Boards and Committees

The Province of Nova Scotia strengthens its Smoke-free Places Act
As of December 1. 2006

The NS Smoke-free Places Act requires on December 1, 2006 that all indoor workplaces and public places to be smoke-free. The Act requires all outdoor licensed areas and patios of all restaurants, lounges, beverage rooms and cabarets to be smoke-free.

The HRM by-law on Smoke Free Places has been superceded by the more restrictive Nova Scotia Smoke Free Places Act .

For information additional to the material provided at this site please
call The Province of NS at 1-800-565-3611.
or go to http://www.gov.ns.ca/hpp/cdip/smoke-free-places-act.asp

General Information

Designated smoking rooms can be operated for the use of residents in health-care facilities for the acute or long-term care of veterans, in licensed nursing homes and residential care facilities and in homes for aged and disabled persons.

Overview of the Smoke-free Places Act:

Total Smoking Ban
No smoking is permitted in the following enclosed places:

• daycare, pre-school
• school, community college or university [also, no smoking on school grounds]
• library, art gallery or museum
• health-care facility
• cinema or theatre
• video arcade, pool hall, billiards room
• recreational facility where the primary activity is physical
• recreation, including a bowling alley, fitness centre, gymnasium, pool or rink
• multi-service centre, community centre/hall, arena, fire hall or church hall
• meeting or conference room or hall, ballroom or conference centre
• retail shop, boutique, market or store or shopping mall
• laundromat
• ferry, ferry terminal, bus, bus station or shelter, taxi, taxi shelter, limousine or vehicle carrying passengers for hire
• common area of a commercial building or multi-unit residential building, including but not limited to corridors, lobbies, stairwells, elevators, escalators, escalators, eating areas, washrooms and restrooms
• restaurants, lounges, beverage rooms, private clubs, cabarets, clubs or other places licensed to serve alcoholic beverages
• bingos
• a casino complex
• a facility as defined in the Hospitals Act
• offices of the Government of the Province, a municipality, a village or a school board
• provincial jail, detention centre, or reformatory
• Vehicles
  no smoking in vehicles used in the course of employment while carrying two or more employees
• Restaurants
  no smoking at any time
• Beverage rooms & Lounges
  no smoking at any time
• Places used for Bingo
  no smoking at any time
• Private clubs
  no smoking at any time
• Casinos
  no smoking at any time
• Licensed outdoor areas and patios
  The Act requires all outdoor licensed areas and patios of all restaurants, lounges, beverage rooms and cabarets to be smoke-free
• Nursing home or residential care facility or a part of a health-care facility used for the acute or long-term are of veterans:
  -Designated smoking rooms are permitted
  -must be enclosed and separately ventilated
  -only residents are permitted
  -signs must be posted at the entrance
• Building entrances
  no smoking within 4 metres of windows, air intake vents and entrances to places of employment
  

Tobacco Possession by Youth

No youth under the age of 19 may possess tobacco.

Tobacco possession is not an offence, however, peace officers with reasonable and probable grounds to believe that a person under 19 may be in possession of tobacco may confiscate tobacco.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For further information call the Province of NS at 1-800-565-3611.
or go to http://www.gov.ns.ca/hpp/cdip/smoke-free-places-act.asp