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Alberta passes bill to take on tobacco firms 

The Alberta government has passed a bill allowing it to join other provinces in suing tobacco companies to recover billions of dollars in smoking-related health costs and for alleged misrepresentation of their products.

Bill 48, Crown's Right of Recovery Act, also enables the government to recoup health-care costs from convicted criminals injured while committing an offence, such as drunk driving or being mauled by a Siberian tiger--a controversial provision that's being questioned by legal experts and opposition parties.

The legislation lets the government retrieve costs resulting from "wrongful acts or omissions" by tobacco manufacturers, and could see the province try to snare some of the roughly $500 million in annual health costs associated with tobacco use.

But neither Premier Ed Stelmach nor Health Minister Ron Liepert will say when, or if, they'll put the law into use and seek to recoup health-related costs from Big Tobacco.

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