More Toronto parks to get free sunscreen dispensers

Thestar.com
June 20, 2019
Emma Sandri

More Toronto parks will be equipped with free sunscreen dispensers this summer, as the city continues to work with melanoma charities to protect residents from the sun.

There will be 75 dispensers providing SPF 30 broad-spectrum sunscreen this summer in city parks along the waterfront, as well as new locations like High Park, Riverdale Farm and Evergreen Brick Works.

“Toronto is great place to live, work and play during the summer months and we want to make sure that everyone who spends time outside is practising sun safety so that they can fully enjoy all the city has to offer,” Mayor John Tory said in a statement.

The #BeSunSafe program began with a pilot project in 2017, which provided sunscreen to five parks near the waterfront trail. It expanded last year to include 50 sunscreen dispensers along a 50-kilometre stretch of the waterfront.

Those sunscreen dispensers were used to help protect up to 94,000 people, according to a news release from the City of Toronto. The purpose of the program is to prevent skin cancer by raising awareness of the importance of sun protection, said the release.

Two melanoma charities, David Cornfield Melanoma Fund and the Douglas Wright Foundation, will be covering the cost of the program and maintain the stock of the dispensers.

Danielle Paterson, executive director of the David Cornfield Melanoma Fund and representative for the Douglas Wright Foundation, says that skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Canada.

“Protecting your skin in the sun is the best way to reduce your risk of melanoma and other skin cancers,” Paterson said in a news release.