Cannabis in Ottawa
Ottawa's smoking bylaw bans smoking and vaping cannabis in every city park and beach, on sports fields, at the ByWard and Parkdale markets and at events on city property, which is stricter than Ontario's own rules. The legal age is 19 in Ottawa but 21 across the river in Gatineau, where public smoking is almost entirely banned.
Where can you smoke cannabis in Ottawa?
Ontario allows cannabis smoking wherever tobacco smoking is allowed (see the Ontario rules), but Ottawa's Smoking and Vaping By-law (2019-241) reaches much further than the province. It bans smoking and vaping of any substance, cannabis included, on city-owned outdoor property, so the whole of a city park is off limits, not just the area around a playground.
Provincial law covers patios: no smoking or vaping on a bar or restaurant patio or within 9 metres of it. OC Transpo property falls under the separate transit bylaw. That leaves private property, mainly your own home, as the reliable place to smoke. Federal land run by the National Capital Commission, such as the parkways and Parliament Hill grounds, is a separate jurisdiction; check posted signs there.
| Place | Rule that bans it |
|---|---|
| City parks, playgrounds and beaches | City by-law 2019-241 |
| Sports fields and their seating | City by-law, plus 20 m provincial buffer |
| ByWard Market and Parkdale Market | City by-law 2019-241 |
| Festivals, fairs and events on city property | City by-law 2019-241 |
| Restaurant and bar patios, plus 9 m around them | Smoke-Free Ontario Act |
| OC Transpo stations, stops and vehicles | City transit by-law |
How does Ottawa regulate cannabis stores?
It mostly can't. Council voted to allow private stores at a special meeting on December 13, 2018, after nearly five hours of public delegations. A motion to opt out, arguing the province hadn't given cities enough control over locations, was defeated 22-2. The city's online survey drew a record 23,800 responses, 78% in favour, though a random phone survey was closer, at 48% for and 43% against.
Council also passed a motion asking the mayor to keep lobbying the province for municipal control over the density and location of stores. Ontario never granted it, so the only location rule is the provincial 150-metre buffer from schools, and the city can only comment on applications to the AGCO.
When did legal cannabis stores open in Ottawa?
Ottawa's first three legal stores all opened on April 1, 2019, among the 25 licences Ontario issued by lottery that winter, in Centretown, the ByWard Market and Wellington West. One of them took over a Bank Street space that an illegal dispensary had used before police raided it.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| October 17, 2018 | Legalization; online sales only in Ontario |
| December 13, 2018 | Council opts in; opt-out motion fails 22-2 |
| April 1, 2019 | First three legal stores open |
| 2019 | By-law 2019-241 extends the smoking ban to cannabis and vaping |
| January 1, 2020 | Quebec raises its legal age to 21, widening the Ottawa-Gatineau gap |
What should visitors to Ottawa know?
The Ottawa River is a provincial border. Quebec's legal age is 21 and it bans smoking cannabis in almost all public places, so the rules change the moment you cross a bridge into Gatineau. Ontario's age is 19.
Ottawa's airport banned cannabis use on its property, including in tobacco smoking areas, when cannabis became legal. You can fly within Canada with up to 30 grams, but taking any amount across an international border is illegal. For what's in a product, see how to read a cannabis label.
