Ontario's provincial government recently announced that the coming into force of the new Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017 (SFOA) has been postponed indefinitely to allow time for the new government to re-examine the regulation of vaping.
The SFOA, which was due to come into force on July 1, 2018, is part of Bill 174, the Cannabis, Smoke-Free Ontario and Road Safety Statute Law Amendment Act, 2017. This omnibus legislation outlines the provincial framework for the regulation of cannabis once it becomes legal in Ontario under the federal Cannabis Act.
The SFOA was intended to replace both the Smoke-Free Ontario Act and the Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2015 with a single legislative framework. These existing acts will remain in force until further decisions are made with respect to the SFOA, and accordingly, employers in Ontario should ensure that they comply with their existing obligations.
To learn more about what the Smoke-Free Ontario Act requires of employers, please visit the Cassels Brock Employer Law Blog or click here.
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