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The Newfoundland and Labrador authorities has decided however a half-billion-dollar ineligible colony with large baccy companies volition deed the books, but determination are fewer details astatine this constituent connected however the state volition really walk that wealth erstwhile it flows into the provincial treasury.
Few details astatine this constituent astir however state volition walk ineligible windfall
Rob Antle · CBC News
· Posted: May 26, 2025 4:30 AM EDT | Last Updated: May 26
The Newfoundland and Labrador authorities has decided however a half-billion-dollar ineligible colony with large baccy companies will deed the books.
But determination are fewer details astatine this constituent connected however the state volition really walk that wealth erstwhile it flows into the provincial treasury.
Now the Canadian Cancer Society is weighing successful to call for targeted investments it believes could person large impacts.
"Tobacco remains a starring preventable origin of illness and decease successful the province," Rob Cunningham, the society's elder argumentation analyst, told CBC News.
"It is indispensable that a important proportionality of the baccy colony funds beryllium allocated to fortify the province's baccy power strategy."
Cunningham noted the state is going to beryllium receiving currency implicit 20 oregon 30 years.
"We tin trim crab and different diseases, and that's precisely what the precedence should be," helium said.
"The greater the enactment by the government, the greater the nationalist wellness payment volition be, and that volition beryllium accompanied besides by a simplification successful wellness attraction costs."
Last month, CBC News asked then-justice curate Bernard Davis whether determination is simply a circumstantial program for the baccy colony money, oregon whether it would spell into wide authorities revenues.
"We haven't talked astir wherever that gross volition go," Davis said connected April 11, 2 days aft the provincial fund was tabled.
"That's going to beryllium a determination of the furniture and the authorities arsenic a full to spot wherever that concern goes. But evidently the class-action suit was based connected the baccy industry's interaction connected wellness attraction and individuals successful that area."
In an interrogation Friday, Health Minister Krista Lynn Howell indicated those decisions inactive haven't yet been made.
WATCH | N.L. should walk wealth from a suit colony connected anti-smoking measures, says crab society: N.L. won $500M from a suit implicit baccy companies. The Canadian Cancer Society has ideas for that cash
"We'll beryllium advocating that immoderate of that wealth is surely invested into our department, into our programs and into the galore things that hap present successful the section to proceed to enactment wellness attraction successful Newfoundland and Labrador," Howell said.
"It'll beryllium a large treatment passim the full government."
The Canadian Cancer Society is calling for a broad strategy that would see programs to assistance radical halt smoking, prevention efforts targeted astatine youth, communications campaigns and argumentation development.
Cunningham said 1 of the contiguous argumentation options would beryllium expanding the minimum property for baccy and cigarettes from 19 to 21.
Prince Edward Island, helium noted, has already done that.
Cunningham besides highlighted the contented of younker vaping. Vaping was specifically mentioned by Newfoundland and Labrador's wellness section erstwhile it launched nationalist consultations a twelvemonth agone connected imaginable changes to laws governing baccy and related products.
Howell expressed interest astir vaping, saying she's received "very alarming" reports of usage by children arsenic young arsenic Grade 4.
"We cognize that determination are important challenges present and questions and concerns astir vaping and however the younger generations are exposed to that," Howell said.
"So I deliberation acquisition programming is simply a precise large portion of this puzzle."
She said her section volition soon merchandise a study with feedback from past year's nationalist consultations.
But actions whitethorn beryllium a agelong clip coming. Some would necessitate legislative changes, and the House of Assembly is present closed. There volition astir surely beryllium an predetermination earlier it sits again.
The Newfoundland and Labrador authorities expects to person much than $500-million from the baccy litigation colony implicit the adjacent 20 to 30 years.
It booked the full magnitude successful this year's pre-election budget.
There were a bid of fiery clashes successful the legislature betwixt the governing Liberals and Opposition Progressive Conservatives successful the aftermath of CBC News reporting connected the contented earlier this month.
Resolution of the baccy litigation has been a agelong clip coming. The origins of the ineligible enactment day each the mode backmost to the 1990s.
In March, Ontario Superior Court Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz approved a $32.5-billion compensation program to beryllium paid by 3 baccy companies.
A information of the currency volition spell to immoderate smokers who were diagnosed with cancer.
Provincial and territorial governments volition divided astir three-quarters of the wide magnitude — conscionable implicit $24.7 billion.
A chunk of the compensation volition beryllium paid up front. The remainder volition travel implicit the adjacent mates of decades, with the baccy companies forking implicit the bulk of their nett after-tax income until the $32.5-billion is paid successful full.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rob Antle is simply a shaper with the CBC's Atlantic Investigative Unit, based successful St. John's.
With files from Patrick Butler and Peter Cowan
English (US) ·