British Columbia has partnered with five other Canadian provinces to retain a national legal consortium to prosecute health-care cost-recovery claims against Canadian tobacco manufacturers.

Bennett Jones LLP and Siskinds LLP will represent B.C., New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Prince Edward Island on a contingency fee basis to pursue the individual claims of all of these provinces. Given the many common elements of the claims, combining forces with other provinces and co-ordinating legal resources will expedite getting these cases to trial.

British Columbia was the first province to pursue litigation against the three major Canadian tobacco manufacturers and their foreign affiliates. The Province is seeking recovery of health-care costs resulting from what B.C. - and now other Canadian provinces - are alleging is the wrongful conduct of these parties in the manufacture, promotion and sale of tobacco products spanning many decades.

In 2010, B.C. initiated talks with other provinces to co-ordinate the prosecution of tobacco health-care cost-recovery litigation.

The British Columbia firm of Bull, Housser & Tupper LLP will continue to act as local counsel in the B.C. litigation, working with the national consortium.

Contact:

Dave Townsend
Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Justice
250 387-4962
250 889-5945 (cell)