in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, Ja nu ar y 9, 20 20 | 6 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised family of newspapers is comprised f of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the news- paper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca editor@oakvillebeaver.com facebook.com/OakvilleBeavfacebook.com/OakvilleBeavf @OakvilleBeaver WHO WE ARE VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague Regional Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara Managing Editor Karen Miceli Director of Distribution Charlene Hall Circulation Manager Kim Mossman Director of Production Mark Dills Regional Production Manager Manny Garcia Regional General Manager Steve Foreman Halton Media General Manager Vicki Dillane CONTACT US Oakville Beaver 901 Guelph Line Burlington, ON L7R 3N8 Phone: 289-293-0617 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Digital/Flyer/Retail: 289-293-0624 Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 320 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Published letters will appear in print and/or online at insidehalton.com Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail kmossman@metroland.com or call 905-631-6095. OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT INSIDEHALTON.COM Health Canada's new measures to curb youth vap- ing are akin to fighting a house fire with a garden hose. After months and months of studies and consulta- tions, and years of health organizations sounding the alarm on the dangers of vaping, the agency an- nounced it is planning to ban e-cigarette promotions from convenience stores, public transit and all socialfrom convenience stores, public transit and all socialf media platforms. That's all to the good. But, unbelievably, it isn't yet ready to follow the recommendations of numerous health experts and restrict the sale of flavoured e-cigarettes or set limits on nicotine levels. This tepid response comes as the government also announced that the number of students in grades 7 to 12 who have used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days dou- bled in the last year. But according to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the government's go-slow approach is "to leave room for proper science. We're a government that works onfor proper science. We're a government that works onf evidence-based decisions." Really? How about this for evidence: a recent survey con- ducted by Smoke-Free Nova Scotia found 96 per cent of 16- to 18-year-olds who vaped said they preferred flavoured products. flavoured products. f Further, many said they would likely stop vaping if flavours were eliminated. The tobacco giants who sell vaping products have been able to keep government regulations at bay by insisting they need to be able to provide a range of flavours to encourage existing adult smokers toflavours to encourage existing adult smokers tof change over to a safer product. But it's getting tough- er to buy that argument. First, e-cigarettes are now being blamed for caus- ing pulmonary illnesses in a handful of cases in Can- ada and more than 2,000 cases in the U.S. including at least 47 deaths. Second, does the government really believe the tobacco giants are actually trying to lure adult smokers to e-cigarettes with flavours such as cherry cheesecake and strawberry ice cream? Doctors and health organizations such as the On- tario Medical Association, the Canadian Cancer Society and Ontario Campaign for Action on Tobac- co have been warning governments for years about the health risks posed by e-cigarettes. This is not some far-off threat. For the first time in 30 years the number of teens who reported smok- ing is up. The time to prevent more kids from getting hooked is now. But for some reason the federal government is taking its own sweet time and unconscionably let- ting Big Tobacco put the health of young people at risk. The Trudeau government says it will look at other measures to curb vaping this year. That's what they said last year. And that's clearly not good enough, fast enough.fast enough.f It's time to put out this three-alarm fire with every measure available before more kids get hooked on nicotine and cigarettes and end up in hospital on ventilators, or worse. OTTAWA MUST DO MORE TO CURB YOUTH VAPING SNAPSHOT Swans take a dip in Hemmford Pond. Got a great photo you'd like to share? Send it to sleblanc@metroland.com, along with a brief description. Paul Anderson photo As the saying goes, you can judge a society by how it treats its animals. Effective as of January 1, Ontario has the strongest animal protection laws in Canada. The Provincial Animal Welfare Services (PAWS) Act establishes a new enforcement model with measures of transpar- ency and accountability. Our government has initiated Canada's first-ev- er dedicated public animal protection force overseen by a chief inspector. Before this legislation, responsi- bilities under animal wel- fare law were placed onto humane societies, many of whom were not well fund- ed. The PAWS Act modern- izes animal welfare laws and creates uniformity across the province. This legislation pro- vides inspectors with the necessary powers to help animals in distress and to hold owners accountable. There will be locally de- ployed provincial inspec- tors and specialized in- spectors for agriculture, zoos, aquariums and equines. Inspectors will engage in proactive risk-based in- spections, including, for example, of zoos and aquariums. Moreover, the Province gives the ability to empower others, beyond inspectors, to take action when an animal is in immi- nent risk of serious injury or death when a pet is left in a hot car. The new enforcement approach would also pro- vide resources to support investigations in animal welfare by the Ontario Pro- vincial Police, and provide resources to support suc- cessful animal welfare prosecutions. The PAWS Act sets new offences to combat activi- ties such as dog fighting, and veterinarians are now required to report animal abuse to the province. Those who commit certain offences can face large pen- alties. Depending on the se- verity of the case, individu- als convicted could face fines of up $260,000 or be imprisoned, or both, and corporations could face fines of up to $1 million. These new penalties are the strongest in Canada. It brings oversight, account- ability, and a complaints mechanism for the public. As a pet owner myself, I am proud of the PAWS Act and it is highly welcoming news for the state of animal pro-for the state of animal pro-f tection in Ontario. Con- cerns about animal distress or abuse can be reported to the Ontario Animal Protec- tion Call Centre at 1-833-9- ANIMAL (264625). Stephen Crawford is the MPP for Oakville A PAWS-ITIVE STEP FORWARD EDITORIAL NEW LEGISLATION A STRONGER TOOL IN FIGHTING ANIMAL CRUELTY, WRITES STEPHEN CRAWFORD STEPHEN CRAWFORD Column