Despite pledges to crack down on the problem, there has been no improvement in controlling the use of contraband tobacco products in Ontario.
That's according to the Ontario Convenience Stores Association, which points to the results of a recent province-wide study.
Association CEO Dave Bryans says data was compiled by an independent firm that studied cigarette butts collected at several locations in each community studied. And he says the numbers show contraband usage is about the same as in two similar studies conducted over the past five years.
Bryans says at about 21 percent, usage levels in Thunder Bay are average for the province.
But he adds that the 28 per cent level recorded at one city high-school studied -- Hammarskjold High School -- points to an alarmingly high level of usage among students.
Bryans is calling on the provincial government to follow through on promises to give our police enhanced powers to deal with the contraband tobacco problem.
(Thunder Bay Television)
