The Regional Municipality of York has served notices of prohibition to five vendors across the Region as a result of repeated non-compliance with the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, specifically selling tobacco to customers under 19 years of age.
As a result, the following locations are prohibited from the sale, storage and delivery of tobacco products for a period of six months, effective June 22, 2017:
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Becker’s, 9661 Jane Street, City of Vaughan
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Gateway Lotto, 2900 Steeles Avenue East, City of Markham
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Times Circle Plus, 550 Highway 7 East, Town of Richmond Hill
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Esso, 13755 Highway 27, Township of King
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Mount Albert Foodland, 19263 Highway 48, Town of East Gwillimbury
York Region Public Health tobacco control officers conduct youth inspections of vendors following community complaints and as part of a routine testing program to deter illegal tobacco sales to underage youth. These vendors were convicted and prohibition orders were obtained from the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care.
“Tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable disease and death in Ontario,” said Dr. Karim Kurji, York Region’s Medical Officer of Health. “It is important to prohibit access to tobacco for people under 19 years of age. Children and youth who do not start using tobacco are less likely to start smoking later in life.”
The Smoke-Free Ontario Act bans the public display of tobacco products prior to purchase and prohibits the sale or supply of tobacco products to persons under the age of 19. It also prohibits smoking in enclosed workplaces, enclosed public places and specifically designated outdoor places in Ontario.
Under the Act, tobacco vendors who have two or more convictions within a five-year period for selling tobacco to persons younger than 19 years of age are subject to an automatic prohibition. This prohibits the vendor from selling or storing tobacco products on the premises and bans tobacco wholesalers or distributors from delivering tobacco products to the vendor for the six month period. Signs showing the reason for the prohibition must be publicly posted in the store.
To report a tobacco vendor selling tobacco products to underage youth, contact York Region Public Health at 1-800-361-5653 or TTY 1-866-512-6228. All calls are confidential.
(The Regional Municipality of York) |