Smoke-Free Champion Awards

The deadline for Smoke Free Ontario is moving closer to the May 31st deadline and the death of Heather Crowe on Sunday serves as a reminder the McGuinty Government why the legislation is moving ahead.

Minister of Health Promotion, Jim Watson, former mayor of Ottawa, said today was a profoundly sad one as he was no stranger to Crowe, or her battle.

Crowe, a waitress in Ottawa had never smoked a day in her life, but developed cancer from breathing the second hand smoke from patrons’ cigarettes the restaurant.

Crowe single-handedly took on the challenge to change the law on public smoking and Watson, said her determination and selflessness made a difference.

“I’ve known Heather for a long time, I used to go to the restaurant that she worked at, and she’s going to be missed.”

“Because she was a great advocate for the anti-tobacco movement, not just in Ontario but throughout the country. She had a way about her, she wasn’t one of these smooth talking lobbyist or advocates, she was a single mom who was personally affected by lung cancer as a result of not being protected by second hand smoke and she is going to be missed but her legacy will live on.”

The Minister of Health Promotion was at the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit this morning to present Smoke-Free Ontario Champion Awards and a Heather Crowe Award to local supporters of smoke-free by-laws.

Watson says it was not easy bringing the Smoke-Free Ontario Act to fruition and municipalities deserve a lot of credit because they were at the forefront of bringing in 100% smoke-free municipal bylaws.

“But they quickly realised that at the end of the day that they were creating a patchwork approach, you had one municipality that had a strong bylaw and right across the street another municipality that had no bylaw. Our view is and the Premier’s view was, this is such an important health issue that there should be a province wide Smoke-Free Ontario Act, that’s why last June we passed the legislation,” says Watson.

“We’ve taken about a year to get the regulations right and to get the message out. On May 31st of this year we’re going to be celebrating that Onatarions, weather you work in the hospitality industry, or go into a restaurant or office are going to be able to breath easier.”