Tuesday, April 08, 2014
City celebrates twenty thousand fewer smokers in Ottawa
Ottawa – Mayor Jim Watson, Councillor Diane Holmes, Chair of the Ottawa Board of Health, and Dr. Isra Levy, Medical Officer of Health, joined with smoke-free community partners to celebrate a 23 per cent reduction in the number of smokers in Ottawa, which equates to 20,000 fewer people who smoke.
According to new data from Ottawa Public Health (OPH), the rate of current smokers in the Ottawa population dropped to 11 per cent in 2012 after remaining relatively unchanged at 15 per cent from 2005 to 2011.
This week marks the second anniversary of the City’s expanded smoke-free regulations for outdoor spaces, such as parks and beaches, and on all bar and restaurant patios. Participants celebrated the progress the City and its community partners have made in reducing smoking rates through stronger regulations, smoke-free policies, education, and smoking cessation programs.
“Since the implementation of the expanded regulations in 2012, Ottawa now has some of the most comprehensive smoke-free bylaws in Ontario,” said Mayor Watson. “Stronger regulations, education and easy access to smoking cessation programs have contributed to reducing smoking rates and making Ottawa a healthier place to live, work and play.”
Since April 2012, residents and visitors have enjoyed smoke-free patios, outdoor concerts and festivals, and City parks and beaches without worrying about second-hand smoke exposure.
“The drop in the smoking rate among Ottawa residents shows real results. I commend the excellent work done by Ottawa Public Health and our community partners in making the areas where we work and play healthier for everyone to enjoy,” said Councillor Diane Holmes. “The recent drop in the smoking rate is the first significant change in almost a decade. This is exciting news for the health of our community.”
“The decline in Ottawa’s smoking rate is welcome news. Thousands more people are now benefitting from cleaner air and better health. We know we have more work to do to support people who want to quit smoking and to protect the health of those exposed to second-hand smoke,” said Dr. Levy. “Every year in Ottawa, smoking is still responsible for almost 1,000 deaths and close to 3,000 hospitalizations. This means we will continue to work closely with organizations who want to improve the health of Ottawa residents and its many visitors.”
In 2013, more than 4,300 people took part in one of the many smoking cessation programs offered by OPH. OPH will continue to work with community partners to implement comprehensive tobacco control programs that prevent the uptake of smoking by youth and young adults, support people to quit smoking, protect people from second-hand smoke and reduce tobacco use.
For more information about smoking cessation programs offered by OPH and its partners, visit ottawa.ca/quitsmoking, or call the OPH Information Line at 613-580-6744 (TTY: 613-580-9656). You can also connect with OPH on Facebook, Twitter(@ottawahealth), Tumblr or Pinterest.
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