First province to enact legislation
Nova Scotia has become the first province to ban youth under 19 from visiting tanning salons. Under the new Tanning Bed Act, tanning salon owners in violation can be fined up to $10,000 and have their business closed for up to two years. In a statement, Maureen MacDonald, provincial minister of health and wellness, said Nova Scotia has one of the highest rates of cancer, including melanoma, in the country, and needs to do everything it can to lower young people’s risk of developing the disease: “This is about protecting the health and well-being of young Nova Scotians,” she said. In January, Victoria, BC, became the first Canadian city to introduce a bylaw to ban minors under 18 from tanning bed use. New Brunswick has regulations that prohibit people under 18 years old from using tanning beds but the rules are not legislated.