Region gets provincial cash to fight smoking

Halton Region is receiving a funding boost from the Province to enhance its tobacco control activities. The Ministry of Health and LongTerm Care has allocated more than $85,000 to the Health Department, with the largest portion of the money to be used for tobacco enforcement and educational activities. This will include: · Implementing the posting of convictions of tobacco retailers on the health department's Web site · Hosting a seminar for tobacco retailers to raise awareness about the impact of changes in provincial legislation and local activities · Continuing to carry out enforcement and compliance checks based on a frequency of one per quarter (year) for each tobacco retailer · Implementing a quarterly newsletter for tobacco retailers outlining changes to provincial legislation and local activities. The money will also go toward hiring temporary staff to help carry out the tobacco control initiatives.