Restaurants & bars

Commercial patios completely smoke-free this summer

As of May 26, Quebec’s restaurant patios are smoke-free. The National Assembly passed Bill 44, which targets second-hand smoke, in November. It restricts the number of public and even private areas where a person can smoke.

There is now a smoking ban near playgrounds, campgrounds, sports fields, common rooms in residential buildings, and anywhere near children under the age of 16. This includes daycares, schools -- and in the car.

Police can fine violators, and establishment owners are responsible to ensure the law is followed on their premises.  An individual who violates the new law for the first time can expect a fine between $250 to $750. Repeat offenders face fines from $500 up to $1, 500.

The fines are heavier for businesses. A first-time offender could see their business fined between $500 to $1,000;  repeat offenders could face a fine as high as $25,000.

Chantal Labrie, owner of Bistro Mexicana on Aylmer’s rue Principale welcomes the new law. “I’m a smoker and I don’t mind,” she said. “When no smoking on patios started in Ottawa, they all came over here to Gatineau and Aylmer. Now, it will just even back out.”

Labrie said her customers have assured her they don’t mind the new ban. “Not being able to smoke on the patio doesn’t bother me,” one female patron told the Bulletin. “They can smoke out there,” she gestured towards the sidewalk.