Concordia University of Edmonton joins other smoke-free campuses in Canada
Posted on: Sep 1, 2018
As a leader in evidence-informed research, Concordia University of Edmonton (CUE) is committed to providing a healthy environment to live, learn, work and play. CUE is proud to have adopted the Okanagan Charter: An International Charter for Health Promoting Universities and Colleges. President Tim Loreman signed the statement of adoption on August 20, 2018, following a year long review of the initiative. Visit concordia.ab.ca/healthycue for more information.
CUE is also proud to announce that its campus is now a smoke-free environment.
“As an institution that teaches health and wellness in all aspects of life, this is a logical step for us to take,” says Dr. Tim Loreman, President and Vice-Chancellor.
More and more university and college campuses are becoming smoke-free, not only in Canada, but across the world. The purpose of this movement is to improve health and well-being by educating and highlighting the impact of smoking products to the health of the user, of those around them, as well as to the environment.
With the post-secondary demographic having some of the highest rates of tobacco use, this is an important move to preserve the health of Canada’s future generations, with the aim to mitigate the risks of cardiovascular disease, cancer and other known health issues.
“The Canadian Cancer Society would like to applaud the public health leadership of Concordia University of Edmonton for providing a healthy, smoke-free environment for their visitors, staff and students,” said Angeline Webb of the Canadian Cancer Society. “The smoking of any substance in public spaces has the potential to expose people to secondhand smoke as well as renormalize smoking behaviours. CUE has decided to protect everyone on campus by extending their smoke-free policies to include any substance that can be smoked or vaped. We encourage all public bodies in Alberta to follow the lead of Concordia University of Edmonton and to place a top priority on protecting the quality of life of their residents, staff, and students.”
For further information about CUE’s smoke-free campus, visit www.concordia.ab.ca/smoke-free