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Update:
Ontario Government Slashes Over 500 Jobs
May 21, 2009 – In a surprise move last week, the Government of Ontario announced the termination of over 500 youth jobs with the Ministry of Health Promotion and left 50+ employees to face an uncertain fate in this turbulent economic climate. The slashes come in the wake of government promises to invest in job retention, as well as skills development.
The youth were employed as part of an innovative youth-based program under Smoke-Free Ontario. Launched in 2005, the then Minister for Health Promotion, the Honourable Jim Watson, believed in the peer leadership model of engaging youth in the community; a belief that was confirmed in a 2008 report commissioned by the Ministry, that called the program “a key component of the Smoke-Free Ontario youth prevention programming.” The report also found that the programs had a noticeable – and growing – effect in the 56 communities it operated in.
Officially called Youth Action Alliances (YAAs), the program employed youth through local Health Units with the primary aim of combating the influence of the tobacco industry amongst school-aged youth.
According to research from the Campaign for Smoke-Free Kids, almost 90% of current adult smokers started before the age of 18, which stresses why the YAA program is vital to the government’s efforts to reduce smoking rates in the province. Taking a proactive stance and preventing youth from becoming addicted to tobacco industry products is better for the health of the province, and is more affordable for the government itself.
The current Minister for Health Promotion, the Honourable Margarett Best, when speaking of the Healthy Schools Recognition Program said, “Children and youth learn and develop many of their habits while they are in school”, yet in dismantling the YAA program she has destroyed one of the few programs that actually succeeded in engaging youth on tobacco issues.
At $5.5 million a year, the program was deemed too resource intensive to continue by Minister Best and Deputy Minister for Health Promotion, Cynthia Morton. However, when it is compared to the $700 million being spent on “skills training” and the $90 million being spent for “student summer employment” the YAA model is one of the most efficient programs offered by the government. It was also said that the program reached only the youth in which in employed [Approx 500] however the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit found that the YAA reached 83,100 participants in educational presentations, 261,650 participants were reached by promotional events, 84,900 educational materials were distributed. “The program’s activities and efforts resulted in 4,890 earned media mentions from print, radio, TV and internet media.”
By providing employment and important development of transferable skills for Ontario youth, it falls within the McGuinty Government’s mandate of job retention and skills training. As well, by affecting the opinions of young Ontarians concerning tobacco, the program also help reduce the present and future strain on precious healthcare resources. According to government figures, tobacco use can be directly linked to 13,000 deaths, $1.6 billion in health care costs, $4.4 billion in lost productivity and at least 500,000 hospital days annually.
To verify any of the above information please feel free to contact the McGuinty Government, Ministry of Health Promotion, local Public Health Units; Medical Officers of Health, Tobacco Control Managers, Youth Development Specialists, Youth Advisors or Peer Leaders.
YAA's have been busy fighting to save their program. Petitions, facebook groups, and writing letters to the following people. Feel free to express your feelings on the recent discontinuation of our program by sending letters to the following people.
Mailing Addresses:
Dalton McGuinty
Legislative Building
Queen's Park
Toronto, ON M7A 1A1
Minister Margarett Best
Ministry of Health Promotion
777 Bay Street, 18th Floor
Toronto, ON M7A 1S5
Deputy Minister Cynthia Morton
Ministry of Health Promotion
777 Bay Street, 18th Floor
Toronto, ON M7A 1S5
Denis Gertler
Ministry of Health Promotion
Smoke-Free Ontario
393 University Ave, l18th Floor
Toronto, ON M7A 2S1
Jim Watson
Ministry of Municipal Affairs & Housing
777 Bay Street, 17th Floor
Toronto, ON M5G 2E5
