Ron LeClair says vaping and ecigarettes have become a major problem in some schools
A trustee with the Greater Essex County District School wants to see changes made to the way e-cigarettes are marketed.
Ron LeClair says when you walk into a convenience store or gas station, e-cigarettes and vaping accessories are right in your face. He believes they should be in a locked case behind the counter just like tobacco products.
LeClair says they're portrayed as cool to school-aged children.
"They're readily available. They're seen. They're marketed as bold and sleek and they're colourful and there's multiple flavours," he says. "There's advertisement directly above ice cream. That is clearly not targeted to adults, ice cream is targeted toward children."
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LeClair has spoken out in the past about the use of vaping and e-cigarettes, calling the products a major problem in some schools.
"We really know that the use of e-cigarettes in our schools, not just our board, but all schools, is growing exponentially," he says "We really need to step forward and have a very broad approach to reducing those rates. Similar to what's happened in the past with cigarettes."
LeClair received unanimous support for his motion from fellow trustees calling for changes to the way the products are advertised. The board will now send a letter to the federal and provincial government asking for a change in legislation.
"Clearly we don't see advertising for cigarettes. Tobacco has been very well regulated. We really saw a very aggressive approach by government to reduce smoking. It only takes 48-hours for somebody to become addicted to vaping," added LeClair.
In late March, LaSalle town council directed administration to find out if it's possible to create a by-law banning e-cigarette ads at the municipal level. Town council also agreed to send out a resolution to every municipality in Ontario asking for support in getting the Ministry of Health to act on the issue.