November 2026 Board of Health Meeting - LPH - Vape Flavouring Correspondence

Meeting Date
November 2026 Board of Health Meeting
Meeting Document Type
Correspondence
LPH - Vape Flavouring

October 26, 2026

Diego Marchese
Executive Vice-President,
Mission, Research, and Advocacy
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
diego.marchese@heartandstroke.ca

Dear Mr. Marchese,

Re: Vape Flavouring

On behalf of the Lakelands Public Health (LPH) Board of Health, we are writing to formally communicate our endorsement of the recommendations from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada et al, to finalize vape flavour regulations in Canada Gazette Part II to protect all youth in Canada from the dangers of vaping products and nicotine addiction.

Canada has some of the highest teen vaping rates in the world and almost half of vape users are youth and young adults.1 Across Canada 26% of youth and young adults (aged 15-24) had used vapes in the past 30 days.2 The 2025 Ontario Student Drug Use Survey (OSDUHS) found that 17.3% of grade 12 students reported that they had vaped in the past year.3

E-cigarette flavours are designed and marketed to appeal to youth, with fruit being the most popular flavour in Canada, followed by mint/menthol.4 Studies show that youth are more interested in trying e-cigarettes when offered flavours, and that users tend to believe that fruit and mint/menthol flavoured e-cigarettes are less harmful than those with tobacco flavour.4,5

In 2021, Canada proposed federal regulations that would restrict e-cigarette flavours to tobacco, mint, and menthol to make vaping products less appealing to youth. As of October 2026, these regulations have not been implemented, however several provincial and territorial governments have implemented their own restrictions.6 There is evidence that full flavour bans are associated with lower vaping prevalence with no unintended impacts on smoking behaviours.6 Youth living in jurisdictions with full flavour bans were more likely to be aware of the restrictions, and report that these restrictions changed their vaping behaviour.6

The Lakelands Public Health Board of Health supports the communications sent to Prime Minister Mark Carney on February 19, 2026, by a coalition of national health organizations, urging the federal government to protect youth from the health impacts of vaping products and finalize vape flavour regulations in Canada.

Sincerely,

Original signed by

Deputy Mayor Ron Black
Chair, Board of Health

/ag

cc: Hon. Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health, Health Canada
Local MPs
Ontario Boards of Health
Association of Local Public Health Agencies (alPHa)

References

  1. Heart and Stroke Foundation. Vaping: What you Need to Know. Heart and Stroke Foundation website. Published April 20, 2026.
  2. Canadian Substance Use Survey. Summary: Canadian Substance Use Survey — Canada.ca Government of Canada website. Published June 15, 2026.
  3. Boak, A. & Hamilton, H.A. Drug use among Ontario students 1977-2025. Findings from the Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS). Toronto ON, Centre for Addiction and Mental health. 2026. Drug Use Trend Report_2025 OSDUHS
  4. Heart and Stroke Foundation. vaping-crisis-position-statement.pdf Heart and Stroke Foundation website. Published July 2023.
  5. Pepper, J K, K M Ribisl, and N T Brewer. 2016. “Adolescents Interest in Trying Flavoured E-Cigarettes.” Tobacco Control 25 (Suppl 2): ii62–ii66. doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2016-053174.
  6. Hammond, D, Reid, JL, Rynard V. Burkhalter R. Provincial E-Cigarette Flavour Policies and Vaping Behaviour among Canadian Youth: Findings from the ITC Youth Tobacco and Vaping Survey. January 2026; University of Waterloo.
  7. Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit Board of Health, 2024 boh-letter-of-support.pdf