Past issues campaigns

Purpose

In 2006, The Heart and Stroke Foundation and the BC Lung Association, in partnership with the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority and the Northern Health Authority launched a campaign  “Take It Outside” to encourage parents and caregivers to make their homes and cars smoke-free.

The purpose of the project was to raise awareness about the serious health risks associated with exposing infants and children to second-hand smoke, especially in confined spaces such as homes and cars. 

While most workplaces and indoor public places are smoke-free, these laws fail to protect children in the two settings where they most commonly face exposure—homes and cars. Multiple studies show that kids, cars and cigarettes are a particularly dangerous combination, leading many scientists and policymakers to conclude that banning of smoking in cars is needed to protect children from harm.

Second-hand smoke is more harmful to children than adults because their lungs are still developing and are more easily damaged.  And infants inhale more of the smoke than adults because they breathe faster.

Further, smoking in a small space like a car is 23 times more toxic than in a house. Studies have shown that spending one hour in a smoker’s car is like smoking three cigarettes and opening a window may not protect children because it can change the airflow in the car causing the smoke to be blown directly back at them.

Outcome

In 2008, the BC government amended the British Columbia Motor Vehicle Act, (Smoking in motor vehicle prohibited, Section 231.1) - to protect children under the age of 16 from second-hand smoke in all motor vehicles.

Related Info

Purpose

CAC advocates for the ban of smoking images in youth accessible movies. Smoking images in movies have a strong effect on impressionable youth, who quite often see heroes and other role models who they would like to emulate. Very rarely are these smoking images negative as they don’t depict the health risks associated with it. Many of these images are present in blockbuster movies, which have wide movie theatre distribution. They receive even wider access through DVD release and on-line streaming.

Most movies watched by BC youth are typical Hollywood fare. Without a worldwide movement, it is impractical for us in BC to demand that Hollywood movie makers eliminate positive images of smoking in movies. The most effective means to mitigate the effects of these images, is to restrict youth access to these movies through Consumer Protection BC – the organization that classifies films prior to their release in BC. Movies with tobacco imagery would be classified 18A* (adult), with the exception of movies that depict historical figures and unambiguous depictions of the dire health consequences of tobacco use.

We can, however, have some effect on what happens in movies produced in BC. In an effort to demonstrate to BC filmmakers that smoking images in movies has a negative effect on the public health of British Columbians, we also recommend that youth related movies that include smoking images be ineligible for provincial film subsidies, with the exception of movies that depict historical figures and unambiguous depictions of the dire health consequences of tobacco use.

* Anyone under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult.

Related Info

Read this excellent report on tobacco industry marketing strategies to target youth and how people are fighting back!

Visit site at UCSF on advocating for eliminating tobacco use in movies.

Read editorial report in British Medical Journal on who's responsible for protecting youth from smoking imagery in films.

Purpose

The CAC launched an extensive, province-wide campaign to overturn the government's decision to allow Designated Smoking Rooms (DSRs) in restaurants and bars. Prior to the government’s 2008 decision that smoking would be banned in all public places with no allowances for DSRs, separately ventilated DSRs were promoted as an alternative to banning all indoor smoking in the hospitality industry. 

The BC provincial government at the time imposed changes to the Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) Regulations, over the objections of the WCB, that permitted smoking in DSRs, and allowed workers in the hospitality industry only, to work in these smoking rooms for a period of time not to exceed 20% of their work shift.

This was allowed despite the overwhelming evidence showing that even under the best-ventilated conditions, DSRs do not adequately protect the health of workers. Further, the science confirmed that there is no safe level of exposure to the toxins found in cigarette smoke.

Quick Facts on Problems with DSRs:

• DSRs do not adequately protect workers and the public. There is no ventilation system capable of removing all the toxins in the air to meet air quality standards.
• DSRs create an uneven playing field. Some owners can afford to build them, while others cannot.
• DSRs often fail to comply with municipal bylaw or provincial regulation operational requirements. The York Region in Ontario completed a major review of DSR airflow in 2003/2004 and 75% of DSRs inspected failed to maintain the basic requirements.
• DSRs are difficult to monitor and enforce. The WCB admits the Liberal government’s amended regulation allowing hospitality workers to be exposed to second-hand smoke for a maximum of 20% of their shift is difficult to monitor and enforce.
• Hospitality workers, many of whom are young and in entry-level jobs, may feel intimidated to refuse to work in DSRs, and thus compromise their health for fear of losing their job or having their hours reduced.
• DSRs create the “slippery slope” effect. While the WCB Regulation was intended to complement municipal bylaws and not replace them, in reality, many municipalities with stronger bylaws were pressured to weaken their legislation to come in line with WCB Regulations.
• Many municipalities, at the time when DSRs were allowed, weakened their bylaws to comply with the WCB Regulation by allowing DSRs and/or increasing the size of the allowable floor space for DSRs.

Outcome

The government implemented legislation in 2008 that banned smoking in all indoor public places and workplaces, with no provisions for DSRs in the hospitality sector.

Related Info

Check out report by ventilation expert on major problems with ventilation as an alternative to 100% smoke-free workplaces.