There are many services and resources for people who choose to reduce or quit smoking. Preventing youth from starting to smoke, following laws that protect non-smokers from tobacco smoke, and making local policies that support smoke-free living are important parts of reducing illness and death caused by using tobacco products.
Quit Smoking Services
It is normal to try several times before successfully quitting smoking. Deciding to quit could be the single most important thing a smoker does for his/her health.
Renfrew County and District Smoking Cessation Services and Resources
Telephone Support
Call 1-866-797-0000 to speak with someone about quitting. A free and confidential service for health advice and information 24 hours a day, seven days a week in more than 300 languages.
Smokers’ Help Line
Visit Smokers’ Helpline for free tips and tools to help you quit tobacco use and increase your chance of being successful. Support is available online and through text messaging in English and French by texting iQuit123456.
Physicians/Health Care Providers
Physicians and other health care providers can offer information and counselling about quitting smoking and can recommend or prescribe medications to help you quit smoking.
Private Health Insurance
If you have private health insurance (e.g. through work), call your insurance company to see what smoking cessation services your plan offers.
Pharmacy Smoking Cessation Program
Through the Pharmacy Smoking Cessation Program, pharmacists can recommend over-the-counter medications to help you quit smoking and can prescribe certain medications for smoking cessation. Some pharmacies offer a smoking cessation program which offers counselling for eligible Ontarians.
If you receive your medications through the Ontario Drug Benefit plan (ODB), check with your pharmacist to see if they are offering free quit smoking support through this program. You may be eligible for Champix (varenicline) or Zyban (bupropion).
Quash Adult Allies
Free certificate training equips adults to deliver the Quash smoking and vaping cessation program to youth in their communities. Click the following link for more details: The Quash Adult Facilitator.
Free Quit Smoking Aids
Research has consistently shown that using certain smoking cessation medications doubles the chances of successfully quitting in clinical settings.
Renfrew County and District Smoking Cessation Services and Resources
Smoking Treatment for Ontario Patients (STOP) Study
The STOP Study is a research project of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) that aims to discover the most effective ways to deliver free smoking cessation medication and counselling to smokers across Ontario.
Patients at Family Health Teams, Community Health Centres, and addiction agencies in Renfrew County and District can enroll in the STOP Study and receive ongoing smoking cessation treatment. This includes Nicotine Replacement Therapy and counselling support, at no cost. Other residents of Renfrew County and District can enroll by contacting Addictions Treatment Service (613-432-9855/1-800-265-0197), Mackay Manor (613-432-7666/1-877-819-4181) or West Champlain Family Health Team (613-735-8051).
Smoking Treatment For Ontario Patients with Youth And Young Adults (STOP-YAYA)
The STOP program is offering a program for Youth and Young Adults (18 to 29 years of age) attempting to quit smoking. Through the program, eligible participants will be able to receive two weeks of free NRT patches. To learn more about the program and to enroll, visit: www.stopstudy.ca
Ottawa Model for Smoking Cessation Community Program
A community program for people who wish to quit smoking but are not enrolled with a health care provider or cannot easily access smoking cessation treatment and support. You will receive a smoking cessation consultation, will be instructed on how to enroll in a Nicotine Replacement Therapy voucher program (if appropriate), and will receive 6 months of follow-up support to help you through your quit journey. If you are interested in this service call 1-888-645-5405 and leave your contact information on the voice mail and a Nicotine Addiction Specialist will get back to you within 2 business days.
Quit Smoking Resources
Renfrew County and District Smoking Cessation Services and Resources
First Week Challenge Contest
The First Week Challenge Contest offers a chance to win a $500 cash prize by quitting smoking or stopping other forms of tobacco for one week.
Adults 19 and over can register on the web site by the last day of each month. For a chance to win the cash prize, stay tobacco-free for the first 7 days of the next month. A new winner is randomly chosen every month.
Booklets
Canadian Cancer Society
Booklets with tips and strategies to quit smoking and support others along their quit journey.
Lung Health Foundation
Develop a plan and get tips to quit smoking.
- Journey to Quit workbook
Health Canada
Guides by Health Canada for adults and young adults with information and strategies to successfully stop smoking
A quit smoking booklet and program for youth developed by Health Canada
Websites
Break It Off A campaign that helps young adults quit smoking and stay smoke-free.
Clear the Air For LGBT communities. Information on the benefits of quitting smoking, an assessment tool, quit tips, and other resources.
Indigenous Tobacco Program Tobacco-Wise information on tobacco and health from the Indigenous Tobacco Program of Cancer Care Ontario.
Pregnets For moms, moms-to-be and health care providers. Includes answers to common questions about quitting, discussion boards and other resources for quitting smoking.
Positive Quitting For people living with HIV, employees at HIV clinics and AIDS service organizations. Quit smoking resources, links to smoking cessation helplines, training opportunities, model policies, and facts about smoking and HIV.
Ministry of Health and Long Term Care – Support to Quit Smoking – It often takes many attempts – and some help – to succeed at anything. Quitting smoking is no different. Find support to help you quit.
Preventing Tobacco Use
Renfrew County and District Health Unit promotes national, provincial, regional and locally developed mass media and social marketing campaigns with the goal of preventing initiation or escalation of the use of tobacco, and other harmful inhaled substances and products (such as e-cigarettes). Youth/young adults are especially vulnerable to starting to smoke and to becoming addicted to nicotine because of their stage of brain development. We implement activities to increase knowledge of the health risks associated with tobacco and e-cigarette use.
