LINDSAY, ON- If you need help reminding people they can’t smoke in the office, the health unit can help.
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit is offering free non-smoking signs to any business in their district that is legally required to put the signs up.
According to the health unit, under the updated Smoke-Free Ontario Act (SFOA), the signs must be posted at entrances, exits, washrooms and other appropriate locations to ensure that the public is aware that smoking and vaping is not allowed.
HKPR Health promotor Jennifer Valcamp had this to say “The signs are a clear reminder to employers, employees and visitors that smoking tobacco, using e-cigarettes or smoking/vaping cannabis are against the law in any enclosed workplace and public place in Ontario.”
Health unit staff say that in October of 2018, Ontario updated the SFOA was updated to include vaping and E-cigarettes.
According to Valcamp, the health unit is going to move ahead with “progressive enforcement”. “For cases in which workplaces break the smoking/vaping restrictions, we will be giving warnings for a short grace period to educate people about the new law,” Valcamp says. “However, within months, we will enforce the rules in the Smoke Free Ontario Act by issuing fines for non-compliance.”
Anyone that smokes or vapes where they are not allowed, they can be fined up to $1000 on the first offence and $5,000 for any further offences. If local workplaces find that the smoking and vaping rules are not being followed, they are encouraged to report these incidents by contacting the Health Unit and speaking to a Tobacco Control Officer.