Toronto, Ontario - The government of Ontario has announced that it will propose a new law in the spring legislative session that, if passed, will ban smoking in cars when children are present. The Ontario Medical Association, the Canadian Cancer Society and the Heart and Stroke Foundation have applauded the action.
"We know that this is harmful to children," said Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty. "One hour of secondhand smoke in a car is the same as giving kids an entire pack of cigarettes. We need to do everything we can to keep our children safe and healthy."
Ontario has one of the toughest anti-smoking laws in North America and said that since 2003, tobacco use in the province has fallen by over 30 per cent. Nova Scotia, Louisiana, Arkansas and California have already banned smoking in cars with children present.
