. Consultations with the Newfoundland Pharmaceutical Association and the Alliance for the Control of Tobacco are ongoing to arrive at an appropriate date to implement the ban.
  
  
• On May 24, 2001, the legislature passed Bill 9, the Tobacco Health Care Costs Recovery Act, which will allow the provincial government to launch legal proceedings pertaining to recovery of health care costs associated with tobacco sales and consumption. This Act, as yet to be proclaimed into force, was put forward by the Department of Justice in consultation with the Department of Health and Community Services.
  
  
• Today, on July 31, 2001, an amendment to the Smoke-free Environment Regulations is being published in the Newfoundland Gazette. This amendment explicitly defines those food establishments and public places frequented by children and youth, where a total ban on the use of tobacco products will take effect on January 1, 2002. Food establishments affected by the ban are identified depending on whether or not they possess a liquor license and the category of licence that they operate under, pursuant to the Liquor Licensing Regulations.

2001 07 31                  12:00 p.m.