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Quebec cracks down on e-cigarettes, bans patio smoking

Quebec cracks down on e-cigarettes, bans patio smoking

The Quebec government has passed a bill restricting the use of electronic cigarettes and banning smoking on restaurant and bar patios.

Under the new law, e-cigarette smoking will be prohibited in the same locations as cigarettes.

Businesses such as restaurants and bars that repeatedly allow customers to smoke on their terrasses could face fines of $100,000.

The law passed unanimously in the province's National Assembly on Thursday.

The bill was first introduced last May.

The version that passed Thursday included several modifications, including greater restrictions on smoking in public spaces and sports fields used by children.

There are also more limits on advertising tobacco products and a ban on flavoured tobacco.

- MAP: See how other provinces regulate e-cigarettes

Quebec a 'world leader': minister

Lucie Charlebois, Quebec's junior minister for public health, said the changes will make Quebec a healthier place.

"The bill adopted today contains ambitious measures allowing Quebec to take its place as a world leader in the fight against smoking," she said in a statement.

Flory Doucas, co-director of the Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control, called the new law "tremendous."

She said the additional regulations will protect Quebecers from second-hand smoke.