Ontario Takes Action Against Opioid Manufacturers and Wholesalers
TORONTO — Attorney General Doug Downey issued the following statement regarding legal action to address Ontario’s opioid crisis:
“Legislation to hold opioid manufacturers and wholesalers accountable for their role in our province’s opioid crisis has passed third reading in the Ontario legislature.
The opioid crisis has cost the people of Ontario enormously, in lives lost and impact on families in addition to increased usage of the provincial health care system due to the alleged actions of opioid manufacturers and wholesalers.
The Opioid Damages and Health Care Costs Recovery Act will support Ontario’s participation in the national class action lawsuit launched by British Columbia against more than 40 opioid manufacturers and wholesalers for their alleged wrongdoing, to recover past and future health care costs due to opioid-related disease, injury or illness.
As our government continues to build a connected mental health and addictions treatment system, we have committed to invest any award from this litigation directly into frontline mental health and addiction services.
British Columbia’s lawsuit was launched on behalf of all provincial, territorial and federal governments and aims to recover government health care and other direct costs incurred due to opioid-related disease, injury or illness.”
