Working to Recover Tobacco Health Costs

McGuinty Government Takes First Step Towards Suing
                        Tobacco Companies For DamagesTORONTO, March 4 /CNW/ -

    NEWS

    Ontario has introduced new legislation that would, if passed, allow the
government to sue tobacco companies for alleged wrongdoing to recover past and
ongoing health care costs borne by Ontario taxpayers due to tobacco-related
illness.The proposed legislation would:
    -  Allow Ontario to directly sue tobacco companies for alleged wrongdoing
    -  Allow for the recovery of past, present and ongoing tobacco-related
       damages
    -  Create a method to determine health care cost damages incurred by
       taxpayers arising from tobacco-related illnesses
    -  Establish the burden of proof required to link exposure to tobacco
       products to Tobacco-related disease
    -  Allocate liability among tobacco companies by market share.

    British Columbia and New Brunswick have already passed legislation and
initiated lawsuits against tobacco companies to recover health care costs.
Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have also passed health
care cost recovery legislation.
    The Ontario government is a national leader in tobacco control initiatives
through its comprehensive Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy, part of its commitment
to a healthier Ontario.

    QUOTES

    "Smoking hurts Ontarians and our health care system. This legislation
would allow the government to sue tobacco companies for alleged wrongdoing in
order to recover taxpayer dollars spent to fight tobacco-related illnesses."
    - Chris Bentley, Attorney General

    "At over $1.6 billion annually, Ontario's tobacco-related health care
costs affect all Ontarians. This legislation, if passed, would provide our
government with an avenue to address a costly drain on the health care system
we all depend upon."
    - David Caplan, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care

    QUICK FACTS

    -  Smoking is the number one cause of premature death and illness in
       Ontario, accounting for the deaths of approximately 13,000 Ontarians
       each year. That's 36 deaths a day.

    -  The Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy includes one of the toughest laws in
       North America to protect people from second-hand smoke in restaurants,
       bars, offices, schools, day care centres and hospitals.

    -  Ontario is receiving $156.9 million from tobacco companies as part of
       a settlement related to the smuggling of contraband cigarettes across
       the Canada-US border during the 1990s.

    LEARN MORE

    Learn about the Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy
(http://www.mhp.gov.on.ca/english/health/smoke_free/default.asp)

    Find out about how the government is working to improve access to health
care in Ontario
(http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/updates/archives/hu_08/health_care
_priorities_20080424.html)

    Want help to quit smoking? Call the Smokers' HelpLine at 1-877-513-5333,
or visit www.smokershelpline.ca (http://www.smokershelpline.ca/)


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For further information: CONTACTS: Sheamus Murphy, Minister's Office,
Ministry of the Attorney General, [phone]; Brendan Crawley, Ministry of
the Attorney General, Communications Branch, [phone]