N.W.T. to receive $185M in tobacco settlement
CBC
The Northwest Territories health minister says the N.W.T. is expecting about $185 million as part of a national settlement with tobacco companies.
The Superior Court of Ontario has ordered tobacco companies to pay $32.5 billion to provinces and territories in what officials say is the largest resolution of its kind in Canadian history. The ruling was for the impact smoking has had on Canadians and its cost to the health system.
The N.W.T.'s share is an anticipated $185 million with a $44 million initial payment and the rest to be paid over 18 years, according to a news release Friday morning.
The release states that that balance is contingent on the companies' future revenues.
Health Minister Lesa Semmler says the territory will use the funds to "enhance the efficiency of our health care system" and to support preventative care.
She says the N.W.T. already runs education campaigns on the dangers of smoking, restricts smoking locations, has advertising bans, labels on health risks and increased taxes on reduce smoking rates.
Smoking rates in the N.W.T. have dropped by nearly 20 per cent in the last two decades, with 46 per cent of residents reporting smoking in 2002 and 28 per cent in 2023.
"Our goal remains to bring that number to zero," Semmler said.
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