Ontario passes tough no-smoking legislation
Ontario has passed a bill the government says is the strictest anti-tobacco legislation in North America.
The Smoke-Free Ontario Act prohibits smoking in all workplaces and indoor public spaces. It is to take effect in June 2006.
Bars, restaurants and casinos say their businesses may be hurt by the ban, but Premier Dalton McGuinty says smoking is the number 1 cause of preventable illness in the province. Smoking-related illnesses kill 16,000 residents every year, and cost the province billions in lost productivity and health-care costs.
CBC News: Ontario passes tough no-smoking legislation