Smoking on patios now banned in Winnipeg

Winnipeggers will now have to butt out on city patios.

Starting April 1, the ban on outdoor restaurant and bar patios comes into effect.

Council approved the ban in January that prohibits all smoking of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, vapes, tobacco products, cannabis or any substances that generate second-hand smoke.

“Public consultation gave us some invaluable information. Three out of four Winnipeggers support the banning of smoke-producing materials and devices on outdoor patios,” Mayor Brian Bowman said at the time of the ban.

“I had a short stint as a bartender many years ago, and I just remember coming home and having to put my clothes outside to air out because of the smoke. It wasn’t on a patio, but I don’t think it would be too terribly different.”

Two councillors voted against the ban: Ross Eadie and Jason Schreyer.

“The bar room patio was developed because you have smokers. You’re actually stigmatizing people who are addicted to tobacco, making them look like slugs, drains on society, that’s what you’re doing,” Eadie said at the time.

The only exemption to the ban is for ceremonies for Indigenous people.

Smokers who violate the ban face a fine up to $200 and businesses face a fine up to $400.