Oil Sands

“I could sit on my couch and I could cry and feel sorry for myself. Or I could help change the life of another.”

Those were the words of Barb Tarbox shortly before her death from lung cancer in 2003. An advocate until the end, Tarbox travelled across Canada, speaking at schools and leading an anti-smoking crusade that would reach more than 50,000 Canadian students.

Barb’s crusade was a selfless act that took all of her remaining strength. Her efforts weren’t lost on the members of Alberta’s government.

In 2002, our government came up with a plan to prevent more young people from starting smoking, and to help smokers to quit. The goal was to improve the health of Albertans and to reduce the impact of smoking-related illnesses on our health care system. The strategy included two tobacco tax increases, a province-wide smoking ban, and restrictions on tobacco displays and on places where cigarettes can be sold.

These efforts have been successful; tobacco use is now at an all-time low in Alberta. However, despite this strategy and Barb’s amazing effort, use of cigarettes and other tobacco products kill approximately 3,000 Albertans every year. It’s the leading cause of avoidable, premature death in our province.

Its obvious Alberta needs to do more, and so today, our government took another positive step to curbing the use of tobacco. Justice and Attorney General Minister Alison Redford initiated legal action to recover health care costs from the tobacco industry.

Alberta now joins B.C., New Brunswick and Ontario in a legal effort to force tobacco manufacturers to take responsibility for the burden their products cause our health care system.

This is another step in our government’s tobacco reduction strategy.

-Josh Stewart
Public Affairs Office, Alberta Justice