MANTRA Is Now the Manitoba Nicotine & Tobacco Reduction Alliance

News
Written By MANTRA

This National Non-Smoking Week (January 18-24, 2026), we are formally announcing a small but important change to our name. We are now the Manitoba Nicotine & Tobacco Reduction Alliance. 

Our acronym remains the same. Our mission remains the same. Our values remain the same. 

What has changed is the nicotine landscape in Manitoba and across Canada. Our name needed to reflect that reality. 

National Non-Smoking Week has been observed annually in Canada since 1977. Over nearly five decades, smoking rates have declined significantly, thanks to strong public health policies, education, and prevention efforts. That progress matters and should be recognized. 

At the same time, thousands of Manitobans continue to smoke, and nicotine use has not disappeared. It has shifted. 

“Progress doesn’t mean the work is done,” says Cynthia Carr, Executive Director of MANTRA. “It means the work must continue to evolve.” 

Smoking has declined, but it remains a serious issue 

Commercial tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in Manitoba. Each year, more than 1,500 Manitobans die from tobacco-related illnesses, and in 2020 alone, the health care costs associated with tobacco use in the province exceeded $196 million. 

  • In 2023, 9 percent of Manitobans aged 18 and over reported smoking daily. 

However, the “average” cannot hide that inequity remains within Manitoba.  For example, smoking rates are even higher among some populations including Indigenous Manitobans. 

  • In 2022, 19 percent of Manitobans aged 15 and over who identify as Indigenous reported smoking daily. 

Smoking prevention, protection from second-hand smoke, and access to cessation support remain critical. That work has always been part of MANTRA’s mandate, and this will continue. 

But tobacco is no longer the whole story. 

Nicotine use today looks very different from what it did a decade ago 

While smoking rates, especially among youth, are lower than in the past, nicotine use has not declined at the same pace. Instead, it has taken new forms. 

Vaping products, tobacco-free nicotine pouches, and flavoured, discreet, tech-driven devices are now widely available. Many of these products do not contain tobacco leaf, but they often contain nicotine in high concentrations.

“A tobacco-only name no longer fully captured what we are working to reduce,” says Carr. “Nicotine, a highly addictive stimulant in tobacco, is a central issue regardless of the mechanism of ingestion.” 

This shift is especially visible among young people. 

Youth nicotine use is a key driver of this change 

Many modern nicotine products were originally marketed as tools to help adults quit smoking. In practice, they have become a primary driver of nicotine initiation among youth and young adults. 

  • In 2022, 7.8 percent of Manitobans aged 15 and over reported vaping in the past 30 days, compared to a national average of 5.8 percent. 

Rates are significantly higher among youth. 

  • In 2023–2024, 18.4 percent of students in grades 7 to 12 reported past 30-day e-cigarette use, up from 16.7 percent in 2021–2022.

Youth uptake is not accidental. Flavours, sleek designs, and marketing that frames use as normal, harmless, or appealing all play a role. 

“This matters because nicotine is highly addictive and it may affect brain development in young people,” says Carr. “Dependence can show up as anxiety, difficulty concentrating, stress, and financial strain, even at a very young age.” 

Nicotine and tobacco affect Manitobans at every stage of life 

Beyond youth, nicotine and tobacco continue to affect adults across Manitoba. 

Secondhand smoke exposes non-smokers to serious health risks. Nicotine dependence can affect physical health, mental well-being, finances, and quality of life at any age. The combined impacts of nicotine and tobacco use continue to place a strain on our health care system. 

“Our work has always been about the health of all Manitobans,” Carr says. “That hasn’t changed. What’s changed is the mix of products and how people are being exposed.” 

Four domains, one connected goal 

MANTRA’s work has long focused on four interconnected areas: 

  • Prevention: stopping initiation before it starts 

  • Protection: reducing exposure and harm to others 

  • Cessation: supporting people who want to quit 

  • Denormalization: reducing the social acceptability of nicotine and tobacco use 

Addressing nicotine and tobacco together strengthens all four domains. Prevention efforts must reflect the products that youth are actually encountering. Protection policies must account for new forms of exposure. Cessation supports must recognize nicotine dependence beyond cigarettes. Denormalization requires keeping pace with how the industry rebrands and reinvents itself. 

As Cynthia Carr wrote in a recent reflection, prevention is the work that cannot wait. That belief sits at the heart of this name change. 

The path forward 

We invite partners, policymakers, educators, parents, health professionals, and community members to learn more, stay engaged, and be part of reducing nicotine and tobacco harm in Manitoba. 

One of the best ways to stay connected to our work is by following along through our communication channels. 

  • Browse our Blog and Events to learn more about the issues shaping nicotine and tobacco use in Manitoba and the work underway to address them. 

Media inquiries 

For media inquiries, please contact us here or reach out directly to: 

Cynthia Carr 
Executive Director, Manitoba Nicotine & Tobacco Reduction Alliance
info@mantrainc.ca

MANTRA
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