The deadline is approaching for convenience store owners in Ontario to comply with legislation that prohibits cigarette packages from being displayed to consumers.
The new law takes effect May 31, and the Ministry of Health expects 90 per cent of retailers to comply by the deadline.
Public health inspectors will be out at the end of the month looking for offenders. Those who don't comply will face fines of up to $5,000, while corporations face much higher fines.
The legislation forces stores to put up a wall to cover their cigarette displays. Clerks can't sell a pack unless customer tell them the exact brand they want.
The initiative is aimed at limiting children's exposure to the deadly tobacco products, says Minister of Health Promotion Margarett Best.
"It's not what you should see, it's what you shouldn't see, and you shouldn't be seeing cigarettes," she told CTV Toronto.
Best says retailers have had several years to prepare for new rules, which are part of the province's aggressive Smoke-Free Ontario Act.
Uxbridge storeowner Tanya Meehan said she paid about $800 to install the special cupboards. She says cigarette sales haven't slowed as a result.
While the government realizes it will lose revenue from cigarette taxes as sales slow, the long-term goal is to save money from health care costs associated with smoking.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Paul Bliss
