���߲ݴ�ý

Saks didn’t say how much the companies will be required to pay or how the charges will be calculated during a Friday news conference via Zoom from the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.

Why people smoke

Saks noted tobacco is often used to alleviate stress, anxiety and depression. The framework is expected to fund research programs to examine why people smoke and how to reduce their tobacco use.

“Every year there are 46,000 people who die from tobacco-related illnesses,” Saks noted. “Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of premature death in Canada. It kills half of all long-term daily users.”

Tobacco-related harms are estimated to cost Canadians more than $11 billion annually.

“This framework is ensuring that these companies, rather than taxpayers, pay to fund our public health efforts to curb tobacco use,” said Saks. “It will also make clear that companies are accountable for their actions for the health of Canadians.”

New programs

Saks added Health Canada is through its substance use and addictions program for eight new projects aimed to reduce tobacco use nationwide.

The programs include education, social support, research and smoking cessation programs.

Dr. Hassan Mir, a cardiologist at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, said smokers face an increased risk of heart disease, long disease and cancer. Smokers tend to live 10 years shorter than non-smokers and often have a lower quality of life, he added.

The University of Ottawa Heart Institute has helped thousands of people reduce or eliminate tobacco use, Mir noted.

“Sustainable funding through programs like this will be necessary,” Mir said.

Mir said the University of Ottawa Heart Institute supports Health Canada’s efforts to bring the nation’s tobacco use rate to under five per cent by 2035.

“Smoking cessation treatment must be integrated into routine care for all tobacco users,” Mir added.

Expanding the Ottawa Model for Smoking Cessation, a program developed by the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, could help thousands more Canadians reduce or quit smoking, said Mir.

Mir added the institute hopes to establish regional hubs across Canada to support health care providers and increase access to smoking cessation services.

National tobacco settlement

On Thursday, following months of hearings, the Ontario Superior Court approved a $32.5-billion national tobacco settlement that will eventually allow eligible Canadians to register for a portion of the payout.

Heavy smokers who smoked “12 pack-years” of cigarettes (at least 87,600 cigarettes) sold by Canadian tobacco companies between Jan. 1, 1950 and Nov. 20, 1998, may be eligible for compensation. You could also be compensated if you or a loved one was diagnosed with lung or throat cancer, emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) between 2015 and 2019.

Eligible smokers or loved ones can register their contact information at .

For more details, email info@TobaccoClaimsCanada.ca, or call 1-888-482-5852.

-With files from Janis Ramsay