Ontario government introduces bill banning smoking with children in vehicles

Thursday, May 01 2008

Ontario drivers caught lighting up in a car with children in the backseat will soon face a fine of up to $250 once a widely supported government-backed ban on the practice is passed.

Ontario has already banned smoking in workplaces and public areas, such as bars and restaurants. But under the long-awaited legislation being introduced Wednesday, Ontario will join other provinces by banning smoking in cars where children under the age of 16 are present – a practice critics liken to child abuse.

Adults who don't butt out in a car with kids would be fined no more than $250, instead of between $200 to $1,000 as originally proposed by Liberal backbencher David Orazietti who lobbied hard for the ban.

Premier Dalton McGuinty once dismissed a province-wide ban as a slippery slope which infringed too much on people's rights, but said Wednesday that the ban is about protecting children from the dangers of second- hand smoke.

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