The SFOA

Often, it is thought that the SFOA targets smokers. 
This is not the case.  What the SFOA does target is smoking in certain places and situations, as well as the improper display, promotion or sale of tobacco products among other things. It may surprise you to learn that of the nearly 50 fines that can be levied in the SFOA, only about 10 involve an actual lit cigarette.

The Smoke-Free Ontario Act (SFOA) is one of the laws that govern the sale of cigarettes in Ontario.  There are rules about how vendors can promote, display and sell tobacco products which are aimed at protecting our youth.

Vendors

Vendors, such as most convenience stores and gas stations, must ensure that minors do not purchase tobacco products.  Anyone who looks like they could be under the age of 25, not 19, must produce proper ID before they can purchase tobacco products.

Selling to minors is a serious offence resulting in a fine for the clerk who sold tobacco products to a minor and to the business itself.  It is very important that vendors train all of their employees about the importance of asking for proper ID. Clerks must know that they can and should refuse selling tobacco products to people without ID, even if they may look old enough.

Supply

It is also against the law to supply tobacco products to a minor.  If you buy a pack of cigarettes and give them to a teenager outside of the store, this is a crime, not a favour. It’s the same for a student giving a friend a single cigarette from his pack. If someone is caught supplying tobacco to a minor, they can receive a fine.

So remember, the SFOA is not about punishing people who smoke, it’s about protecting youth from tobacco company marketing and the public from second-hand smoke.