By Patrick Metzger

Torontoist likes the Canadian Cancer Society, and who can blame us? They do a lot of good work, helping sick people and their families and raising money so that the folks in the lab coats can find new ways to get cancer patients healthy. That said, an anonymous tipster brought to our attention an interesting observation about a contest that they’re sponsoring.
The “Driven to Quit Challenge” is aimed at motivating people to quit smoking, unquestionably a worthwhile goal. However, couldn’t they come up with a more appropriate prize than an Acura CSX? If someone goes to all the trouble to give up poisoning themselves with tobacco smoke, does it really send the right message to reward them with something that belches toxins and causes respiratory mayhem across the general population? Sure, it makes for a catchy contest name, but maybe a hybrid vehicle would have been better, or a really nice bike with a bell and a basket and some streamers for the handlebars.
As long as we’re nitpicking, the print ad graphic features a car’s side mirror with the reflection of a cigarette butt that someone’s thrown on the ground, which we’ll allow is some nifty symbolism, but also represents a nasty social habit. Don’t you know that every cigarette butt on the ground eventually finds its way into the lake? Who’s their agency, anyway?
We still appreciate the cancer fighting stuff, though.