Engaging Landlords, Builders

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Engaging Landlords, Builders Managers in the
Invasive Second-Hand Smoke Debate

• 5th National Conference on Tobacco or Health
• Smoke Free A World of Difference
• Monday, October 1,2007
• Edmonton, Alberta

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Council for a Tobacco-Free Toronto

• CTFT is
• A citywide coalition of community members working
  to prevent and reduce tobacco use and advocate
  for a smoke-free society
• Funded by and a member of the Ontario
  Tobacco-Free Network (OTN)
• A member of the Toronto Tobacco Control Area
  Network (TCAN)

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Some Past CTFT Activities
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Scope of the Problem

• Canadians spend a large portion of their time
  indoors at home
• Nearly ½ of Ontarians in multi-unit dwellings
  experience second-hand smoke invading their home
  (Ipsos Reid, 2007)
• Population of Toronto 2,503,281 (2006)
• 950,000 Household Dwellings
• 1/3 to ½ of Torontonians rent (Census 2001)
• Condominium ownership in high-rise structures is
  dramatically growing in Toronto

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Current Legislation

• To date, provincial and municipal legislation
  eliminating exposure to second-hand smoke has
  targeted other locations
• schools, workplaces, places of entertainment and
  public places
• Little attention has been paid to exposure at home

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The Challenge

• Addressing the problem of invasive second-hand
  smoke without legislation
• Collaborating to create awareness
• Collaborating to create choices
• Collaborating to create solutions

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Coming up with a Plan

• To deliver the message Protect yourself and
  your family from invasive second-hand smoke
• Create social marketing messages
• Inform people of their rights and obligations
• Suggest strategies, options and resources
• Engage the services of a consulting firm

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The Strategy

• Focus on 2 audiences
• Primary Audience - builders, owners,
• landlords and managers of multi-unit
• dwellings
• Inform of their rights
• Clear up myths and misconceptions
• Identify benefits and advantages
• Offer resources and support
• Secondary Audience - tenants, condo
• owners, and their organizations
• Inform of their rights
• Educate about the health risks
• Offer resources and support

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The Strategy Primary Audience

• Builders, Owners, Landlords and Managers of
  multi-unit dwellings
• Largely unaware of the issue
• Main concern is loss of market by narrowing the
  range of prospective tenants/buyers.
• Unaware of their legal rights
• Hold myths and misconceptions
• Unaware of resources and
• support available

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The Strategy Primary Audience

• Builders, Owners, Landlords and Managers of
  multi-unit dwellings
• Interested in hearing more
• Interested in working cooperatively with health
  community
• Interested in meeting the needs and demands of
  renters and buyers

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The Strategy Phase 1 contd

• Builders, Owners, Landlords and Managers of
  multi-unit dwellings
• Directly
• engage them in friendly interaction through their
  own associations.
• Co-operatively
• inform them through their own credible media

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The Strategy Phase 1 contd

• Builders, Owners, Landlords and Managers of
  multi-unit dwellings
• Contracted consultant services to
• Build relationships with initial Builders,
  Owners, Landlords and Managers contacts
• Develop media (articles, surveys, quizzes,
  websites, pamphlets, etc) cooperatively with
  Builders, Owners, Landlords
• and Managers

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The Strategy Phase 1 contd

• Builders, Owners, Landlords and Managers of
  multi-unit dwellings
• Relationship development with several
  organizations
• Information materials developed and distributed
  to contacts and shared with their membership
• Whats all the fuss about second-hand cigarette
  smoke? Quiz
• The Business Case for
• Going Smoke-Free

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Business Case Facts

• It is legal to totally ban smoking in a building
• A smoking ban is not a human-rights issue
• Ventilation systems do not eliminate second-hand
  smoke
• Multi-unit residences have gone smoke-free with
  real marketing success
• Going smoke-free saves money
• There is a large and growing
• market for smoke-free residences

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The Strategy Secondary Audience

• Tenants, Condo Owners, and their Organizations
• Largely silent on the issue (suffering in
  silence)
• Main concern is loss of housing
• Unaware of their legal rights
• Myths and misconceptions
• Unaware of resources and
• support available

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The Strategy Secondary Audience

• Tenants, Condo Owners, and their Organizations
• Much of the available information is aimed at
  tenants and tenant rights
• Tenant organizations focused on different
  priorities concerns about evictions
• Initial contacts with representing organizations
  indicate
• Less interest in hearing more
• Less interest in working
• cooperatively with health
• community

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The Strategy Secondary Audience

• Educating and Engaging interested tenants by
  distributing the pamphlet Concerned about
  Tobacco Smoke Drifting into Your Apartment or
  Condominium?
• Health Agencies
• Health Units in other areas of the province
  (Durham, Peterborough, etc)
• Toronto Y locations
• Individuals who request single or multiple copies
• Other venues for
• us to consider ?

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Next Steps

• Builders, Owners, Landlords and Managers of
  multi-unit dwellings
• Website and links are planned
• Media articles and displays are planned
• Maintain ongoing contact
• Tenants, Condo Owners, and their Organizations
• Continue to distribute pamphlets
• Toronto Community Health Centres
• Collaborate with other
• Local Tobacco Councils

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What Can You Do?

• Get involved build momentum
• Join the National Coalition http//www.smokefreeho
  using.ca/
• Create demand by asking for smoke-free housing
• Direct complaints to tenant and condo
  associations in order to get the issue on their
  radar
• Use or contribute to further development of the
  Business Case

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Thank You

• Judy Myrvold, Chair
• Council for a Tobacco-Free Toronto
• Email ctft_at_rogers.com
• http//www.smokefreehousing.ca/