()ther findings of the L.’ fo " I I lu’nos â€use Momtormg the (Intarto W" ‘l-WSAAB www.saabcanadaxom rnhm (n Strategy report _ ’ mrludr no change m vouth . smnkmg unto 1995, a slow Whitman! derlinc In the proportion of mem adults who smoke dam: 663 chlona St N cuhsmnnal (infivrenrrc In Md-5811 scrvokmrr mum In rPgmn and " " m D" mo, Urb9 I 'ior/,1SqrN0ar09 l-"NVW'M’ k,r36rr,r,m6st-terrvq0aXyerra0" warm-mm. Tie-tmee-r-rr-oe-tsr' manna» Wk "gqrernefwlre 955.7qupr mm 'r,coHrHetortmrBP>9.8rs, 're.-----,---'.----."-"--:'.).-) Innquvorh-npmx _ a. . my†"p-ts-r-r-e-er-r"-'-,""""'."'"'""'?"?"'" 'hrmmmmmh heap cigarettes and ( weak workplace iegis- lation are hampering efforts to reduce smoking in Ontario, according to researchers at the University of Toronto and the University of Waterloo. During the past year, the provincial government has initiated a major renewal of the Ontario Tobacco Strategy. say the authors of the report, but the province's tobacco tax rate is still the lowest in the country. A can ton of cigarettes costs only $3i.68 in Ontario, compared to $41 to $50 in Canada's western provinces and almost $60 (Cdn) in New York state. "We need to attack smok- ing on several fronts simul- taneously in order to have a more dramatic reduction in the number of smokers," says Robert Ferrence, direc- tor of the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit in UT's Faculty of Medicine and senior scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. "While we applaud recent initiatives by the province, the overall effec, tiveness of our efforts will continue to be compro- mised unless we make ciga- rettes more expensive and give people fewer places to smoke." Exposure 10 second- hand smoke remains a major concern for blue cul- lar, service and clerical workers who face fewer restrictions on smoking at work than those in profess- sional or managerial accu- pations. "Provincewide legislation regarding smoking bans In all enclosed iirt'ii'x p, the only effective mlulmn In thisdrs, parity," ~41“ um- oi the study's orauthors, f'rof, Paul Mr[yonald [ll the research unit in the Unirttuly of Watcrlrur "In addition m protecting work, f'rs frum wrundlmnd \mukc grl'nlt'r restrictions would also t'm'uuragv smirk vrs who “um In quit m (u! down, [Iron-m rclapse arming qulttt'rs and proud? " health promoting (‘nvi mnmcnl for vouth uh!) are. entering the work force for the first time -v New! year, 1hr Omar") government will spend Sl.71 per raplla on mbacrn control its highest amount ever and more than double the S078 spt'nt in 1998/99 However, this spendmg falls well short of the Sfrper raplra mutilate recommended [w the nun|<~ ter's expert panel and the ll S t 9mm for Diwaw Control Higher-priced smokes, tougher legislation needed to curb smoking, say researchers "Raising the price ofciga- rettes by about $5 per carton v to bring it to the national average - would add $270 million to provincial rev- enues, more than 14 times the amount now spent on tobacco con.rol," notes Dr. Tom Stephens. an Ottawa, based epidemiologist, prin- ciple investigator with the unit, and coordinator of the study, increasingly favourable pub- lic attitudes toward tobacco control. Smoking kills almost 12,000 people in Ontario each year and is estimated to cost the provincial govern- ment more than $1 billion in health care costs. The Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, a province- wide network funded by the Other report authors are Dr. Mary lane Ashley and Dr. Joanna Cohen of UT's department of public health sciences and Dr. Steve Brown of the University of Waterloo. The results of this study were presented at a joint corg.ference of the Ministry of Health and long Term Care, is part of UT's Centre for Health Promotion and includes sites at the University of Waterloo and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. This report is the sixth in annual series monitoring progress toward the objec- tives of the Ontario Tobacco Strategy, established by the provincial government in 1993 to provide a compre- hensive program to reduce tobacco use in the province. Ontario and Canadian Public Health Associations which took place in Ottawa, Oct. 22 to Oct. 25, Regional Councillor - City of Waterloo votesean@seanstrick|and.com l On November 13 vote for the person you know, vote for the person you trust ... Re-elect Sean STRICKLAND 725-4640 Sm Saab Isuzu of Kuwm 663 chrona St N 744 5811 YOUR FINANCIAL RESOURCE . Helping you achieve your lifetime financial goals ik55,9)g-,,s -Laiiiiiz" 5.3% ELIZABETH Elizabeth Lorenz BA. CFP Mi3 Union St. E., Waterloo - 5784722, Ext. " Cert med Financial Flannel