September 23, 2026
Diego Marchese, Executive Vice-President, Mission, Research, and Advocacy
2300 Yonge St, Suite 1200
Box 2414
Toronto, ON M4P 1E4
Re: Vape Flavouring
Dear Mr. Marchese,
At their September 17, 2026 meeting, the Middlesex-London Board of Health made the following resolution:
It was moved by S. Menghsha, seconded by H. Shears, that the Board of Health:
a) Endorse item e) Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada et al re: Vape Flavouring; and
b) Direct the Clerk on behalf of the Board of Health to forward this endorsement to the Minister of Health, the Honourable Marjorie Michel, local Members of Parliament, and all Ontario Boards of Health.
Carried
As you are aware, in 2021, Canada proposed regulations that would restrict e-cigarette flavours to tobacco, mint, and menthol to make vaping products less appealing to youth amid the rapid rise in youth vaping rates. In September 2021, the Board of Health received through Report No. 39-21 a submission to Health Canada that recommended further regulations to restrict mint and menthol vapour product flavouring. Despite the conclusion of the public consultation and voiced commitments to ban flavoured vapour products, the proposed regulations have not yet been published by Health Canada.
Nationally and provincially, youth vaping continues to be a significant concern, especially in older grades. In Ontario, results from the 2026 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey found that 17.3% of grade 12 students reported vaping in the last year. Young adults are a population of concern as well; the 2025 Canadian Substance Use Survey shows that 26% of youth and young adults (aged 15-24) report vaping in the last 30 days. Youth are initially attracted to vaping through flavoured options, and the resulting nicotine dependency can lead to long-term use and health consequences.
Per the Smoke-free Ontario Act, 2017, partial flavour restrictions are in effect, requiring non-tobacco and non-mint flavours to be only sold in age-restricted specialty vape stores. Additional flavour bans have been implemented in several other provinces; however, the coverage of restrictions varies, leading to inconsistencies across the country. When looking at provinces with full flavour restrictions, resident youth who had vaped in the last 12 months were more likely to report vaping less because of flavour restrictions. These promising results could be seen across Canada with the implementation of federal flavour restrictions, though additional regulatory measures remain necessary to address nicotine addiction.
We look forward to providing awareness to the federal government, the Board of Health and the Middlesex-London community on the negative impacts of vapour product flavouring to youth.
Sincerely,
Mike Steele
Board Chair
Middlesex-London Health Unit
Emily Williams BScN, RN, MBA, CHE
Secretary
Middlesex-London Health Unit
Alex Summers MD, MPH, CCFP, FRCPC
Medical Officer of Health
Middlesex-London Health Unit
CC: Linda Stobo, Manager, Community Health Promotion B, Middlesex-London Health Unit