Smoking and Cannabis Rules in Mississauga

Mississauga’s Smoking By-law 0094-2014 bans smoking tobacco, and smoking or consuming cannabis, on the City properties named in its Schedule A. It says nothing about vaping. Outdoor vaping rules come from the Region of Peel, which covers both Mississauga and Brampton.

What the City by-law bans

Section 3(a) says no person shall smoke tobacco or smoke or consume cannabis on a Public Space. The by-law defines Public Space as the properties in Schedule A, and it excludes highways. Schedule A lists five sites: 300 City Centre Drive, 301 Burnhamthorpe Road West, Mississauga Celebration Square, and two Scholars’ Green addresses (275 Prince of Wales Drive and 300 Rathburn Road West).

The ban reaches the whole outdoor area of those properties, including trails, walkways, parking lots and lanes, and it applies to a person sitting in a vehicle there. Section 4 says the ban applies whether or not a No Smoking sign is posted. Section 5 exempts any area marked as a smoke permitted area.

The City’s own page describes the by-law more broadly, as how the City prevents smoking of tobacco and cannabis in its parks and other public spaces, buildings and structures. The text we read names only the Schedule A sites, so we do not list individual parks.

What counts as smoking

The by-law defines smoking tobacco as holding tobacco while it is alight or emitting smoke. Tobacco includes pipe tobacco, water-pipe tobacco, cigarettes, cigars and cigarillos. Cannabis is added in the prohibition itself. Vaping is not mentioned.

Peel’s outdoor by-law

The Region of Peel’s Outdoor No Smoking or No Vaping By-law 49-2019 covers outdoor public places such as parks, swimming pools, trails and sports fields. Peel also lists outdoor municipal and regional properties including libraries, museums, offices and transit facilities, outdoor construction sites, and the area within 9 metres of indoor public places and workplaces. Peel’s page gives no fine figure, so read the by-law PDF it links to for penalties.

Penalties and enforcement

Section 14 makes a breach an offence with a fine under the Provincial Offences Act and the Municipal Act, 2001. No dollar amount is in the by-law. Officers may order a person to comply, ask for name, address and identification, and bar a person from a Public Space for any length of time.

For complaints about cannabis use on City property, including parks and Celebration Square, call Security Services at 905-896-5040. Peel Regional Police, 905-453-3311, handles cannabis use, sale or distribution. General questions go to 311, or 905-615-4311 from outside the city.

What we could not confirm

• fine amounts under By-law 0094-2014 or Peel By-law 49-2019
• whether the City by-law applies to parks beyond the five Schedule A sites
• patio, playground and transit stop distances under any Mississauga or Peel rule
• the current text of the by-law after the last amendment we saw, 0137-2018

Check the current version on mississauga.ca before relying on a detail.

More on this topic

The neighbouring city in Peel is Brampton. Provincial rules are on our Ontario page. For how outdoor rules work across the country, see outdoor smoking bans in Canada, and for typical penalty ranges see fines for smoking in prohibited places. Other cities are on the bylaw hub.