TORONTO, CANADA – Canadian convenience stores are now required to comply with new anti-smoking laws. However, the government doesn’t seem to be helping their cause.

The Toronto Sun reports that thousands of convenience store retailers are concerned they will be in “contravention of the new smoking law” that required signage posted in their stores to indicate that cigarettes and other tobacco products will not be sold to customers under the age of 19.

Dave Bryan, president of the Ontario Convenience Stores Association, said that so far only a few stores have actually received the signage, despite repeated requests from retailers to the Ministry of Health Promotion.

The Smoke-Free Ontario Act also bans countertop cigarette displays and requires retailers to ask for proof of age from customers purchasing cigarettes and tobacco products who appear to be under the age of 25.

The newspaper writes that a spokesman for Health Promotion Minister Jim Watson indicated that the ministry sent retailers the appropriate signage about a month ago, but that local public health units are responsible for distributing the signs to convenience stores.

According to Bryan, implementation of the smoking ban is more like “mass confusion” as small businesses “scramble to comply with wildly conflicting opinions on the legislation,” notes the newspaper.

Bryan added that local public health officials, who are responsible for enforcing the new laws, are also contradicting information provided to his association by ministry officials.

“What we're finding is we can be in compliance in Windsor and not in Etobicoke,” said Bryan, noting that the government is “stepping” on convenience store owners.