Meeting the Minister

On July 16, 2019, the VanGo team invited the Minister of Jobs, Trade and Technology, the Honourable Bruce Ralston to our facility to talk about the vape industry, its benefits to society in both health and the economy, and what we are going through as an industry. 

We spoke at length about the pains we as an industry are going through, with most people not fully understanding the potential for change that vaping has on smokers and the fear we have of the industry being overregulated and taken over by big tobacco. We have the opportunity for huge societal change, and the right legislation could improve the lives of smokers for generations. 

We also discussed the forward-thinking Public Health England and how they are dealing with the advent of vaping. They encourage smokers to switch to e-cigarettes and even state that "it would be tragic if thousands of smokers who could quit with the help of an e-cigarette are being put off due to false fears about safety" 

These issues that we are dealing with in the vaping sphere can change the healthcare realm in British Columbia and Canada as a whole. According to the Conference Board of Canada, smoking costs the economy $16.2 billion per year and is the cause of nearly 1 in 5 deaths. Public Health England reports that vaping is 95% safer than smoking. If more people make the switch with support from the government in spreading this message, it is safe to conclude that society will be much better off. It’s time to look at the facts and move away from rhetoric and scare tactics that benefit only big tobacco and hurt Canadians. 

The Minister left with a fact and study compilation from VAEP, stats about the industry and other quotes from Health Canada that show that the advent of vaping benefits society. We know that the truth will thrive, and the provincial government's support of vaping and the many jobs associated with it will benefit British Columbians and will be an example for the other provinces to follow. We look forward to continued discussions and to addressing any questions or concerns that arise, and we appreciate the provincial government's openness to discussion.