With government figures showing a spike in the number of young people vaping, the federal government is preparing to place stricter limits on advertising and make health warnings on vaping products mandatory, CBC News has learned.
However, Ottawa is not yet ready to go as far as many health advocates want by further restricting the flavoured vape products known to appeal to younger users. It’s also still considering whether to further limit the level of nicotine in vaping products. Under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act, it is prohibited to sell vaping devices that contain 66 mg/g of nicotine or more because they have been deemed “very toxic” by regulators. Most products sold legally are below that threshold.
The government has been considering the moves since consultations began in February.
Proposed regulations include banning advertising anywhere it can be seen or heard by youth, which includes public spaces, convenience stores and online.
They would also ban in-store displays of vaping products except for specialty stores that restrict entry to people 18 years or older.
Some brands already include health warnings on their products, but the proposed regulations would make it mandatory for all.
But that won’t go far enough for some public health advocates. Earlier this fall, organizations including the Canadian Medical Association called on the government to go further. They want more limits on the number of flavoured products available, in an effort to make vaping less attractive to youth. They have also called for stricter limits on nicotine levels.
Dr. Andrew Pipe, a professor of medicine at the University of Ottawa and a clinician scientist in smoking cessation at the university’s heart institute, welcomed the federal initiative but said more needs to be done.
“I want to emphasize that the regulations that have been proposed have already been in place in Quebec, for instance, for some time and they’ve experienced the same rapid increase in vaping amongst young people as is being experienced all across Canada,” Pipe said in an interview.
“Far from being a package of comprehensive regulations, this is just an initial attempt to address some of the more egregious marketing practices of the vaping industry.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked on CBC’s Power & Politics what’s holding his government back from moving further and faster on vaping.
“I think we need to leave room for proper science. We’re a government that works on evidence-based decisions,” Trudeau said.
A government official, speaking on background, said earlier that Health Canada still hopes to take action on flavours and nicotine levels in the new year. Officials are currently still debating the best way forward.
Youth vaping doubles
Health Canada has cracked down on shops selling illegal vaping products that defy current federal regulations. In 2019, the agency raided more than 3,000 vape shops, collecting more than 80,000 units of non-compliant vaping products.
The products seized include those that feature flavours advertised as “confectionery,” soft drinks or energy drinks, and products that exceed existing nicotine levels or include banned additives.
Under existing regulations, the government has restrictions on which ingredients can be put in a vaping product.
According to the government official, many of the vaping-related illnesses reported by people in recent months have come from users of vaping pods purchased on the illegal market. These products often include a vitamin E acetate additive, which the U.S.-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said is partly to blame for the recent spate of vaping-related illnesses.
All of this is happening as youth e-cigarette use skyrockets.
According to the government’s figures, via the Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, the number of students (grades 7-12) who say they have used an e-cigarette in the past 30 days has shot up to 20 per cent in 2018-19 — double the number from the previous year.
Health Canada said the changes will be published in Canada Gazette on Dec. 21, followed by 30 days of public comments and consultation.
CALGARY – TC Energy Corp. has lowered the estimated cost of its Southeast Gateway pipeline project in Mexico.
It says it now expects the project to cost between US$3.9 billion and US$4.1 billion compared with its original estimate of US$4.5 billion.
The change came as the company reported a third-quarter profit attributable to common shareholders of C$1.46 billion or $1.40 per share compared with a loss of C$197 million or 19 cents per share in the same quarter last year.
Revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 30 totalled C$4.08 billion, up from C$3.94 billion in the third quarter of 2023.
TC Energy says its comparable earnings for its latest quarter amounted to C$1.03 per share compared with C$1.00 per share a year earlier.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
BCE Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter as it recorded $2.11 billion in asset impairment charges, mainly related to Bell Media’s TV and radio properties.
The company says its net loss attributable to common shareholders amounted to $1.24 billion or $1.36 per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a profit of $640 million or 70 cents per share a year earlier.
On an adjusted basis, BCE says it earned 75 cents per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of 81 cents per share in the same quarter last year.
“Bell’s results for the third quarter demonstrate that we are disciplined in our pursuit of profitable growth in an intensely competitive environment,” BCE chief executive Mirko Bibic said in a statement.
“Our focus this quarter, and throughout 2024, has been to attract higher-margin subscribers and reduce costs to help offset short-term revenue impacts from sustained competitive pricing pressures, slow economic growth and a media advertising market that is in transition.”
Operating revenue for the quarter totalled $5.97 billion, down from $6.08 billion in its third quarter of 2023.
BCE also said it now expects its revenue for 2024 to fall about 1.5 per cent compared with earlier guidance for an increase of zero to four per cent.
The company says the change comes as it faces lower-than-anticipated wireless product revenue and sustained pressure on wireless prices.
BCE added 33,111 net postpaid mobile phone subscribers, down 76.8 per cent from the same period last year, which was the company’s second-best performance on the metric since 2010.
It says the drop was driven by higher customer churn — a measure of subscribers who cancelled their service — amid greater competitive activity and promotional offer intensity. BCE’s monthly churn rate for the category was 1.28 per cent, up from 1.1 per cent during its previous third quarter.
The company also saw 11.6 per cent fewer gross subscriber activations “due to more targeted promotional offers and mobile device discounting compared to last year.”
Bell’s wireless mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.26, down 3.4 per cent from $60.28 in the third quarter of the prior year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada Goose Holdings Inc. trimmed its financial guidance as it reported its second-quarter revenue fell compared with a year ago.
The luxury clothing company says revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 29 totalled $267.8 million, down from $281.1 million in the same quarter last year.
Net income attributable to shareholders amounted to $5.4 million or six cents per diluted share, up from $3.9 million or four cents per diluted share a year earlier.
On an adjusted basis, Canada Goose says it earned five cents per diluted share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of 16 cents per diluted share a year earlier.
In its outlook, Canada Goose says it now expects total revenue for its full financial year to show a low-single-digit percentage decrease to low-single-digit percentage increase compared with earlier guidance for a low-single-digit increase.
It also says it now expects its adjusted net income per diluted share to show a mid-single-digit percentage increase compared with earlier guidance for a percentage increase in the mid-teens.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
