Heather Crowe, known as the face of Canada's anti-smoking movement, has succumbed to lung cancer in Ottawa at the age of 61. The long-time waitress, who never smoked, is widely known for television ads in which she describes how she contracted cancer from second-hand smoke at the restaurant where she worked for 40 years. She was diagnosed in 2002, fighting the cancer with chemotherapy, radiation and steroids before it went into remission. However, she learned last August that the cancer had spread and she was losing her battle with the disease. Ms. Crowe's passing comes just one week before the Smoke Free Ontario Act comes into effect in Ontario. The act will ban any smoking in any enclosed public places and will add restrictions to the promotion, handling and display of cigarettes in stores. Jim Watson, the Liberal MPP for Ottawa-West-Nepean, was a frequent customer at the restaurant where Ms. Crowe worked and called her the "matriarch of the anti-smoking movement." He said on Monday that Ms. Crowe told him she really wanted to live to see the anti-smoking legislation come into effect. "It's very sad that she's not going to be here to see it, but she should be very happy that because of her influence, Ontarians will be able to breathe easier as a result of the legislation on May 31," said Mr. Watson. Mr. Watson said Ms. Crowe was an unlikely activist. "She fell into this anti-smoking passion because she experienced first-hand what so many people have suffered over the years. "She was a very thoughtful, compassionate individual who was not fancy or glib. She was very sincere in her approach and she just wanted to ensure that no one else had to suffer like she had to suffer as a result of exposure to second-hand smoke." Premier Dalton McGuinty presented Ms. Crowe with an award named in her honour last December. The Heather Crowe Award will recognize the efforts of individuals and organizations in promoting a smoke-free Ontario. Ms. Crowe was the first person to win a claim with the Ontario Workers Safety and Insurance Board for full compensation because her cancer was caused by occupational exposure to cigarette smoke. "'If I'd lost my hand at work they'd have paid me," she once said of the compensation award. "So if they're going to take chunks out of my lungs, why wouldn't I be entitled [to benefits]"