Patio-smoking ban comes into effect April 1

Released: March 28, 2018 at 11:01 a.m.

Winnipeg, MB - Smoking on outdoor patios at restaurants and bars in Winnipeg will be banned starting April 1.

In March, following an extensive public engagement process that demonstrated clear public support for banning smoking on outdoor patios, Council approved amendments to the City’s Outdoor Smoking By-law that will come into force on Sunday. The ban applies to all restaurants and bars where there is an outdoor patio that occupies a defined space and requires an occupancy permit.

Smoking devices and products including cigarettes, cigars, pipes, e-cigarettes, water pipes, hookahs and similar devices that allow the user to inhale tobacco, cannabis or any other substances that generate second-hand smoke when being used, are all included in the ban, however, an exemption is made for ceremonies led by Indigenous persons.

Both smokers and business owners can be fined for contravening the patio-smoking ban up to $200 for a patron and up to $400 for a business operator.

Research indicates second-hand smoke contains harmful chemicals, some of which are cancer causing, for which there is no safe level of exposure. Even outdoors, people exposed to second-hand smoke will be exposed to these chemicals.

Background

On June 12, 2017, the Standing Policy Committee on Protection, Community Services and Parks directed the public service to review practices in other Canadian municipalities to regulate smoking on outdoor patios at bars and restaurants and to conduct public engagement to gather input on changes to smoking on outdoor patios at bars and restaurants.

The City reached out to residents to get their feedback using an online survey, and engaged a consultant to conduct a statistically significant telephone survey. Several stakeholder sessions were held in fall of 2017 in addition to the telephone and online surveys. The results from both surveys showed strong public support for a patio-smoking ban. In addition, results from a cross-jurisdictional survey indicated that all 10 Canadian cities surveyed have municipal or provincial legislation (or both) prohibiting smoking on restaurant and bar patios, including e-cigarettes.

For more information, please visit winnipeg.ca/patiosmokingreview

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