May 2006

Smoke-Free Ontario Act — Protecting Ontarians

All Enclosed Workplaces and Enclosed Public Places In Ontario To Be Smoke-Free

 

Smoking is prohibited in all enclosed workplaces and enclosed public places across Ontario as of May 31, 2006.

“This legislation makes us a leader in North America, creating safer, smoke-free work environments and supporting our efforts to prevent young people from starting to smoke,” Health Promotion Minister Jim Watson said. “This legislation is both comprehensive and fair. It gives municipalities and businesses what they asked for with regard to tougher province wide standards, and reflects the efforts of those who have worked to create a smoke-free Ontario.”

Watson said the Smoke-Free Ontario Act is a milestone in the McGuinty government’s efforts to achieve a 20 per cent reduction in tobacco use by the end of 2007.

The Smoke-Free Ontario Act:

• Bans smoking in enclosed public places and all enclosed workplaces as of May 31, 2006, including restaurants, bars, schools, private clubs, sports arenas, work vehicles, offices and entertainment venues, including casinos, bingo halls, bowling and billiard establishments
• Eliminate designated smoking rooms (DSRs) in restaurants and bars, permit residential care facilities to operate controlled smoking areas which are specially designed to ensure nobody outside the room is exposed to second-hand smoke. The law stipulates who may enter the area and under what conditions, as well as requirements for engineering design, function and maintenance of these areas
• Protect home health care workers from second-hand smoke when offering services in private residences
• Prohibit smoking on patios that have food and beverage service if they are either partially or completely covered by a roof
• Toughen the rules prohibiting tobacco sales to minors
• Prevent the promotion of tobacco products in entertainment venues
• Immediately restrict the retail promotion of tobacco products and impose a complete ban on the display of tobacco products by May 31, 2008

“The legislation will protect workers and the public from exposure to second-hand smoke and it will help to ensure that young people don’t pick up this deadly addiction,” says Dr. Sheela Basrur, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health.

Tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable disease and death in Ontario, killing 16,000 Ontarians every year. Tobacco-related diseases cost the Ontario economy at least $1.7 billion for health care annually, result in more than $2.6 billion in productivity losses and account for at least 500,000 hospital days each year.

The act is part of the McGuinty government’s comprehensive plan to improve health care in Ontario. The plan includes keeping Ontarians healthier, reducing wait times for key procedures, creating Family Health Teams, and increasing access to doctors and nurses.

The public may also obtain information on the Smoke-Free Ontario Act by calling:

• INFOline at 1-866-396-1760
• TTY at 1-800-387-5559

Hours of operation: Monday to Friday, 8:30am - 5:00pm.

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For further information:

Adam Grachnik
Minister’s Office
416-326-8497

Julie Rosenberg
Ministry of Health Promotion
416-326-4833

 

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