Ontario pilot targets vaping in schools

Six Ontario school boards will pilot a new anti-vaping program that will be rolled out across the province this fall at the same time the provincial government mandates a firm ban on such products in schools or on school property.

With Canada recording one of the highest rates of vaping among youth in the world, the awareness campaign and app to assist in quitting is one way to address and help curb the habit among teens, said Jessica Buckley, president and CEO of the Lung Health Foundation.

“We could see the trends on youth vaping starting to go in the wrong direction,” she said. “About three years ago, with some funding from Health Canada, we developed the Quash program” to help teens quit.

“The current campaign is in conjunction with the Ministry of Education and we are doing a pilot program in six (boards) around the province” and about 100 schools total and will be announced Wednesday, she said.

“It’s a campaign to really bring awareness to the effects of nicotine and vaping, and really to offer support for kids to stop vaping.”

The boards taking part in the pilot project are Toronto Catholic, Near North, Simcoe County, Renfrew County, Simcoe Muskoka Catholic and St. Clair Catholic.

Education Minister Stephen Lecce has announced a ban on vaping in schools starting this fall that gives principals and teachers the authority to confiscate products and mandates that parents must be notified. In its spring budget, the government also provided boards with $30 million for security measures, including vaping detectors.

The Near North board has already piloted its own highly successful anti-vaping program, which it will expand this fall, that includes installing vaping detectors in one high school, as well as resources and supports for kids to kick the habit.

The Quash program “really meets students where they are at,” said Buckley of the Lung Health Foundation (formerly the Ontario Lung Association).

Erin Dufour, implementation manager for Quash, said the program is aimed at those 14 to 30 and helps create a custom quitting plan via the app. “Everybody is going to quit differently, and everybody needs different supports,” she said. “We also recognize that quitting is hard … so we recognize that it’s not going to be a linear path.”

If someone is vape-free for a few days then relapses, “there’s no judgment,” she said. “We turn it around and say, ‘Look, you made it three days, and the first three days of quitting are actually your hardest days. So let’s get back on the horse.’ ”

Lecce has said he “welcomes the leadership of school boards” to help deter vaping.

“Anything we can do to create deterrence, in addition to knowledge … that’s why we are going to be mandating enhanced learning on the perils of vaping and cannabis and tobacco products” starting in elementary school, he said.

It’s a campaign to really bring awareness to the effects of nicotine and vaping, and really to offer support for kids to stop vaping.

JESSICA BUCKLEY PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE LUNG HEALTH FOUNDATION