A Grade 9 student says he had barely started high school when he saw three students his age vaping in a school bathroom. “I saw three Grade 9 students vaping in the bathroom, like, the first day of school,” Emran Omran said. “It’s like, what are you doing?” Fellow Grade 9 student Lennon Demerling said seeing students vaping during the school day is not unusual. “I see it very often in hallways, especially between classes,” Demerling said. Their experiences come as the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit calls for tougher provincial restrictions on vaping products, citing local enforcement figures and student survey data. According to a report going before the Windsor-Essex County Board of Health on Thursday, health unit officers laid 19 charges against local vapour-product retailers between January and June 2026 for allegedly selling products to people under 19. Ontario’s Smoke-Free Ontario Act prohibits selling or supplying vapour products to anyone younger than 19. Student surveys measure extent of youth vaping The health unit’s report cites the 2025 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey, which found 10.5 per cent of Ontario students in Grades 7 through 12 reported vaping during the previous 12 months. Among Grade 12 students, that figure rose to 17.3 per cent — equivalent to about one in six. The provincial survey was administered between December 2024 and June 2025. A separate 2024-25 COMPASS survey found 11 per cent — or about one in nine — Windsor-Essex students in Grades 9 through 12 reported vaping during the 30 days before completing the survey. Youth agency sees ‘normalization’ of vaping among youth New Beginnings Windsor-Essex executive director Stacey Yannacopoulos said her agency has recorded a slight increase in vaping-related referrals — but a much larger change in how young people view the behaviour. “We’re definitely seeing a slight increase in the referrals, but we’re seeing a significant increase in the normalization of use of vapes, for sure,” Yannacopoulos said. Referrals can come from parents, guardians or schools after a young person is caught vaping. In other cases, vaping is identified after someone approaches the agency for an unrelated concern. Since April 1, Yannacopoulos said New Beginnings has worked with 225 young people for whom vaping was flagged as a risk factor and incorporated into their treatment plans. She said vaping referrals have increased from the previous fiscal period, even as the agency has seen a decline in referrals involving some more significant forms of substance use. According to Yannacopoulos, young people often say they began vaping because their friends were doing it, they were curious about the flavours or branding, or they believed it could help with stress or appetite. Access is not always limited to a direct retail sale. “If one youth gets their hands on it, it’s shared amongst their group of peers,” said Yannacopoulos, adding some young people also obtain vaping products from family members or inside their homes. How the cessation program works New Beginnings offers cessation support intended to help young people reduce or stop vaping. Most programs run in eight-week blocks, with one session each week, although Yannacopoulos said the length and level of support are tailored to the needs of each participant. Some young people may only be experimenting and require one or two sessions. Others experiencing nicotine dependence may need longer-term support. The program focuses on explaining how vaping affects the body and developing brain, how nicotine dependence can develop and what support is available to cut back or quit. “Teens do well with facts and information,” Yannacopoulos said. “You can just sit and talk to a kid all day and tell them smoking is bad, vaping is bad. It’s not going to get you anywhere. They need fact-based information so that they can make informed decisions about their health and their bodies.” Dependence can develop within weeks Dr. Nicholas Chadi, a pediatrician specializing in adolescent and addiction medicine at Montreal’s CHU Sainte-Justine, said nicotine dependence can develop faster than many young people realize. “Nicotine, whether it’s vaped or smoked in cigarettes, can lead to dependence and addiction within weeks and months,” said Chadi. “If we develop an addiction to nicotine, then it can impact how the brain actually develops, and it can also interfere with things like normal functioning and sleep,” he said. He added that some young people use vaping products in an attempt to cope with stress, anxiety or depression, despite vaping not being shown to help and potentially making some mental-health struggles worse. Health unit seeks support for proposed restrictions The health unit is recommending that its board endorse Bill 125, the Smoke-Free Ontario Amendment Act (Vaping is Not for Kids), which passed first reading at Queen’s Park in May. If enacted, the proposed legislation would: The proposed resolution also calls on the province to introduce broader measures aimed at reducing the appeal, accessibility and availability of vaping products to young people. The Board of Health is expected to consider the recommendation during its meeting Thursday.
