| Birthday: |
|
|---|---|
| Birthplace: |
|
| Died: |
|
| Occupation: |
|
| Website: | Heather Crowe at smoke-free.ca |
Heather Crowe (April 23, 1945, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia – May 22, 2006, Ottawa, Ontario) was a Canadian waitress who became the public face of Canada's anti-smoking campaign. She claimed that she contracted lung cancer in 2002 from second-hand smoke encountered at her workplace of over forty years, and later appeared in numerous television public service announcements.[1] The last place she worked was the well-known Newport Restaurant in Ottawa.
She famously claimed to have "never smoked a day in her life". In 2002, she submitted a successful claim relating to second-hand smoke exposure in the workplace to the Ontario Workplace Safety & Insurance Board for lost earnings and health care benefits.
Based on her $12,000 salary, it awarded her $200 a week, plus $4,000 a year to help with medical expenses. She received a $40,000, one-time payment for pain and suffering. And then just before Christmas in 2003, the Ontario Workplace Safety & Insurance Board ordered her back to work and provided her with physical therapy to help her re-enter the workforce. [2]
Due to a large part of her lobbying, the province of Ontario passed a tough anti-smoking bill which came into effect four days after her 2006 death of lung cancer at the age of 61.