Peel Region plans to enforce a hookah ban in the fall. Toronto lounge owners are going to court to challenge a municipal bylaw banning hookah smoking in bars and cafes because they believe the city is shutting down the industry. Toronto's medical officer of health, David McKeown, suggested hookah smoking is especially dangerous for young people who may think it's a somewhat safer form of smoking than cigarettes. Lawyer Ryan Zigler, who is representing four hookah lounge owners, said he plans to argue that the city doesn't have the power under the City of Toronto Act to ban hookah smoking because it is, in effect, prohibiting a lawful business. City council voted to ban the popular water pipes last November, months after a Toronto Public Health report argued the practice poses health risks.

Source: CBC News June 02, 2016 19:55 UTC