Cigarettes may be less expensive to buy on Fort William First Nation, but the penalty for possessing them within Thunder Bay city limits could set you back hundreds of dollars or more.
According to Mike Duranceau, a tobacco enforcement officer with the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, someone caught with just six cartons of discount-brand smokes bought on the First Nation community could face a penalty of $944. There’s a standard $500 fine, plus violators must play three times the tax owed on each cigarette, which currently stands at 12.35 cents apiece.
The fine for having up to 200 cigarettes is $100, plus triple the taxes owed, while getting caught with between 201 and 1,000 illegal cigarettes will net violators a $250 fine plus triple the taxes. Possession of any number of illegal cigarettes for the purpose of selling is a $500 fine and triple the taxes.
For now, it’s an education program warning Thunder Bay smokers to think twice before they buy Fort William First Nation cigarettes, Duranceau said.
The campaign runs through August.
The key goal is keeping tobacco out of the hands of the city’s youth.
“It’s very common in the area here,” Duranceau said. “It’s something we see on a regular basis. It’s cheaper tobacco and the Thunder Bay District Health Unit is emphasizing on youth access. And it’s easier to access.”
Cigarettes are considered illegal under federal law if taxes haven’t been paid upon purchase. They often come without Health Canada warnings, those graphic pictures on the front of every pack.
Legal cigarette packs come with a stamp on the package and a yellow tear tape indicating the duty has been paid.
Duranceau said the Health Unit works hard to keep tobacco out of the hands of people, and making it easier to acquire and less expensive to buy flies in the face of what they’re trying to accomplish.
“It reduces the efforts of cessation programs that the province is trying to deliver,” he said.
It’s a problem that in Thunder Bay won’t go away on its own. The illegal cigarettes are the brands of choice in local high schools, he added.
“We did a survey at the high schools, and 70 per cent of the products that were coming in from the high schools were illegal tobacco,” Duranceau said.
Illegal and contraband cigarettes start as low as $6 a pack, Duranceau said, depending on the quantity one is buying.
It’s the contraband cigarettes that the RCMP’s Derek Hayden is targeting through his position as a customs and excise officer.
Though not as common in this part of the province – it’s more prevalent in the Cornwall area, he said – contraband, or stolen cigarettes are found in the city.
Cigars, chewing tobacco and other products are also being smuggled into the country, and a key indicator is a surgeon general warning on packaging that is meant for U.S. users.
Hayden, who is helping the RCMP celebrate Police Week, said it was only natural to partner with the Health Unit to help stamp out the problem in Thunder Bay and how it affects the youth.
“In Thunder Bay there have been several cases in the past and we’ve worked with our OPP partners,” he said. “The OPP will lay the provincial charges and then they’ll call us to assist and we’ll lay the federal excise charges as well.”
Thunder Bay Police said they plan to support the education program, and make a decision on what to do next after the campaign ends.
“We will be evaluating our position after the anticipated four-month education period to determine our next steps,” spokeswoman Julie Tilbury said via email.
