City of Hamilton Board of Health Receives Heather Crowe Smoke-Free Ontario Award

Hamilton, On – May 31, 2016 - City of Hamilton’s Board of Health is a proud recipient of the Heather Crowe Smoke-Free Ontario Award, which recognizes anti-smoking advocates who have made a significant contribution toward achieving a Smoke-Free Ontario. The award was presented to the City of Hamilton Board of Health at a ceremony at Queen’s Park marking the 10th anniversary of the Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy, which is also this year’s World No Tobacco Day.

“The City of Hamilton has been a proud leader in tobacco control for over twenty years. This is due in great part to the vision of our Public Health staff with the support and leadership of the City of Hamilton's Board of Health and City Council. The result is improved health and wellbeing for the people who live, work, visit and play in Hamilton,” says City of Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger

The Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy was launched in 2006 to reduce tobacco use and lower health risks to non-smokers in Ontario. During this period smoking rates in Ontario have dropped from 24.5 per cent in 2000 to 17.4 per cent in 2014. This represents about 408,250 fewer smokers. In Hamilton, smoking rates have dropped from 26.4 per cent in 2001 to 16.1 per cent in 2014. The City's Board of Health and Council have supported Public Health Services, and its many community partners, by installing the governance and fiscal frameworks necessary to achieve the goal of reducing the mortality and morbidity associated with tobacco use and thereby making an impact of the overall health of our community.

“Thanks to the leadership of the province, and progressive policies and enforcement practices we have put into place as a City, collectively we have made significant progress in reducing tobacco use – the single greatest preventable cause of death in the world today”... “tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke are linked to cancer, heart disease and several other diseases.”

Dr. Julie Emili, City of Hamilton Associate Medical Officer of Health

For more information on the City of Hamilton Tobacco Control Program visit www.hamilton.ca/tobacco or download PHS Tobacco Control Program backgrounder (PDF, 164 KB).

About the Heather Crowe Smoke-Free Ontario Award
Heather Crowe was a non-smoker who developed lung cancer after being exposed to second-hand smoke in her workplace. After her diagnosis, she travelled across Canada to advocate for improved second-hand smoke by-laws.