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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, O ct ob er 24 ,2 01 9 | 8 COMMERCIALANDRESIDENTIALWORK•MOST JOBS TAKEONLY 2DAYS! VISIT OUR SHOWROOM 247 Armstrong Avenue Unit 10 Georgetown Monday-Friday, 8:30 to 4:30. Evenings and weekends by appointment. Call for a free estimate: 905-873-0000 EachMiracle Method franchise independently owned and operated See our work atMiracleMethod.com/brampton We hope to save at least one set of ugly kitchen cabinets from a land ll ...with this ad CABINETS • COUNTERTOPS • TILES TUBS • EASY STEPS • AND MORE! SURFACE REFINISHING offers homeowners a beautiful, durable and affordable alternative to traditional removal and replacement remodeling. The best news is you can save up to 75% over new. We can give you a high-end look without the high- end cost. Miracle Method can make wornout and dated surfaces look and feel like new again! There is no need to throw out perfectly good kitchen cabinet doors, countertops, tubs and shower tiles. Miracle Method can restore these surfaces and change the colour too! Are you moving soon and don't want to spend a fortune to update your kitchen or bathroom before you list? According to HGTV, kitchen and bath remodels, can return 100+% of the investment when trying to sell a home. For many of our customers, Miracle Method's surface re nishing is the right choice in today's economy. Miracle Method is the largest surface re nishing company in North America for both residential and commercial work. "We are here to help and estimates are always free!" AFTER! BEFORE With cases of vaping-re- lated illness and death starting to emerge, Halton Region is urging the prov- ince to beef up regulations that govern vape products. During its Oct. 16 meet- ing, regional council passed a motion that calls on the minister of health to imme- diately remove exemptions in the Smoke-Free Ontario Act so that retailers of vape products will be prohibited from promoting their mer- chandise, subjecting them to the same restrictions as tobacco products. The motion goes on to re- quest that vape product re- tailers with one registered sales conviction be subject to Smoke-Free Ontario's automatic prohibition clause, meaning they would be banned from sell- ing or storing vaping prod- ucts on-site for a prescribed time period. Currently these retail- ers are subject to monetary fines only, while tobacco re- tailers with a history of non-compliance face auto- matic prohibition after two registered sales convic- tions. In a report to council, Halton Medical Officer of Health Dr. Hamidah Megh- ani detailed alarming sta- tistics about vaping and its impact on health. By the end of last month, the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention had 805 con- firmed or probable cases of severe pulmonary disease linked to vaping and 12 deaths. In Canada, one con- firmed case has been re- ported in Quebec, and one possible case is under in- vestigation in Middlesex- London. "All reported cases of vaping-related severe pul- monary disease have a his- tory of vaping cannabis, nicotine or both in the 90 days prior to illness," said Meghani, noting the major- ity of cases described were among youth and young adults. "The investigation to date has not identified any specific vapour prod- uct or substance that is linked to all cases." With vape products cur- rently exempt from promo- tion restrictions in the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, the products are widely marketed on the internet and at convenience stores, gas stations and grocery stores. "Evidence shows that youth who are exposed to vapour product advertising through various channels are significantly more like- ly to use the products," add- ed Meghani. While it's illegal to sell vape products to people un- der 19, Halton's medical of- ficer of health said vaping retailers "repeatedly con- travene" minimum age re- strictions. Halton's public health inspectors enforce the age restrictions for tobacco and vape products and regular- ly conduct unannounced youth access checks at local businesses. Meghani said they use a "progressive" enforcement approach that includes the use of education, warnings and graduated charging op- tions to reflect the frequen- cy and severity of the level of non-compliance. While she had recom- mended the province be asked to implement an au- tomatic prohibition clause for vaping product retailers with two registered sales convictions - putting them on par with tobacco retail- ers - Oakville Councillor Tom Adams said he'd rath- er see a "one strike and you're out" system. He put forth a motion amendment to that effect, which was supported by his council colleagues. Locally, municipalities are starting to examine what they can do to crack down on vaping issues. Oakville Coun. Jeff Knoll said a town bylaw, with reg- ulations around licensing for businesses that sell vap- ing products, is expected in the new year, while Bur- lington Coun. Lisa Kearns said the city's council will be looking into what can be done to prohibit advertis- ing of vaping products, par- ticularly around schools. A letter from regional chair Gary Carr detailing Halton's requests on the matter will now be sent to the minister of health and also circulated to all Halton MPPs. COUNCIL HALTON CALLS FOR CRACK DOWN ON VAPING RETAILERS MELANIE HENNESSEY mhennessey@ metroland.com While it's illegal to sell vape products to people under 19, Halton's medical officer of health said vaping retailers "repeatedly contravene" minimum age restrictions. Torstar file photo