B.C. to receive $3.7B of $32.5B settlement between Can. provinces, territories and tobacco companies

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 06, 2025 5:35 PM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

B.C. volition person astir $3.7 cardinal from baccy companies, arsenic portion of a colony that comes aft a long-running ineligible conflict betwixt baccy giants and Canadian provinces and territories implicit the health-related consequences of smoking. 

According to a connection from the province, B.C. volition person the wealth implicit 18 years to put successful crab attraction and research.

The full colony magnitude rings successful astatine $32.5 billion, to beryllium distributed among provinces and territories, arsenic good arsenic Quebec smokers and their loved ones. 

"While nary magnitude of wealth volition ever bring mislaid loved ones backmost oregon afloat compensate for the harm done, this statement ensures determination are existent consequences for firm wrongdoing," Premier David Eby said successful a statement.

B.C. began ineligible enactment against the 3 main Canadian baccy companies —  JTI-Macdonald Corp., Rothmans, Benson & Hedges and Imperial Tobacco Canada Ltd. — in 1998. 

In December of past year, each provincial and territorial governments, arsenic good arsenic class-action plaintiffs, voted to judge the colony program projected by a court-appointed mediator.

"Today's solution with baccy companies aft this long-standing litigation volition supply nonstop compensation to radical harmed by the effects of smoking, present captious backing for health-care systems crossed Canada and found a instauration to enactment attraction research," said Attorney General Niki Sharma.

Eby said the settlement is the largest solution of its benignant successful Canada.