Smoking and Vaping Rules in Nunavut

As of 27 October 2026, Nunavut’s Tobacco and Smoking Act prohibits selling or supplying tobacco and alternative nicotine products to anyone under 19. It bans smoking, vaping and cannabis use in public buildings and workplaces, on playgrounds and sports fields, and within 9 metres of any building entrance or exit. The Act took effect on 31 May 2023.

What is the legal age in Nunavut?

Nineteen. The territory says selling or supplying (giving or trading) tobacco and alternative products to anyone under 19 is prohibited. The same age applies in the Northwest Territories, Yukon and most provinces; see the legal smoking age across Canada.

Which laws apply?

The Tobacco and Smoking Act (TSA), which replaced the roughly 15-year-old Tobacco Control and Smoke-Free Places Act and covers tobacco, vaping and cannabis. The federal Tobacco and Vaping Products Act applies as well, and retailers also need a registration or Tobacco Retailer Permit under the Tobacco Tax Act.

Where are smoking and vaping banned?

• Buildings: public structures and public buildings, and workplaces and work vehicles.
• Institutions: schools and school grounds, hospitals and health centres and their grounds, childcare centres and their grounds.
• Outside: playgrounds, sports and playing fields, concerts, spectator stands and public events, and the outside spaces around a restaurant or bar, patios included.
• Buffer zone: 9 metres from any building entrance or exit, including wheelchair ramps, walkways, stairs, landings, windows and air intakes. Service windows and residences have buffer zones too.
• Vehicles: smoking, vaping or using cannabis in a motorized vehicle, including cars, boats, ATVs and snowmobiles, is illegal when anyone under 19 is present.
• Housing: banned in all Government of Nunavut staff housing and public housing, including balconies, hallways, stairs and shared entrances, and allowing others to do so is also illegal. The common areas of apartment and condominium buildings are covered too. See the tenants’ guide.

Environmental Health Officers inspect permitted retailers and respond to complaints. The territory’s page states no fine amounts.

What are the retailer rules?

Retailers may not sell single cigarettes, sell over the internet or deliver to homes, sell where the product is not handed over at the time of purchase, or sell outside a permanent physical store. They may not sell alternative nicotine products above 20 mg/mL, or any flavoured tobacco or smoking product. They may not advertise tobacco and smoking products where they are sold, and may not show signs of availability or prices where minors can see them. The Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health lists Nunavut among the jurisdictions that have banned all flavoured nicotine vaping products. See vaping laws in Canada.

Where can you get help to quit?

The Nunavut Quitline is 1-866-368-7848, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, confidential and free. Text NUQUITS to 123456, or chat live with a Quit Coach through the Quit Support link on the Nunavut Quits site. Compare territories in free quit-smoking help by province.

How does Nunavut differ from its neighbours?

Nunavut is the only one of the three territories where we confirmed a numeric entrance buffer (9 metres) and an explicit ban on smoking in public and staff housing. The Northwest Territories publishes no doorway distance and tells renters to ask their landlord. Nunavut was among the first jurisdictions in the federal coordinated vaping duty system, which began on 1 July 2024.

What we could not confirm

The tobacco tax per carton: Nunavut’s government news release and rate pages returned HTTP 403 to automated requests, and the only document we could read was a bill, not an enacted rate. We also found no fine amounts, and no statement on free nicotine replacement.