Reporting problems
As of Oct 17, 2018, smoking cannabis will be a legal activity. The Ottawa Police Service and By-law & Regulatory Services will not respond to complaints about the smell of cannabis smoke.
If you live in a multi-unit residential building, address cannabis odour issues with your landlord or condominium board.
The Ottawa Police Service will address issues related to:
- Illegal sale, possession or distribution of cannabis
- Home cultivation in excess of legal limits
- Public intoxication
- Impaired driving
Contact: 613-236-1222.
By-law & Regulatory Services will address issues related to:
- Smoking or vaping of cannabis in prohibited places
- Property standards issues related to home cultivation
Contact: 3-1-1
OC Transpo Special Constables will address issues related to cannabis possession and consumption on all public transit properties and vehicles.
Contact: 613-741-2478 or report online.
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada is responsible for:
- Regulating and licensing commercial cultivators, producers and processors
- Regulating buying and selling
- Establishing minimum legal age
- Establishing possession and selling limits (30 grams)
- Establishing limits for recreational home cultivation (four plants per household)
- Establishing rules for cannabis-related marketing, advertisements, packaging and labelling, including restrictions applying to youth
- Regulations pertaining use of cannabis for medical use, including production, distribution and access
- Establishing a cannabis tracking system to control the quality and composition of cannabis products
- Passing laws for crimes related to both recreational and medical cannabis, such as offences for illegal possession and selling to under-aged persons
Coming in 2019 - Rules for commercial sales of edible cannabis products.
Province of Ontario
The Province of Ontario is responsible for:
- Establishing the Ontario Cannabis Store as the only legal source for cannabis beginning October 17, 2018
- Establishing a framework for recreational cannabis retail stores in Ontario
- Establishing that municipalities can opt-out of having recreational cannabis retail stores in their jurisdictions
- Establishing 19 years as the legal age for possession and consumption in Ontario
- Prohibiting consumption of recreational cannabis in public places and workplaces, boats and vehicles and only allowing it in private dwellings and adjacent yard and properties
- Establishing rules for smoking and vaping in public
- Aligning with the federal limit of 30 grams for the possession and sale of cannabis
- Aligning with federal limit for recreational home cultivation (four plants per household)
- Enacting impaired driving laws for cannabis, and creating other offences for illegal sales and possession
City of Ottawa
The City is responsible for:
- Land use and zoning for commercial/medical production facilities
- Enforcement of the Smoke Free Ontario Act 2017 and smoking provisions of various City by-laws
- Deciding whether recreational cannabis retail stores will be allowed in Ottawa, once the provincial retail framework is established.
- Prohibiting smoking in City workplaces, on City property, and in parks and beaches
- Regulating use of water pipes
- Enforcement of the Ontario Building Code
- Enforcing property standards and maintenance requirements
Ottawa Police Service
The Ottawa Police Service enforces crimes related to cannabis, including:
- Illegal possession, sale, distribution and consumption
- Public intoxication
- Impaired driving
Ottawa Public Health
Ottawa Public Health provides:
- Information about health effects of cannabis use
- Lower Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines
- Information for youth and young adults
- Information for parents
- Information for pregnant and breastfeeding women
Ottawa Fire Services
Ottawa Fire Services educates Ottawa residents about fire prevention, including:
- Proper disposal of smoking materials
- Prevention of kitchen fires
- Prevention of electrical fires through unsafe use of extension cords
- Fire Code compliance in buildings where cannabis is grown