The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Saskatchewan retailers must once again hide their tobacco products from public view. The Supreme Court of Canada has upheld Section 6 of the province's Tobacco Control Act, which bans the display and promotion of tobacco products in establishments where children are permitted. The Act became law in 2002, but the following year, the Saskatchewan Court of Appeals struck down Section 6, saying it was inconsistent with federal tobacco laws. But this week, the nation's highest court unanimously rejected that ruling, meaning Section 6 is once again the law. "The purpose of the tobacco display provisions of our legislation is to de-normalize tobacco use so that young people do not grow up viewing smoking as a normal, or accepted, activity," Saskatchewan Health Minister John Nilson said in a news release. "It is fitting that this ruling comes during National Non-smoking Week. We are joining with people across Canada to protect the health of our citizens, especially our youngest citizens, from the devastating and deadly health effects of tobacco use." Rob Cunningham, a lawyer for the Canadian Cancer Society, told CTV that the ruling is "a very decisive victory for health and a very decisive loss for the tobacco industry."
