Poison Prevention Week

National Poison Prevention Week was endorsed by the United States congress in 1961 and was designated to take place annually, during the third full week of March. In the early 1980s, Poison Centres across Canada also began to promote Poison Prevention Week during this same week.

Canadian poison centres continue to promote Poison Prevention Week through a variety of activities. Each year, they work closely with media representatives, as well as community partners such as Safe Kids Canada and Health Canada to promote poison safety messages.

Poison Prevention Week 2026

Posted on March 18, 2026

Today kicks off Poison Prevention Week (March 15–21) and the #RethinkPoisons campaign.

To mark the occasion, the OPC has coordinated a number of city illuminations, mayoral proclamations, press releases, activities, webinars, and promotional materials to help raise awareness throughout the week. Scroll below to learn more.

Illuminations

Ontario is kicking things off with 20 landmark illuminations (see below). If you’re in one of the locations at the right time, feel free to snap a photo and tag us.

Location:	Date:
Toronto City Sign	March 15th, 2026
Niagara Falls	March 20^th, 2026 @ 10:15
Waterluminate Uptown Waterloo Light	March 19^th, 2026 & March 20^th, 2026
Vaughan City Hall	March 15th, 2026
Ottawa City Sign	March 19th, 2026 & March 16^th, 2026
Brampton Clock Towers	March 15^th, 2026
Fred A. Lundy Bridge	March 19th, 2026
Mississauga Clock Towers	March 15th, 2026
London City Hall, RBC Place, and the JA Taylor building at Wellington and Dundas	March 15th, 2026
The Peace Bridge	March 19^th, 2026
Sarnia City Hall & Sarnia Waterfront Sign	March 15^th, 2026-March 21^st, 2026
Collingwood Clock Tower	March 15^th, 2026-March 21^st, 2026
Burlington Pier	March 16^th, 2026
Hamilton City Sign	March 18^th, 2026-March 19^th, 2026
Peterborough City Hall	March 15^th, 2026 & March 21^st, 2026
Oakville Town Hall	March 16^th, 2026-March 21^st, 2026
CN Tower	March 18th, 2026

Proclamations

Municipal leaders across Ontario have issued mayoral proclamations recognizing Poison Prevention Week, alongside a provincial acknowledgement from the Premier.

Location:	Proclaimer:
Ontario	Premier Doug Ford
Aurora	Mayor Tom Mrakas
Pickering	Mayor Kevin Ashe
Orillia	Mayor Don Mcisaac
Ottawa	Mayor Mark Sutcliffe
Brampton	Mayor Patrick Brown
Toronto	Mayor Olivia Chow
Newmarket	Mayor John Taylor

***Email acknowledgement from Manitoba Deputy Minister (not full proclamation)

Articles & Media

Parachute release: Pain Medications remain the leading cause of poison centre calls in Canada

Village Media article: National Poison Prevention Week 2026: Rethinking poisons in your home

Technical Standards Safety Authority (TSSA) & Ontario Poison Centre joint release

Distributed to 33 local news sites, including Toronto Today

SickKids LinkedIn post highlighting Janice He and our SPIs (dropping this week)

SickKids Daily News feature

Feature in the Spring Safety Booklet to be distributed to 140,000+ households across Kingston, St. Catharines, and the Niagara region

Grey Bruce District School Board newsletter

Several other Public Health Unit newsletters

Social Media & Digital Promotion

Poison Prevention Week Social Media Graphic Toolkit: https://parachute.filecamp.com/s/o/vmRIPW6fh6okQ6kY

Backgrounder: https://parachute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/NPPW2026-Backgrounder-E.pdf

These resources will be distributed across our social media channels with 20+ planned posts. Feel free to share within your networks and use the hashtags #ReThinkPoisons #NPPW2026.

Several partners and Public Health Units have also agreed to participate in the campaign.

Parachute videos (please share widely):

Digital signage is also live across the hospital throughout the week.

On-Site Booths & Engagement

SickKids Atrium Booth, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., Monday to Friday

Additional engagement this week:

AboutKidsHealth – poison prevention content and promotion
SickKids Injury Prevention –joining the booth on Tuesday
TSSA – Susy Ceolin joining the booth on Wednesday

Clinical & Unit-Based Activities

Nursing Unit Engagement– Swag and educational handouts for nursing units
Child Life– Resources and colouring books for kids and families
Other departments and clinics– Colouring books and Poison Centre business cards for waiting rooms
Shoppers Drug Mart– Business cards and poison prevention resources distributed to clients picking up medications