Loitering
Loitering means the offence of waiting
in a place while looking as if you are
going to do something illegal.
In Ontario, the Child and Family Services Act specifies the laws around loitering. According to this Act, anyone less than 16 years of age cannot be alone and loiter or hang around in a public place between midnight and 6 a.m.
Any child under the age of 16 also cannot be in a place of public entertainment between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m., unless a parent accompanies the child or authorizes someone eighteen years of age or older to
accompany the child.
If a child who is actually or looks like they are under the age of sixteen is found alone in a public place between midnight and 6 a.m., the police may take that child to their home or to a place of safety. The police officer or the peace officer also has the right to apprehend that child without a warrant.
Smoke-Free Ontario
According to the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care, each year, tobacco claims 13,000 lives in Ontario, which equals 36 lives every day. The Smoke-Free Ontario Act prohibits smoking tobacco in enclosed workplaces and enclosed public places to protect workers and the public from second-hand smoke. New regulations require retailers to post Age Restriction and Health Warning signs at any location where tobacco is sold or supplied. These signs have to be clearly visible to the person who sells or supplies the tobacco and to the person to whom the tobacco is sold or supplied. Local public health units will carry out inspections and respond to complaints to enforce the Smoke-Free Ontario Act.
Smoking—the law
If you smoke or hold lighted tobacco in
a place where it has been prohibited,
you may be ticketed and charged a fine.
You cannot smoke or hold lighted tobacco in any enclosed public places or specifically designated outdoor places in Ontario.
It is illegal to smoke in the following places:
- Outdoor patios, including all bar and restaurant outdoor patios
- Child care centre licensed under the Child Care and Early Years Act
- Inside a motor vehicle with children under sixteen years of age (The law applies to both moving and parked vehicles – even if a window, sunroof, rooftop, door, or other feature of the vehicle is open.)
- Enclosed workplaces, during and after work hours
- Hospitals (public, private and psychiatric facility): cannot smoke within a 9 metre radius of any entrance or exit of a hospital.
- Schools and on any indoor or outdoor property used by the school(this includes playgrounds and sports fields)
- Children’s playgrounds and publicly-owned sports fields. It is illegal to smoke on and within 20 metres of children’s playgrounds and publicly-owned sport fields and surfaces (e.g., areas for basketball, baseball, soccer or beach volleyball, ice rinks, tennis courts, splash pads and swimming pools that are owned by a municipality, the province, or a postsecondary education institution)
- Multi-unit residences, including common areas of condos, apartment buildings, or college and university residences.
Tobacco Sales
A person must be at least 19 years of age to purchase tobacco products, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), and component parts. Before selling tobacco to any person who appears to be less than 25 years old, the seller must request identification (ID) and determine that the person is at least 19 years old.
There is no age requirement to sell tobacco products. However, the Ministry of Labour regulations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act set the minimum age of 14 years old to be eligible to work in Ontario workplaces. Therefore, anyone under the age of 14 should not be allowed to sell tobacco products.
It is illegal to sell tobacco on all college and university campuses.
