Updated: Sat May. 31 2008 1:21:59 PM

The Canadian Press

TORONTO — Ontario joined a growing number of jurisdictions this weekend in making the ubiquitous cigarette displays that have long lined the walls of convenience stores a thing of the past, a move that some store owners fear will impose a considerable economic toll.

As a ban on the so-called "power-walls" went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, all 10,000 convenience stores across the province were prevented from flashing rows of cigarette cartons to customers.

Smokers will now be given a binder to choose their favourite brand and won't even be allowed to touch the cigarettes before paying for them.

"To us, it addresses the fundamental insanity of selling the No.1 preventable cause of disease and death (alongside) candy and gum," said Michael Perley, director of the Ontario Campaign for Action on Tobacco.

Quebec's tobacco display ban was also to come into effect Saturday, while Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, and Prince Edward Island already have similar bans in place.

Despite receiving accolades from anti-tobacco advocates, Ontario's ban isn't sitting well with some cigarette retailers.

"It sucks. Literally. It's just plain dumb," said Phil Doucette, an employee at Crown Variety in downtown Toronto. "It's a legal product. Why should we have to hide it?"

Doucette, a smoker himself, thinks the ban won't stop young people from lighting up.

"If they want to smoke, they're going to. If they don't, they won't. But it ain't going to stop them."