Ontario’s blueprint for nicotine prevention, cessation, and achieving Canada’s Tobacco Endgame
The Lung Health Foundation continues to advance protection from tobacco and vaping related harm through our work with the Ontario Nicotine Action Table (ONAT), a provincial cross-sector committee that brings together diverse partners working in nicotine prevention, nicotine cessation, public health, research, policy, healthcare and community health to support collaboration, knowledge exchange, and coordinated leadership in addressing commercial tobacco and nicotine use.
Through the Ontario Stakeholder’s Nicotine Action Plan (The Action Plan), ONAT supports a province-wide approach to reducing tobacco use, preventing nicotine addiction, improving access to cessation supports, and reducing nicotine-related harms across Ontario.
Nicotine use remains one of Ontario’s most significant and preventable drivers of chronic disease. While cigarette smoking rates have declined, overall nicotine exposure remains a major public health concern, driven by rising youth vaping rates and the emergence of new nicotine products such as nicotine pouches.
These harms are not experienced equally. Many equity deserving communities face higher rates of nicotine use and addiction, greater exposure to targeted marketing, and more barriers to cessation support.
ONAT marks a new chapter: a province-wide commitment to protect important gains in reducing Ontario smoking rates and accelerate progress toward Canada’s Tobacco Endgame goal of reducing tobacco use to below five percent by 2035.
The Ontario Nicotine Action Table was established to help maintain momentum, strengthen accountability, and support long-term progress in nicotine prevention and cessation.
Convened by the Lung Health Foundation in 2025, ONAT unites a diverse group of stakeholders working across sectors to address nicotine addiction, one of the province’s most pressing and preventable public health challenges:
By bringing these perspectives together, ONAT helps ensure that Ontario’s response is evidence-informed, equitable, and grounded in real-world system knowledge and lived experience.
“By 2035, Ontario will reduce tobacco use to below five per cent, achieving Canada’s Tobacco Endgame objective.
By 2045, Ontario will reduce nicotine use to below five per cent across all age groups in Ontario. These milestones represent a long-term vision for a healthier Ontario, where fewer people experience addiction, chronic disease, and preventable harm.
The Action Plan provides the blueprint for achieving these goals across Ontario. The next phase of the Ontario Nicotine Action Table’s work, beginning in 2026 and continuing through 2027, maintains focus on this vision by strengthening accountability, establishing shared measurement, and supporting sector specific implementation to sustain momentum toward Ontario’s long-term goals.”
The goal of ONAT is to dramatically reduce nicotine use across Ontario and protect future generations from addiction. As a consensus-driven group, every member has a voice in shaping the direction and outcomes of the work.
Key outcomes include:
Together, these long-term milestones provide a shared vision and roadmap for reducing tobacco- and nicotine-related harms while improving access to prevention and cessation supports across the province.
The Ontario Nicotine Action Table recognizes that while Ontario has made significant progress in reducing smoking, emerging nicotine products have changed the landscape and require a broader long-term approach to preventing nicotine addiction, supporting nicotine cessation and advancing health equity.
The Ontario Stakeholder’s Nicotine Action Plan, Ontario’s shared framework for coordinated action on tobacco and nicotine prevention, cessation, health equity, community leadership, accountability, and system improvement.
Developed through a collaborative and evidence-informed process involving organizations from across Ontario, the plan identifies the priorities, actions, and measures needed to accelerate progress over the next decade and beyond.
The Action Plan provides a roadmap as Ontario’s blueprint for collective action for organizations working in prevention, cessation, policy, research, healthcare, and community health while helping Ontario stay focused on its Tobacco Endgame and nicotine reduction goals.
If your organization works in nicotine prevention, cessation, youth health, chronic disease prevention, or community wellness, the Ontario Nicotine Action Table invites you to join us in advancing Ontario’s blueprint for a healthier future.
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Ontario Lung Association is a registered charity operating as the Lung Health Foundation, and is no longer affiliated with the Canadian Lung Association.
