Local/Provincial Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement of the Smoke-Free Ontario Act (SFOA)
All mandatory SFOA inspections were completed:
- 501 tobacco youth access test shop inspections
- 253 tobacco display, promotion, and handling inspections
- 265 vapour youth access test shop inspections
- 269 vapour display, promotion, and handling inspections
- 32 secondary school inspections
- 38 complaint investigations
In addition to mandated inspections, 1,541 proactive compliance inspections were conducted across a wide range of settings including restaurants, bars, lounges, festivals, parks, recreational facilities, multi‑unit dwellings, long‑term care homes, schools, hospitals, patios, and other workplaces.
Leading Community Action on Substance Use and Harms
The WECHU led coordinated, community-driven prevention and harm reduction efforts through its leadership of the Windsor-Essex Community Opioid and Substance Strategy (WECOSS). In 2025, 48 community agencies participated in WECOSS, supporting a comprehensive, cross-sector approach focused on reducing substance-related harms, preventing overdose, and strengthening access to supportive services across the region.
Harm reduction remained a foundational component of this work through the ongoing delivery of the Ontario Naloxone Program (ONP). The WECHU supported 32 community partners by providing naloxone supplies and training to expand community-level overdose prevention. Through these partners, 4,964 naloxone kits and individual doses were distributed, and 2,132 individuals, including people who use substances and their social networks, were trained in naloxone administration, improving community readiness to respond to overdoses and reduce mortality.
Primary prevention and early intervention efforts were advanced through extensive education and outreach. WECHU led or supported 26 community engagements delivering evidence-informed substance use prevention and harm reduction education to priority populations. Initiatives included education on navigating services through WEC Connect, the online inventory of substance use, mental health, and behavioural services; training frontline providers to strengthen harm reduction–oriented access to opioid agonist therapy; and prevention education for parents, caregivers, educators, and youth aimed at delaying or reducing substance use. Outreach activities also promoted WEC Connect at 24 organizations, clinics, libraries, and pharmacies to support timely access to services.