What the 1960s Cigarette Break Looked Like in Canada

In the 1960s, the concept of a “smoking area” did not exist. The default assumption was that smoking was permitted unless explicitly stated otherwise. Here is where Canadians lit up without a second thought:

• 🏢 Office hallways: At BCIT in the mid-1960s, the official student information brochure noted that smoking was “controlled” — but “during the rainy months, smokers might have enjoyed being permitted to smoke in the hallways during class breaks” [citation:2].
• 📚 University classrooms: By the 1970s (a trend that began in the 1960s), “it appears that it was the norm to smoke (and eat) during lectures.” When a ban on smoking in classrooms was proposed in the mid-1960s, students were shocked. A 1978 article scoffed at the idea, even offering advice on constructing an ashtray from the foil liner of cigarette packages [citation:4].
• ✈️ Airplanes and airports: Canadian Pacific Airlines branded cigarette lighters from the 1960s still exist in archives — souvenirs of an era when airlines not only allowed smoking but actively promoted it with branded accessories [citation:7].
• 🚢 Ships and trains: Souvenir ashtrays from the S.S. Empress of Canada (1960), S.S. Empress of Scotland (1942), and S.S. Empress of Britain (1955) survive as artifacts of mid-century travel culture [citation:7].
• 🏥 Hospitals: Even hospitals had ashtrays. Teachers in the 1980s still kept full ashtrays in their desks — a practice that would have seemed absurd to someone in the 1960s [citation:3].

In the 1960s, ashtrays were not optional accessories — they were as essential as telephones and filing cabinets. They were everywhere: on desks, in hallways, on airplanes, in restaurants, and even in hospitals.

• Dominion Glass Company No. 2210 ashtray (1950s-1960s): A classic souvenir ashtray from this era, with “built-up sides allowing multiple cigarettes to angle down into the bowl, rather than tipping out as they burn down.” The bottom was screen-printed with the flag of Canada and “Souvenir of Canada” [citation:5].
• Multiple cigarette capacity: Ashtrays were designed for group smoking. A single ashtray might hold a dozen butts, reflecting the reality that everyone in the room was smoking simultaneously.
• Workplace ashtrays: Every office desk had an ashtray. Every boardroom table had multiple ashtrays. Meeting breaks were not for coffee — they were for lighting another cigarette.
• The “bean can” ashtray: In less formal settings, empty tin cans served as improvised ashtrays — a precursor to the designated smoking areas that would come decades later.

The smoke break was almost always paired with coffee. The coffee break as a workplace institution was inseparable from the cigarette break. Workers would pour a cup, light a cigarette, and step into the break room — which, of course, was filled with smoke.

• 🍩 The donut shop as a smoking lounge: Tim Hortons (founded in 1964) was filled with smoke in its early years. The combination of coffee, donuts, and cigarettes was the quintessential Canadian break.
• 🏭 Factory smoke breaks: In industrial workplaces, workers would gather around designated “smoking barrels” — often 55-gallon drums half-filled with sand — to smoke during breaks.
• 📊 No restrictions on break frequency: Unlike today, when many workplaces restrict smoke break frequency, the 1960s smoker could light up whenever they wanted, wherever they wanted.
• 🚭 The end of an era: A Manitoba article noted that “showing a headline about smoke-free beaches to somebody in the 1960s… would probably seem absurd” [citation:3].

While smoking was ubiquitous, there were some restrictions — even in the 1960s. At BCIT, the 1964/65 Student Information Brochure included a “section on smoking,” indicating that smoking was “fairly controlled” [citation:2].

• 📋 No smoking in classrooms (mid-1960s): Even in the 1960s, some institutions prohibited smoking in classrooms. But this was a shock to students — and enforcement was lax.
• 💡 Hallway smoking permitted: At BCIT, students could smoke in hallways during class breaks — a permissive policy by today’s standards [citation:2].
• 🍽️ Cafeterias had smoking and non-smoking sections? Some institutions began experimenting with designated areas, but these were rare exceptions.
• ⚖️ No workplace restrictions: Employers did not restrict smoking in the workplace. The idea that an office could be “smoke-free” would have been laughed at.

Despite growing evidence of harm, the tobacco industry fought back with sophisticated marketing and disinformation. Canadian smokers were told two things: hope and doubt.

• 💪 Hope: Reassuring marketing, as seen with “light” and “mild” cigarette brands, suggested that switching to a different product could reduce health risks [citation:1].
• 🤔 Doubt: Disinformation campaigns attacked medical research and press accounts that aligned cigarettes with serious disease. The industry sowed confusion, delaying public action for decades [citation:6].
• 📈 Marketing bonanza: The 1960s were a “marketing bonanza” for tobacco companies, with innovative advertising, product development, and retailing [citation:8].
• 🏛️ Government inaction: Domestic and international tobacco firms worked to influence government policy, and Ottawa was slow to respond [citation:1].

One of the most remarkable facts about 1960s smoking culture is that it persisted and even intensified after the health risks became widely known. The 1964 Surgeon General’s report was a bombshell — but it did not stop Canadians from smoking.

• 📊 Why the paradox? Several factors: heavy advertising (still legal), social normalization (everyone smoked), product innovation (filters, “light” brands), and the slow pace of policy change.
• 🔥 The industry’s strategy: If they could keep people smoking for just a few more years, those smokers would be addicted for life. It worked.
• 📅 The turning point: Real change did not begin until the 1980s and 1990s, with advertising bans, smoking restrictions, and tax increases [citation:3].

While the 1960s were the peak of smoking culture, the seeds of decline were planted during this decade.

• 📢 The 1964 Surgeon General’s report: For the first time, the US government officially linked smoking to lung cancer. The Canadian government took note, though action was slow.
• 📰 Media coverage: Mainstream media began reporting on the health risks, creating the first cracks in the public’s acceptance of smoking as harmless.
• 🔬 Anti-smoking advocacy: The first anti-smoking organizations formed in the 1960s, though they had little power compared to the tobacco industry’s lobbying.
• 📉 The long arc: It would take 30-40 years for smoking restrictions to become widespread — but the conversation started in the 1960s.

The 1960s smoker had unlimited places to smoke — but they paid 1960s prices. Today, Canadian smokers face high taxes and strict bans. Native cigarettes (Playfare, Canadian, DuMont) have become the affordable choice for price-conscious adult smokers. A carton costs $29-50, compared to $140-180 for commercial brands — a savings of 70-80%.

• 💰 Cost savings: A pack-a-day smoker saves $5,000-7,000 per year by switching to native cigarettes.
• 🚫 Not “healthier”: Native cigarettes contain the same nicotine, tar, and carcinogens as commercial brands. The only difference is price and packaging.
• 📦 Online delivery: Cigstore.ca ships to every province and territory with $29 flat shipping (free over $290).
• 📉 If you want to quit: Free resources are available: Smokers’ Helpline (1-877-513-5333).