Creating A Smoke-Free Ontario

In recent years, cigarillos - also known as little cigars - have become a popular tobacco product for an increasing number of smokers in Canada.  These products are often marketed in a manner that is very attractive to youth through, for example, the addition of flavours; the use of colours in the wrapping and packaging; and availability for sale in small packages, which makes them cheaper and thus more accessible to youth.  

On December 10, 2008, an amendment to the Smoke Free Ontario Act (SFOA) regulating the packaging of cigarillos and prohibiting the sale of flavoured cigarillos was passed via a Private Member's Bill.  Further amendments were made to the SFOA with respect to cigarillos as part of the Creating the Foundation for Jobs and Growth Act, 2010.

On June 29, 2010, the Minister of Health Promotion announced amendments to the Smoke-Free Ontario Act (SFOA) that will come into force on July 1, 2010.

By regulating the packaging and sale of cigarillos, Ontario has taken steps to ensure that cigarillos will become less attractive, less affordable, and less accessible to young people.

These new amendments:

• Prohibit the sale and distribution of flavoured cigarillos (with an exemption for menthol flavour);
• Restrict the sale of menthol and unflavoured cigarillos to packages of at least 20, the same as cigarettes; and
• Add definitions for "cigarillo" and "flavoured cigarillos" to the SFOA.

Restricting the sale of cigarillos helps promote a Smoke-Free Ontario, especially for our youth.

These amendments ensure that Ontario's manufacturers and retailers are on level playing field with the rest of the country.

Ontario will work with its partners in the Public Health Units to educate retailers and wholesalers about expectations and compliance requirements within Ontario.

Key Facts:

• There are more than 2.1 million smokers in Ontario (aged 12+ years).
• Approximately 62 per cent of adult smokers intend to quit smoking within six months; thirty-two per cent intend to quit smoking within 30 days.
• Forty-nine per cent of Ontario smokers made a serious attempt to quit smoking over the course of a year.

Youth Smoking Rates Down:

• In 2009, 74 per cent of Ontario students (grades 7-12) reported never having taken a puff of a cigarette in their lifetime, a 17 per cent improvement since 2003-- 17 per cent represents an increase of more than 170,000 lifetime abstainers.
• The number of students in grades 7 to 12 who say they have smoked in the past year is the lowest since 1977.
• However, in 2009, 5 per cent of Ontario's students, grades 7 to 12, remain daily or occasional smokers.