Ottawa city council has unanimously passed a bylaw to ban smoking in restaurants, bars, and bingo parlours.

There was applause as the final vote was tallied Wednesday morning, and the smoking ban became law.

Nearly everyone expected the bylaw to pass. But it still came as shock to Dr. Robert Cushman, Ottawa's medical officer of health who has championed the smoking ban.

"I almost fell off my chair," said Cushman just moments after the vote.

There were some last ditch efforts to stall the bylaw by making amendments, but they came to nothing.

So, as of August 1, it will be illegal to smoke in places like bars, restaurants, bingo halls and gaming houses.

It will even be illegal to smoke at private events like weddings, if they are held in public banquet halls.

Not everyone's happy

Bar owner Jill Scott says some owners will challenge the bylaw in court.

"At this point I have to say we have nothing to lose but to fight this. I know that business will be lost," says bar owner Jill Scott.

And some smokers say they will set up private smoking clubs to try and skirt the new rules.

But the penalties for breaking the bylaw can be steep.

If bar owners repeatedly refuse to comply, they could be fined up to $5,000. A first-time offence could cost a smoker $250.