Province looking to join class action lawsuit against opioid manufacturers

EDMONTON- The provincial government has tabled new legislation that would allow it to participate in a class action lawsuit against opioid manufacturers.

The Opioid Damages and Health Care Costs Recovery Act was tabled Thursday afternoon, with the goal of helping the province hold opioid manufacturers and wholesalers accountable for health-care costs and damages. It would allow Alberta to join a class action lawsuit filed by the British Columbia government.

“This legislation is necessary to participate in the proposed national class action,” said Health Minister Tyler Shandro in a statement. “We are proud to stand with our provincial counterparts on this matter and will continue to work alongside them to recover costs of opioid-related illness, injuries and disease.”

The legislation would allow Alberta to recover costs on an aggregate basis, rather than calculating individual costs, according to a release. It would also allow the recovery of health-care costs, regardless of when the damages occurred, and permit the use of statistics to establish causation and quantify total damages.