Close X
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
ADVT 
National

Creditors to vote on proposed $32.5B tobacco settlement in December

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 31 Oct, 2024 12:26 PM
  • Creditors to vote on proposed $32.5B tobacco settlement in December

Creditors of three major tobacco companies will get the chance to weigh in on a proposed multi-billion-dollar settlement in December.

An Ontario court has approved a motion that would see representatives for the creditors, which include provincial governments and plaintiffs in two Quebec class-action lawsuits, review and vote on the proposal on Dec. 12.

One of the companies, JTI-Macdonald Corp., had urged the court to hold off on approving the motion so the proposed plan could be amended before it's presented to creditors.

The company said it opposed the proposed plan of arrangement, calling it "unworkable" in its current form.

The proposal would see the three companies — JTI-Macdonald Corp., Rothmans, Benson & Hedges and Imperial Tobacco Canada Ltd. — pay $24 billion to provinces and territories and more than $4 billion to tens of thousands of Quebec smokers and their heirs.

Before it can be implemented, the proposed plan must be voted on by representatives for the creditors and then be approved by the court.

Ontario Superior Court Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz did not give reasons for his decision to approve the motion Thursday, but repeatedly suggested during the hearing that discussions over any outstanding issues could continue before and even after the creditors' meeting.

Several of the other parties argued Thursday that JTI-Macdonald Corp.'s concerns should be raised and addressed later in the process.

Rothmans, Benson & Hedges and Imperial Tobacco said they had no issue with setting a date for the creditors' meeting but reserved the right to object to the proposal at a later stage in the process, including when it is presented for the court's approval.

The proposal reached through mediation doesn't specify each company's share of the $32.5-billion global settlement, an issue that "must be resolved" to move forward, Rothmans, Benson & Hedges said in a court document filed ahead of Thursday's hearing.

"RBH has not agreed to the proposed plan with the allocation issue unresolved," the company said in the document.

The company added it is "committed to resolving the issue in a timely manner to avoid the risk of substantial objections at the sanction hearing as well as the potential for further complications and delay."

Whether the companies need to support the plan for it to take effect remains in dispute, with some parties arguing the court could simply impose the settlement.

Other payments laid out in the proposal include more than $2.5 billion for smokers in other provinces and territories who were diagnosed with smoking-related illnesses over a four-year period, and more than $1 billion for a foundation to help detect and prevent tobacco-related diseases.

The proposed settlement comes after more than five years of negotiations as part of a corporate restructuring process that was triggered by a decades-long legal battle.

A Quebec Superior Court judge first ordered the three companies to pay about $15 billion in two class-action lawsuits involving smokers in the province who took up the habit between 1950 and 1998 and either fell ill or were addicted, or their heirs.

The landmark decision was upheld by the province's top court in 2019, prompting the companies to seek creditor protection in Ontario. 

The Ontario court put all legal proceedings against the companies, including lawsuits filed by provincial governments, on hold as the parties negotiated a global settlement. 

The stay of proceedings was initially set to expire after a few months, but has been renewed about a dozen times. It has now been extended to Jan. 31, 2025.

MORE National ARTICLES

B.C. Greens' ex- leader Weaver thinks minority deal with NDP less likely than in 2017

B.C. Greens' ex- leader Weaver thinks minority deal with NDP less likely than in 2017
Former B.C. Green leader Andrew Weaver knows what it's like to form a minority government with the NDP, but says such a deal to form the province's next government is less likely this time than seven years ago. Weaver struck a power-sharing agreement that resulted in John Horgan's NDP minority government in 2017, but says there is now more animosity between the two parties.

B.C. Greens' ex- leader Weaver thinks minority deal with NDP less likely than in 2017

One Liberal MP says he's signed letter asking Trudeau to resign, others remain mum

One Liberal MP says he's signed letter asking Trudeau to resign, others remain mum
As an internal revolt brews, few Liberal MPs who are not in the cabinet are publicly defending the prime minister. The upcoming caucus meeting on Wednesday appears to present the most serious challenge to Trudeau's leadership to date.

One Liberal MP says he's signed letter asking Trudeau to resign, others remain mum

What happens after British Columbia's indecisive election?

What happens after British Columbia's indecisive election?
What happens after British Columbia's indecisive election? British Columbians went to the polls Saturday, but now face a week or more before knowing the result, and whether the NDP's David Eby will keep his job as premier or if B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad will take charge, or if there might be a new election.

What happens after British Columbia's indecisive election?

Three charged with first-degree murder in Vancouver Island overdose death: police

Three charged with first-degree murder in Vancouver Island overdose death: police
British Columbia police say three people have been charged with first-degree murder in the overdose death of a woman from Nanaimo. A statement from B.C.'s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit says their team on Vancouver Island began investigating in August 2023 after obtaining information that led them to believe the woman's death was "suspicious."

Three charged with first-degree murder in Vancouver Island overdose death: police

Cyclist killed by pickup truck

Cyclist killed by pickup truck
Police in Central Saanich are investigating the death of a woman who was killed by a pickup truck as she was taking part in an organized bicycle race yesterday. Police say the woman, who was in her late 40s, was racing in the Tripleshot Cross Fondo when she was struck at an intersection on Central Saanich Road, north of Victoria. 

Cyclist killed by pickup truck

Body pulled from Fraser River

Body pulled from Fraser River
Police in Richmond are looking for possible witnesses following the death of a woman after she was pulled from the Fraser River. Mounties say officers received a call of a woman in distress in the river yelling for help on October 3rd.

Body pulled from Fraser River