News & announcements

2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005

NEWS RELEASE

Smoke-Free Winners Celebrate With Prizes and Healthy Lifestyles

February 20, 2009 - Six British Columbians are collecting their prizes after winning the BC Lung Association’s QuitNow & WIN contest. Mary Polak, Minister of Healthy Living & Sport and Scott McDonald, Executive Director of the BC Lung Association congratulate them on their biggest win: quitting smoking.

Left to right: The Honourable Mary Polak, Minister of Healthy Living & Sport, Grand Prize Winner Justin Tournier and BC Lung Association Executive Director Scott McDonald

“The QuitNow & WIN contest was a good indicator that many British Columbians who are smoking want to live smoke-free,” said Polak. “More than 14,000 people were directly involved in the contest – 7,000 registered to quit, and each of them had a buddy for support. It was encouraging to see this number of people involved in a contest that helped them a choice to improve their health. This contest was a creative incentive that helped people kick a dangerous addiction.”

Registration for the contest ran from November 24, 2008 to January 5, 2009. People who wanted to quit smoking registered on the QuitNow.ca website.

“Doing an online contest to help people to quit smoking worked out even better than we had anticipated,” said McDonald. “In addition to quitting smoking, a lot of people shared their personal quit stories online and offered tips and words of encouragement to other smokers struggling to overcome tobacco addiction. With more than 30,000 hits on the contest website, it shows just how much people rely on each other to quit smoking.”

Winners of the QuitNow & WIN contest were chosen randomly. To qualify, they had to be British Columbians who remained tobacco-free from January 6 through February 2, 2009. Winners had to verify their tobacco-free status with a urine sample and a carbon monoxide test. Prizes for the contest were donated by McNeil Consumer Healthcare.

Grand prize winner Justin Tournier is a 28-year-old computer science student from Kimberley and a medic for Callum Energy Services. He won $2,500 in cash and $7,500 in gift certificates. He is going to use the $2,500 towards his student loans and buy a new computer and a new television for his mother.

“I had wanted to quit smoking for a while, and this contest was the incentive I needed,” Tournier said. “It feels great to win, but honestly, being free of cigarettes is what’s really amazing.”

Regional winners each received $2,500 in gift certificates:

  • Vancouver Coastal Health Authority Region: 33-year-old Janelle Kelly, Vancouver
  • Interior Health Authority Region: 45-year-old Autumn Krystal Louise, Penticton
  • Vancouver Island Health Authority Region: 37-year-old Christie Kane, Victoria
  • Northern Health Authority Region: 71-year-old Mary “Pamela” Wray, Fort St. John
  • Fraser Health Authority Region: 29-year-old Ciska Asriel, Burnaby

For more information about the 2009 QuitNow & WIN contest, to view photos of the winners and to read support stories, visit www.quitnow.ca.

For British Columbians who still smoke but are contemplating quitting, the BC Lung Association encourages smokers to capitalize on QuitNow Services; tobacco use cessation services provided free-of-charge to all British Columbians year round.

Under QuitNow Services, British Columbians have access to QuitNow by Phone (1-877-455-2233), a clinically proven, cost-free, telephone-based counselling program available 24/7 in over 130 languages. They can also access QuitNow Online at www.quitnow.ca, an internet-based program that combines effective methods for quitting smoking with an individualized program that is available anytime and anyplace.

For more information please contact:
Katrina van Bylandt, Communications Manager, BC Lung Association
T 604.731.5864 Toll Free 1.800.665.5864 E vanbylandt@bc.lung.ca