- NDP Health Critic France Gélinas urged the McGuinty government to move swiftly to stop the spread of skin cancer amongst Ontario youth by banning the provision of tanning services to young people.

The call comes on the heel of a new study by the Ontario Division of the Canadian Cancer Society which shows that tanning salon operators are ignoring voluntary guidelines to limit youth tanning.

The report found that 60 per cent of Toronto salons did not prevent youth under age 16 from using their tanning beds as they are supposed to under Health Canada’s guidelines.

“More than 50,000 Ontario youth use tanning beds,” said Gélinas. “And that is a major reason why skin cancer is the second most common cancer among youth.”

Gélinas said the government has moved too slowly on this important public health issue, with action to date limited to a Private Member’s Bill that appears to be stalled.

“The way the government has handled this issue shows that skin cancer is too low on its priority list,” said Gelinas. “Moreover, the present Bill doesn’t address the need to ban advertising to youth, to improve staff training at salons, to create a registry of all tanning salons and to better monitor and control use.”

Gélinas urged the government to move ahead with comprehensive action to strongly regulate tanning salons at the earliest date possible.