7 students fined for vaping on school property in Chatham-Kent

The Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit has fined seven students for vaping on school properties.

The new Smoke-Free Ontario Act prohibits vaping on school properties and 20 metres surrounding a school.

Vaping in enclosed spaces, such as a school bus, is also not allowed.

Jeff Moco, health educator with the unit, said the seven tickets were some of the first given out under the new act, which also covers using cannabis.

More calls to the health unit

Moco said school boards take a "progressive discipline approach," where e-cigarettes may first be confiscated and a student may face detention. Schools will only call the health unit as a last resort.

"I think [the schools are] more on top of it, because it's becoming too common," said Moco.

According to Moco, the health unit has been fielding a higher volume of calls from all high schools in Chatham-Kent about students and vaping.

In the seven cases with fines, he said the schools contacted the health unit via an internal online reporting system.

Over at the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board, communications coordinator Stephen Fields said he's only heard of a couple of "isolated incidents" where students were dealt with over vaping.

But he's "never heard of the public health unit coming onto school property and issuing fines."

Those fines, Moco explained, are issued in contravention of the Smoke Free Ontario Act, which means they are provincial offences tickets. The students will have a chance to go through the court system, which is similar to receiving a ticket for a traffic incident.

A GECDSB spokesperson said the issue of vaping in and around schools was debated at a recent Board of Trustees meeting.

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit said no fines have been issued for students in the area.

"We've been able to reach compliance fairly effectively through our education mechanisms," said Eric Nadalin, manager for chronic disease and injury prevention at the health unit.

Nadalin said the health unit has six provincially-funded tobacco enforcement officers, who work with schools and students to ensure there is appropriate signage in place and students understand the consequences of violating the provincial act.

According to the Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit, the fine for smoking or vaping on school properties is $305 and providing tobacco or vaping products to a minor is a fine of $490.

Moco said through his education work, vaping behaviours are seen across all race, genders and ages.

"It's hard to pick who's not doing it in some cases," he said. "It really is spread to everyone in some of the work that I do."

What the health unit hasn't seen, however, are more calls related to cannabis use.

"It's been kind of surprising to us to have it be more vaping in school situations," said Moco.