Smoking and Vaping Rules in Manitoba

As of 27 October 2026, Manitoba prohibits supplying tobacco and vapour products to anyone under 18, the same floor as Alberta and one year below Saskatchewan, Ontario and British Columbia. The Smoking and Vapour Products Control Act bans smoking and vaping in enclosed public places, indoor workplaces, group living facilities and public vehicles. Provincial tax on cigarettes is $60.00 per carton of 200.

What is the legal age in Manitoba?

Eighteen. The province states that selling tobacco and vapour products to anyone under 18 is illegal, and the Act separately bars supplying a vapour product to a child. A seller has a defence only if they checked the prescribed age documents and reasonably believed the buyer was 18. Next door, Saskatchewan moved to 19 on 1 February 2024, so a Manitoba teenager who is 18 can legally buy where a Saskatchewan one cannot. See the legal smoking age across Canada and vaping ages by province.

Which laws apply?

The main statute is The Smoking and Vapour Products Control Act (C.C.S.M. c. S150), assented to in 1990 and in force in 1991. It covers smoking, vaping, display and sale. Federal law applies on top: the province points out that selling single cigarettes is illegal under the federal Tobacco and Vaping Products Act. Municipal by-laws add more, most notably Winnipeg By-law No. 62/2011; Thompson and Steinbach also have extra restrictions.

Where are smoking and vaping banned?

• Indoors: enclosed public places, indoor workplaces, group living facilities and public vehicles.
• Patios: enclosed patios, province-wide. A patio counts as enclosed when more than 25% of its floor area is covered and more than half its perimeter is more than half blocked by a barrier. Outdoor patios are banned only in Winnipeg; businesses elsewhere may choose to go smoke-free.
• Parks: beaches and playgrounds of provincial parks.
• Vehicles: a vehicle where a child under 16 is present, according to the province’s guidance.
• Winnipeg only: playgrounds, school premises, within 8 metres of outdoor entrances to City and health-region workplaces and health care facilities, and within 30 metres of athletic fields or rinks during youth events. Details are on the Winnipeg by-law page.

Manitoba does not set a general province-wide distance from doorways. Under section 8 of the Act, an individual caught smoking or vaping in a prohibited place faces a fine of $100 to $500 for a first offence, rising to $300 to $1,000 for a third or later one. A proprietor who fails to prevent it faces $500 to $3,000.

What are the retail rules?

Tobacco and vapour products cannot be displayed where children can see them in places that sell them, and advertising is restricted at points of sale, on outdoor signs and where it can be seen from outside a building. The consolidated Act, current to 23 October 2026, has no provision on flavoured vapour products. Bill 54, introduced in the Legislature, would bar sales of flavoured e-substances in a major urban area except in premises children may not enter, with an exception for tobacco flavour, to take effect on a day set by proclamation.

Can a landlord stop you smoking in Manitoba?

A building can adopt a no-smoking policy. Without one, smoking is allowed inside your unit or on your balcony, but never in common areas. A tenant seriously affected by a neighbour’s smoke can appeal to the Residential Tenancies Branch. For more, see the tenants’ guide.

How much is the tobacco tax?

Manitoba charges 30 cents per cigarette: $60.00 per carton of 200, effective midnight on 30 June 2019. Federal excise duty adds $38.92 per carton from 1 April 2026, so government tax comes to $98.92 before sales tax. Saskatchewan’s rate works out to $58.00 per carton and Ontario’s to $36.95. See tobacco tax rates in Canada.

Where can you get help to quit?

Manitoba points to Smokers’ Helpline, a free program by text, online or phone. Its page lists no number; Health Canada’s national line, 1-866-366-3667, connects to a quit coach. The Tobacco Quit Card and Counselling Program provides nicotine replacement therapy and counselling to low-income Manitobans through a primary care provider. In April 2022 the province announced a pharmacy program offering an assessment, follow-up counselling and up to $100 in medications or nicotine replacement to adults; we did not confirm it is still running. All provinces are compared in free quit-smoking help by province.

How does Manitoba differ from its neighbours?

	Manitoba	Saskatchewan	Ontario
Minimum age	18	19	19
Tax per carton	$60.00	$58.00	$36.95
Vehicle rule	child under 16	passenger under 16 ($220)	15 or younger
Outdoor patios	Winnipeg only	not stated provincially	banned

Read the Saskatchewan page for the other side of the border.

What we could not confirm

We found no province-wide doorway distance, no fine for the vehicle rule, and no update on whether Bill 54 passed beyond its introduction. The 2022 pharmacy program may have changed since it was announced.