Canada's Ontario province filed a lawsuit Tuesday against a group of tobacco companies to recoup 50 billion Canadian dollars (46 billion US) in smoking-related health care costs.
The claim represents the health care costs borne by Ontario taxpayers since 1995, the Ontario government said in a statement.
The tobacco firms, which were not identified by the province, have up to 60 days to file a defense.
The suit follows the enactment of a law passed earlier in the year that clarified the rights of parties involved and set a legal framework for such actions.
Canada's high court in 2005 ruled that provinces could pursue tobacco companies to reclaim health costs linked to tobacco use.
Since then, two other provinces, British Columbia and New Brunswick, have sued tobacco firms but despite years of litigation and negotiations neither case is yet resolved.
"Ontario is taking the next step towards recovering taxpayer dollars spent fighting tobacco-related illnesses," Ontario Attorney General Chris Bentley said in a statement.
"We are joining British Columbia and New Brunswick in initiating a lawsuit to recover health care costs from tobacco companies."
According to the government, smoking is the number one cause of premature death and illness in Ontario, accounting for 13,000 deaths each year.
Copyright 2009  AFP American Edition