Smoke-Free Movies
Exposure to tobacco use can influence young people’s decision to use tobacco products. Although the Smoke-Free Ontario Act prohibits smoking in many public places, children and youth are still exposed to tobacco use in a variety of settings, including movies. The Ontario Coalition for Smoke-Free Movies is raising awareness about the impact that smoking in movies has on youth smoking. The Coalition is calling for a rating change in Ontario that would prevent tobacco from being shown in future movies rated for kids and teens.
Smoke-Free Living Protection and Enforcement
The Smoke-Free Ontario Act (SFOA), 2017, prohibits smoking tobacco, the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) to vape any substance, and the smoking of cannabis (medical and non-medical) in all enclosed workplaces (including vehicles), enclosed public places, and other designated places in Ontario. This is necessary to protect workers and the public from the hazards of second-hand smoke and vapour.
Smoking refers to the smoking or holding of lighted tobacco or cannabis (medical and non-medical). Vaping refers to inhaling or exhaling vapour from an electronic cigarette or holding an activated electronic cigarette, whether or not the vapour contains nicotine.
The Act prohibits the sale and supply of tobacco and vapour products to anyone who is less than 19 years old. It also places restrictions on how tobacco and vapour products can be displayed, handled and promoted in retail stores.
Renfrew County and District Health Unit enforces the SFOA in workplaces, public places, schools, health care facilities, tobacco and vapour retailers, and other designated places.Tobacco Enforcement Officers conduct routine inspections, investigate complaints and enforce the SFOA. For additional information or signage please contact Renfrew County and District Health Unit at 613-732-3629 extension 505 or 1-800-267-1097 at extension 505.
Renfrew County and District Health Unit encourages municipalities, workplaces and landlords to create tobacco-free spaces that are not included in the SFOA. Smoke-free laws, regulations and policies that help reduce people’s exposure to second-hand smoke are important and add to provincial efforts to stop tobacco-related illness and death. Renfrew County and District Health Unit can provide support and assist you with developing smoke-free policies.
Residents have a right to smoke-free air in their home. Smoke-Free Housing Ontario provides resources for landlords and tenants to make their apartment buildings and other multi-unit dwellings smoke-free.
Promoting Smoke-Free Policies: A Guide for Workplaces helps employers protect their employees and customers from second-hand smoke. The guide explains the “why” and “how” of creating, promoting and enforcing smoke‐free policies in the workplace.
Tobacco and/or E-cigarette retailers can use the SFOA, 2017, Guide to Retailers (EN) to assist in training employees to be aware of their responsibilities for the sale and display of tobacco and e-cigarette products.
Fact Sheets:
Child Care Centres 2022 10 31 ENGLISH
Child Care Centres 2022 10 31 FRENCH
Community Rec Facilities 2018 10 09 ENGLISH
Community Rec Facilities 2018 10 09 FRENCH
Duty Free Retailers 2018 10 09 ENGLISH
Duty Free Retailers 2018 10 09 FRENCH
Enclosed Public Places 2018 10 09 ENGLISH
Enclosed Public Places 2018 10 09 FRENCH
Enclosed Workplaces 2018 10 09 ENGLISH
Enclosed Workplaces 2018 10 09 FRENCH
Flavoured Tobacco 2018 10 09 ENGLISH
Flavoured Tobacco 2018 10 09 FRENCH
Government Buildings 2018 10 09 ENGLISH
Government Buildings 2018 10 09 FRENCH
Home health care 2018 10 01 ENGLISH
Home health care 2018 10 01 FRENCH
Hotels Motels and Inns 2018 10 09 ENGLISH
Hotels Motels and Inns 2018 10 09 FRENCH
Indigenous persons 2018 10 09 ENGLISH
Indigenous persons 2018 10 09 FRENCH
Manufacturers (Tobacco) 2018 10 09 ENGLISH
Manufacturers (Tobacco) 2018 10 09 FRENCH
Manufacturers (Vapour) 2018 10 16 ENGLISH
Manufacturers (Vapour) 2018 10 16 FRENCH
Motor vehicles 2018 10 09 ENGLISH
Motor vehicles 2018 10 09 FRENCH
Multi-unit residences 2018 10 09 ENGLISH
Multi-unit residences 2018 10 09 FRENCH
Playgrounds 2018 10 09 ENGLISH
Residential Care facilities 2018 10 09 ENGLISH
Residential Care facilities 2018 10 09 FRENCH
Restaurant and bars 2018 10 09 ENGLISH
Restaurant and bars 2018 10 09 FRENCH
Specialty Vape Stores 2018 10 16 ENGLISH
Specialty Vape Stores 2018 10 16 FRENCH
Sporting area 2018 10 09 ENGLISH
Sporting area 2018 10 09 FRENCH
Tobacconists 2023 01 26 ENGLISH
Vaping
Vaping is the act of inhaling and exhaling an aerosol (commonly referred to as “vapour”) produced by a vaping device, such as an e-cigarette. The aerosol is a mixture of chemicals and small particles that can damage the lungs. E-cigarettes are reported to be less harmful than tobacco cigarettes, however less harmful doesn’t mean safe or harmless.
The short and long-term health risks associated with vaping continue to be examined and are not fully known. The following resources and websites contain information on the risks of vaping.
CAMH: Vaping – What you and your friends need to know (July 2020)
Cancer Care Ontario: Vaping and Your Health Fact Sheet (March 2020)
Consider the Consequences of Vaping – Health Canada
Talking With Your Teen About Vaping Tip Sheet for Parents – Health Canada
Vaping Facilitation Guide for Educators Working with Youth
Vaping Information for Parents Caregivers and Educators
Vaping Student Resource: What you and your friends need to know
Compass Youth Health Trends in Ontario: Vaping
Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada launched a new web page to keep Canadians informed about Canadian cases of severe pulmonary illness related to vaping. The numbers of confirmed or probable cases in Canada will be posted and updated weekly or as required.