As part of World No Tobacco Day, Ontario is creating new tobacco control programs to target the 650,000 young people most at risk of starting smoking.

Tobacco kills more than 13,000 people in Ontario every year, is the number one cause of preventable disease and death in the province, and costs the Ontario economy $1.6 billion in direct health care costs and $4.4 billion in productivity losses. 

To help prevent youth from starting smoking, and encourage youth who do smoke to quit, the province is investing more than $4.7 Million in a number of new initiatives, including:

• Youth Engagement Coordinators in each of the province’s 36 public health units to oversee youth tobacco control activities in their communities, and provide youth the skills they need to succeed.
• Grassroots programs to reach more youth through each of Ontario’s seven Tobacco Control Area Networks that coordinate enforcement, programs and communications activities in support of the Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy.
• Grants for young people to plan and implement creative tobacco control initiatives for their peers, such as sporting events and activities that promote a smoke-free lifestyle.

These programs are based on evidence that grassroots engagement of youth, by youth, is the most effective way to reduce smoking and encourage quitting at an early age. 

The province is also continuing support for existing smoking prevention and cessation programs, such as Leave the Pack Behind, Smoke FX, and the Youth Advocacy Training Institute.