Two Canadian Provinces Eye Flavored Tobacco Ban

Governments in both Ontario and Alberta are proposing separate bans on flavored tobacco, a move that would affect two of Canada’s largest provinces.

Two weeks ago, Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews proposed a variety of tobacco related regulations, including a ban on flavored cigarillos. The proposal would be an extension of a 2010 ban that targeted products of a certain size and with filters, but was prone to loopholes according to Matthews.

Despite cigarillos being the publicized target, Leslie Albert of Canadian distributor House of Horvath says it would target any flavored cigar. The lone exception to the flavor law would be menthol cigarettes, something that some Canadian cigarillo manufacturers are arguing is an obvious contradiction.

Additionally, Matthews proposed legislation that would ban smoking on all restaurant and bar patios, as well as sports fields and playgrounds. Matthews is quoted suggesting, “About 70 percent of Ontarians actually want to ban smoking on patios because they’re people like me. I love to sit outside on a patio, but I don’t like being surrounded by smoke.”

It remains unclear whether the bill will have enough support to pass the Ontario Legislature.

Earlier this month, Health Minister Fred Horne proposed new regulations for Alberta. In addition to banning flavored tobacco, smoking in vehicles with children would become illegal, a move that the state of Florida recently announced it would begin examining.

Two different bills are being debated in Alberta, Bill 206 deals with the flavored tobacco element and is also being held up on a debate over menthol cigarettes and their potential inclusion.

Another piece of legislation, Bill 33 largely deals with changes to smoking in public, although it contains one interesting provision, Section 7.21:

7.21 No person shall sell or offer for sale a tobacco product designated in the regulations in a package containing less than the number of units prescribed by the regulations.

The bill, as presented on November 7, does nothing to define what the minimum package size is, but it effectively could be used to outlaw the sale of single cigars. It appears the motives behind the moves do not target premium cigars, but there’s no language in the bill that specifically exempts larger and/or premium cigars.

Horne expects the legislation to be in effect within the next 18 months.

The ban on flavored tobacco would have an effect on some well-known flavored cigars. House of Horvath distributes Miami Cigar & Co.’s popular Tatiana line, which would be banned under the legislation proposed. STG Group, the parent company of General Cigar Co., would also see sales of its CAO Flavors line restricted in the country.

Other brand such as Helix and Cojimar would also likely be outlawed in the two regions. Drew Estate recently announced distribution with House of Horvath, although its infused ACID portfolio is unlikely to enter the Canadian market even absent these new proposed laws, which would ban the infused cigars in these provinces.

Canada already has amongst the strictest tobacco laws in North America with much of it being decided by the 10 provinces and three territories themselves. The legal age to purchase tobacco in Albert is 18, while you must be 19 in Ontario.

Alberta is the fourth-largest province in population, located in the southwestern part of Canada and is home to both Calgary and Edmonton. Ontario is Canada’s largest by population containing the capital Toronto, bordering the U.S. from Minnesota to Pennsylvania and New York.

Charlie Minato

I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors of halfwheel. I have written about the cigar industry for more than a decade, covering everything from product launches to regulation to M&A. In addition, I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff here at halfwheel. I enjoy playing tennis, watching boxing, falling asleep to the Le Mans 24, wearing sweatshirts year-round and eating gyros. echte liebe.