A new report out this week, suggests COVID-19 travel restrictions in Atlantic Canada may be hampering the illegal cigarette trade in the region.

The EY study, conducted for the Convenience Industry Council of Canada, says legal cigarette sales in the region increased dramatically between June 2019 and last June.

It says legal sales were up more than 44 per cent in Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick, and more than 21 per cent in Nova Scotia. Sales also showed a 47 per cent rise in PEI.

The report says travel restrictions may have prevented or discouraged illegal cigarette carriers from making trips into the region.