HALIFAX -

Nova Scotia's ban on smoking in vehicles carrying kids will not only protect children from harmful second-hand smoke, but create a "wave of change'' across the country, says the Canadian Cancer Society.

The province became the first in Canada to pass such a ban on Thursday, winning applause from the Canadian Cancer Society.

"People are watching Nova Scotia quite closely,'' Meg McCallum of the group's Nova Scotia division said in an interview.

"They're seeing Nova Scotia as a leader in tobacco control and I believe the passing of this legislation is really going to create a wave of change across the country.

The Nova Scotia law makes it illegal to smoke in a vehicle with anyone under the age of 19 inside.

McCallum said second-hand smoke is far more toxic in the enclosed space of a vehicle, and children are more susceptible to its harmful effects, such as chronic ear infections, asthma and other respiratory conditions.

According to the society, one in five children are exposed to second-hand smoke while riding in cars.

The legislature follows the lead of Wolfville, N.S., where town council voted last month to implement its own ban.

Similar private member's bills have also been introduced in British Columbia and Ontario.

Nova Scotia's legislation, which was proposed by the opposition Liberals and gained support from all parties, is expected to be proclaimed law next month.

However, Health Promotion Minister Barry Barnet said the province will try to educate people and allow them to adjust to the new rules before police start handing out fines, which for first-time offenders will be more than $380.

Barnet said the law will serve as an educational tool and he predicted Nova Scotians will get the message.

"I don't expect and I hope that we will never have to charge anybody under this section of the legislation,'' said Barnet.

"I really believe that making them aware of the fact that it has negative health consequences is the right thing to do, and parents will do the right thing. ... We don't want to make criminals out of mothers and fathers.''

The law becomes part of a broader government policy to curb smoking rates, which includes a ban on point-of-sale advertising, said Barnet.

But it was Wolfville that led the way in Canada when it comes to protecting young passengers from smoke in cars.

Wolfville's bylaw is set to come into force in June, but Mayor Robert Stead said the town would be happy to set its bylaw aside and go with the provincial legislation.

Stead took some of the credit for the Nova Scotia law when asked Thursday whether the province would have moved on its own.

"I think we wouldn't be (in the same position), and I am very happy that we are, very pleased,'' Stead said at the provincial legislature in Halifax.

"This has happened at almost breakneck speed when you consider the pace at which these normally move from a municipal level and private member's bill through to conclusion.''

Smokers puffing away in downtown Halifax had mixed reactions.

"I don't see anything particularly wrong with it. I think it's fairly reasonable,'' said Peter Whelly, 60. "After all, you do have to look after your children.''

Whelly said the legislation seems reasonable, especially compared with harsher rules proposed in Bridgewater, N.S., where town council is examining a sweeping ban in virtually all public places.

"They don't want to go too far like Bridgewater,'' he said. "They're right out of their minds down there.''

Martine Tibbo of Halifax said she understands the concerns about exposing children to second-hand smoke, but added it doesn't make sense to ban smoking in some places and allow it in others.

"If they're going to ban smoking, make it illegal for anybody to buy cigarettes,'' Tibbo, 50, said during a smoke break outside a downtown office building.

"The government is making too much money on taxes, so they don't want to ban smoking.''

Tibbo echoed concerns of other critics that the law would be impossible to enforce.

However, the provincial government and the Cancer Society's McCallum noted there were similar concerns when seatbelts were made mandatory.

"If I could take you back to the time of the introduction of seatbelt legislation, people were very concerned about that. It's a non-issue today,'' said McCallum.

"We have measures in place to deal with enforcement. The same will be true with this legislation. They key is to increase the public's awareness of second-hand smoke. The enforcement will follow.''

A spokesperson for MyChoice.ca, a group funded by the Canadian Tobacco Manufacturers' Council, said the ban was a slippery slope on the road to making it illegal to smoke everywhere.

"We don't tell people to smoke around kids, that's common sense,'' Arminda Mota said in an interview.

"This issue is only an excuse for all those anti-smoker groups to come to our house, because any parent that exposes their child to second-hand smoke in the car, I think it's quite obvious that the same parent will smoke around the kid in the house.''

Town council in Bridgewater is expected to vote on its bylaw next month.

The proposal would make it illegal to smoke on all town property, including sidewalks and parks. The only exception would be on the community's two bridges, because they are provincially owned.

The bylaw's future is uncertain. The most recent vote was 3-2 in favour of the ban, but two councillors were absent.