The Saskatchewan government will soon be able to sue tobacco companies to recover the health care costs from smoking.

The NDP government has introduced legislation patterned after British Columbia's landmark law which allows the province to sue for both past and future health care costs.
Graham Addley, minister of healthy living services, said there is a lot of work that needs to be done before a lawsuit is actually launched and his preference is for Saskatchewan to act in conjunction with other provinces.
With health care costs related to smoking in Saskatchewan estimated at an annual C$ 145-million alone, the amount at stake in such a lawsuit could be staggering.
British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Manitoba all have similar legislation but only BC has actually sued tobacco manufacturers. Addley suggested a future lawsuit may hinge on the involvement of the Ontario and Quebec governments. (pi)