Regulation - Minister

Proposed Cigarette Filter Components Regulation

Regulation Number(s):
Instrument Type:
Regulation - Minister
Bill or Act:
Tobacco Tax Act
Summary of Decision:
As noted in the 2017 Ontario Budget, the Tobacco Tax Act (the Act) was amended to restrict the import and possession of cigarette filter components, such as acetate tow, to registered manufacturers.

To support these amendments to the Act, a regulation to define cigarette filter components and prescribe circumstances where persons are exempt from import and possession restrictions came into effect January 1, 2018.

Ontario Regulation 585/17 is available on the Ontario e Laws website.
Further Information:
Proposal Number:
17-MOF016
Posting Date:
September 27, 2017
Summary of Proposal:
The Ministry of Finance (MOF) is seeking comments and input on a regulatory proposal under the Tobacco Tax Act (TTA) to support its new oversight regime for the import and possession of cigarette filter components.

Regulating cigarette filter components will help Ontario effectively manage and control access to key tobacco components in the supply chain used to manufacture cigarettes. This will help reduce the supply of untaxed tobacco products in the unregulated tobacco market, which undermine the government's health and fiscal objectives.

Bill 127 Stronger, Healthier Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2017 passed on May 17, 2017, included a number of amendments to the TTA that:

Require anyone who imports, possesses, buys, sells or delivers cigarette filter components in Ontario to be a registered manufacturer under the TTA, unless they meet exceptions prescribed under the regulation

Include fines, penalties, seizure and forfeiture provisions for non-compliance to the cigarette filter component regulation

Extend other penalties under the TTA to cigarette filter components.


This proposal sets out the requirements for the regulatory and administrative measures required to support the amendments to the TTA. The minister's regulation to support these provisions will be filed and come into effect on January 1, 2018.

The attached discussion paper is intended to help interested parties understand the proposal so they can provide input or comments.
Contact Address:
Ministry of Finance
Program Policy and Analytics Branch
7 Queen's Park Crescent, 2nd Floor
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M7A 1Y7
Effective Date:
January 1, 2018
Decision:
Approved