News Release
2009-43
March 17, 2009
For immediate release
CHARLOTTETOWN - The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, today announced support for three tobacco-related projects designed to help further educate residents and retailers on Prince Edward Island about the negative consequences associated with using tobacco.
Today's announcement marks the launch of the pan-Atlantic Toolkit for Responsible Tobacco Retailers. This on-line toolkit is a collaborative project between Health Canada and the four Atlantic provinces that contains information for retailers on their responsibilities as tobacco sellers, including how to protect youth and respect the terms of their vendor licenses. This project also includes a retailer's distribution list that will enable the provinces and/or Health Canada to issue advisory bulletins directly to retailers.
The second project being supported is phase two of the Young Adults and Tobacco Use in Prince Edward Island initiative. The PEI division of the Canadian Cancer Society will use the funding to engage young adults in tobacco control activities, including prevention and cessation. Select youth will learn the leadership skills necessary to encourage their non-smoking peers to remain tobacco free and support current tobacco users who wish to quit.
Thirdly, the PEI Smoker's Helpline is a free, bilingual, telephone-based smoking cessation service that provides support for smokers and the people who care about them. Funding from today's announcement will be used to promote and market the services of the helpline while creating partnerships with intermediaries who can also promote the Helpline throughout their existing networks. The project will try to reach lower socio-economic groups while continuing to target pregnant women, new mothers, as well as the general population.
Health Canada is committed to reducing tobacco use among Canadians. Under the Federal Tobacco Control Strategy, the department is taking a multi-faceted approach to ensure that fewer people begin smoking and that those smokers who want to quit and stay tobacco-free get the help they need. The three projects announced today will receive a combined total of $499,506 in financial support.
Please visit Health Canada's website for more information on Health Canada's tobacco control efforts.
Please visit Health Canada's website for more information on the Toolkit for Responsible Retailers.
Charlottetown, PEI, March 17, 2009 - Minister Leona Aglukkaq, Federal minister of Health, poses with Elizabeth Newson, President of the Cancer Society of PEI, and Doug Currie, PEI Health Minister, following her announcement of support for three tobacco-related projects designed to help further educate residents and retailers on Prince Edward Island about the negative consequences associated with using tobacco.
Media Enquiries:
Health Canada
(613) 957-2983
Josée Bellemare
Office of the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq
Federal Minister of Health
(613) 957-0200
Public Enquiries:
(613) 957-2991
1-866 225-0709
