Quebec’s Court of Appeal ruled in favour of allowing actors to smoke on stage during performances, saying it may qualify as protected artistic expression.
The court upheld an earlier lower-court ruling that cancelled fines issued to three Quebec City theatres for allowing performers to smoke in plays.
The theatres involved were Théâtre du Trident, Théâtre de la Bordée, and Théâtre Premier Acte, which had each received $500 fines between 2017 and 2019.
In the lower court ruling, the Superior Court framed the issue at the centre of the appeal as whether the artistic choice of a playwright, set designer, or director to depict smoking on stage constitutes expressive activity protected under the right to freedom of expression….