About the Smoke-Free Ontario Act

The Ministry of Health Promotion (MHP) is funding the Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy, the largest and most comprehensive tobacco control program in the country. This comprehensive strategy is based on three major goals of tobacco control:

Prevention: helping youth remain smoke-free
Cessation: helping people quit smoking 
Protection: helping Ontarians avoid second-hand smoke

The target is to reduce per capita tobacco consumption between 2003 and 2007 by 20%.

The Smoke-Free Ontario Act (SFOA) was implemented on May 31, 2006.

What the SFOA means for LTC Homes:

• Tobacco can no longer be sold in Long-Term Care Homes
• Smoking is not allowed inside Long-Term Care Homes, except in SFOA-compliant Controlled Smoking Areas (CSAs)
• Smoking is permitted outdoors at least nine metres away from entrances and exits
• At the request of an Aboriginal resident, the operator of a nursing home may set aside an indoor area separate from any area where smoking is otherwise not permitted, for the use of tobacco for traditional Aboriginal cultural or spiritual purposes.
• For more information on the SFOA, including the regulations governing CSA construction, please visit: www.mhp.gov.on.ca/english/health/smoke_free/default.asp

Prior to this act, LTC Home residents, staff, volunteers and visitors were unprotected from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke. The SFOA ensures that this is no longer the case.

Managing the Change to a Smoke-Free LTC Home

In order to successfully manage the change to a new and safer healthcare environment, the following steps are suggested:

• Develop your specific smoke-free policy based on the SFOA
• Determine education needs for staff, residents, and families
• Devise a communication plan for sharing information with staff, residents, volunteers, family, visitors, and other stakeholders

The Toolkit has many resources to help you with these tasks. The Web Board provides an on-line forum for you to share your experiences and strategies and ask questions to find out how other LTC Homes staff across the province deal with similar situations.