'No Vaping' signs mandatory for all Ontario businesses and workplaces

'No Vaping' and 'No Smoking' signs are required at Ontario businesses and workplaces. (Courtesy Windsor-Essex County Health Unit)

Windsor-Essex residents can expect to see ‘No Vaping’ signs going up at businesses and workplaces.

Ontario businesses and proprietors of public indoor and outdoor spaces are required to post signs in entryways, bathrooms, and other high visibility areas.

When the Smoke-free Ontario Act came into effect on Oct. 17, 2018, it combined the previous Smoke-free Ontario Act and Electronic Cigarettes Act and added a number of additional regulations.

This new act prohibits the smoking of tobacco or cannabis as well as the vaping of any substance in a number of indoor and outdoor public places where the smoking of tobacco was previously prohibited.

The new signage includes a ‘No Vaping’ symbol to accompany the well-known ‘No Smoking’ signs that have been posted across the province since the passing of the original Smoke-free Ontario Act in 2006.

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit is working to educate employers on these new regulations and ensure their businesses and workplaces are in compliance.

Under the SFOA 2017, employers are legally obligated to post the required signs.

In addition, employers and business owners are required to be diligent in ensuring no ashtrays remain in an indoor workplace, that employees, contractors, and visitors do not smoke or vape in prohibited areas, and that anyone who refuses to comply does not remain in smoke or vape-free areas associated with their business or workplace.

Signage for all businesses is available for free through an online order form on the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit website at wechu.org/sfoa-sign.

If you have any questions about the new regulations or required signage for your organization, employers and business owners are encouraged to contact the Health Unit to speak with a Tobacco Enforcement Officer at 519-258-2146 ext. 3100.