Province Moving to Restrict Tanning Bed Use by Youth

The provincial government is expected to put in regulations that will prohibit the use of indoor tanning beds by youth under 18 years of age.

Similar restrictions are already in place in a number of other provinces, and Health Minister Dustin Duncan says they wanted to do their due dilligence before going forward with it here.

"Part of what we try to do in looking at what other jurisdictions are doing is trying to get a sense of how effective it is," Duncan said. "I had said earlier that my preference would have been to do parental consent, which I thought would provide a balance of protecting young people while ensuring parents had the ability to make decisions and consultation with their own children, but when we looked further into it, it didn't seem feasible for us to do that."

The province would allow youth to use tanning beds if they have permission to do so from a physician as part of the regulations, which are expected to take effect this summer. Duncan says they will also be working with tanning bed providers in the development of the regulations.

"This isn't that we are going to consult with the industry and decide later this summer that we're not going to do this," he said. "We want to ensure that they are fully aware with the regulations, what their obligations are, and that their employees are comfortable and understanding of what the law will require of them, so that nobody is caught in a position where they're providing a service to somebody where it's not legal to serve."

The government is also planning to continue supporting public education efforts aimed at raising awareness of the risks of indoor tanning, and encourage people to make healthy lifestyle choices.