A third vape shop is preparing to open at 1342 Johnston Road in White Rock - directly across the street from an existing vape shop, and within a 3-minute walk of White Rock Elementary School.

Permanent signage is already installed. They're moving in.

And hundreds of children aged 5-12 walk past these locations every single day.

CANADA'S YOUTH VAPING CRISIS - THE SHOCKING NUMBERS

Canada has been identified as having the HIGHEST youth vaping rates IN THE WORLD. The statistics are devastating:

📊 **12% of Canadian high school students (grades 10-12) vape DAILY** - among the highest rates ever reported globally

📊 **27% of Grade 12 students currently vape** - more than 1 in 4 teenagers

📊 **17% of students in grades 7-12 reported vaping in the past 30 days** - that's more than 400,000 Canadian youth

📊 **66% of youth who tried both cigarettes and vaping tried vaping FIRST** - it's not a quit-smoking tool for kids

📊 **61% of youth vapers have NEVER smoked a cigarette** - vaping created a NEW generation of nicotine addicts who would never have been smokers

📊 **The average age of vaping initiation is 15.8 years** - but exposure and normalization start much younger

THE MARKETING DESIGNED TO HOOK KIDS

📊 **63% of student vapers prefer FRUIT flavours** - the exact bright, colorful marketing visible in vape shop windows

📊 **Research confirms: vape flavours and packaging are DESIGNED to appeal to youth** and influence willingness to try vaping (Heart & Stroke Canada, 2023)

📊 **84% of Canadians support restricting youth-appealing vape flavours** - the public knows this is targeting kids

THE WHITE ROCK PROBLEM: UNPRECEDENTED OVERSATURATION

Two vape shops already operate on Johnston Road:
- Crystal Smoke & Convenience (1345 Johnston Road)  
- EZ-Vape White Rock (1474 Johnston Road)

Now a third is opening at 1342 Johnston Road - **just 20 METRES across the street from Crystal Smoke**.

**This concentration is UNPRECEDENTED.** Two vape shops facing each other. Both within a 3-minute walk of elementary students. Three vape shops in 2 blocks.

For context: White Rock has only **3 liquor stores** spread across our entire town center - deliberately spaced to avoid oversaturation.

Yet we're supposed to accept **3 vape shops concentrated in 2 blocks near an elementary school?**

**This level of clustering near a school is unprecedented, excessive, and fundamentally incompatible with White Rock's family-friendly character.**

When **12% of high school students vape DAILY** and **27% of Grade 12 students currently vape**, we need LESS vape retail near schools, not more.

WHAT WE'RE DEMANDING

We call on White Rock City Council to **DENY the business license for 1342 Johnston Road** on the grounds of:

1. **Unprecedented business oversaturation** - Two shops 20 metres apart has never been allowed before
2. **Proximity to elementary school** - Hundreds of children ages 5-12 walk this route daily  
3. **Canada's youth vaping epidemic** - 400,000+ youth vaping, 12% daily use among high schoolers
4. **Community character** - This contradicts everything White Rock stands for

Under Business Licence Bylaw 1997, No. 1510, Council has the authority to consider community impact and prevent excessive concentration of similar businesses.

**When 1 in 4 Grade 12 students vape, when Canada leads the WORLD in youth vaping, when kids as young as 12 are already addicted - Council must act.**

This isn't about being anti-business. **It's about preventing unprecedented oversaturation of an industry that's creating a generation of nicotine-addicted children.**

SIGN THIS PETITION IF YOU BELIEVE:

✓ **400,000+ Canadian youth vaping is a crisis, not a business opportunity**  
✓ **27% of Grade 12 students vaping means we need LESS vape retail, not more**  
✓ **Unprecedented concentration near a school crosses the line**  
✓ **Children's health matters more than one business owner's profits**

Every signature will be delivered to White Rock City Council.

**Our children are watching. Let's show them we choose them over corporate profits.**

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**SOURCES:**
Canadian Student Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CSADS) 2023-24 | Heart & Stroke Foundation Canada 2023 | Statistics Canada | Canadian Lung Association | University of Waterloo | International systematic review (Kim et al. 2022)