Over the past 19 years, Leave The Pack Behind has received thousands of messages like the one above. Sadly, just 2 days before receiving this email, the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care contacted Leave The Pack Behind to advise them that the Ford government was ceasing all funding to the initiative, effective March 31, 2019. No support for shuttering Leave The Pack Behind was offered.
Fortunately, in an act of extreme generosity, Brock University (where Leave The Pack Behind has been housed since its inception in 2000) stepped in to help Leave The Pack Behind undertake the wide-ranging tasks of properly and ethically ending an initiative that has meaningfully improved the lives of so many Ontarians.
Despite this generosity, without government funding Leave The Pack Behind will cease all operations in June 2019.
For 19 years, Leave The Pack Behind inspired young adults to live their best lives, tobacco-free and vape-free. Its enormous success is attributable to the unrelenting dedication of skilled staff members who genuinely wanted the best for those they worked with and for. The enduring investments and support of many partners and stakeholders made Leave The Pack Behind the absolute best it could be. It is heart-breaking to see this much-valued, successful initiative come to such an unceremonious end.
Take Action Now!
Message Doug Ford, Christine Elliott or your local MPP and tell them “I support Leave The Pack Behind. Restore their funding!”