Group wants more ‘butt stops’

FORT FRANCES—Youths are at the helm of the latest bylaw request to outlaw smoking at town parks and beaches.
“Smoking outside is just as hazardous as inside, so we want to make sure people are aware of the danger even [cigarette] butts can have on the environment,” said Tiffany Whalen, a local Youth Action Alliance peer leader.
Although a smoke-free environment is their main target, Whalen conceded a full-scale ban would take a long time to implement.
“These things take a lot of time to work out because of enforcement issues, and we don’t want to necessarily make smokers feel unwanted, either,” she said.
In the meantime, the group hopes to work with town council to make sure people are disposing of cigarette butts properly, Whalen said.
“We’d like to propose the idea of more ‘butt stops’ along the riverfront walk and at Pither’s Point,” she noted. “More accessible stops so people don’t have to look for them will hopefully help protect the area’s animals.”
Irresponsible disposal of cigarette butts can stunt plant growth and poison rivers, forests, and parks, which eventually can kill wild animals.
They also cause one out of four fires across the country each year, according to Statistics Canada.
Council approved the YAA’s initiative at its July 28 meeting. In celebration, the group is hosting a Regional Day of Action here Aug. 12.
The day’s activities will begin around 2 p.m. with a walk from the Sorting Gap Marina to Pither’s Point. Once there, activities like mini golf, ring toss, a sandcastle-building contest, relay races, and Frisbee will be held.
In related news, Northwestern Ontario’s YAA launched its “Flavour. . . Gone!” campaign last month to push for changes to the federal Tobacco Act.
Groups gathered at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Winnipeg to bring awareness to the need to ban flavoured tobacco products, which they feel are being marketed directly at youth, Whalen said.
“The colourful packaging, and candy appeal, target kids because they love sweets and bright stuff,” she noted.
The youths attended a press conference while in Winnipeg, and also presented a certificate of recognition to NDP health critic Judy Wasylycia-Leis for her work in Parliament on this issue.
Back on June 16, the Winnipeg MP introduced C-566—a private member’s bill to amend the Tobacco Act to ban the production of flavoured tobacco products and to require tighter regulation for cigarillos.
“Targeting youth with these deadly products is absolutely appalling,” said Wasylycia-Leis. “My bill will strengthen the Tobacco Act and slam the door shut on this growing threat.
“This campaign and youth support for my bill is great news, and shows just how important this issue is for the youth themselves,” she added.
The group also participated in a street marketing campaign while in Winnipeg, handing out buttons and educational postcards directing the public to www.flavourgone.ca
Whalen and co-leader Andrew Morrish also just returned from a YAA peer leader workshop in Wabigoon last week.
“At the workshop, we passed around ideas to combat the problem and ways to create more awareness,” Whalen said.
“It was good preparation for our upcoming Regional Day of Action,” she added.
(Fort Frances Times)