As Canada's only ‘sugar tax' ends, a study suggests it may have been effective
The study tracked beverage sales in the province before and after the so-called 'sugar tax' was implemented in September 2022. The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada sponsored the study.
It says per-capita sales of sugar-sweetened drinks declined by 11.6 per cent in Newfoundland and Labrador after the tax came into effect, compared with a 6.7 per cent drop in the Maritimes, where there was no levy.
The researchers also surveyed more than 1,200 people before the tax and more than 2,000 people after and found 24 per cent of respondents said they were less likely to buy sugary drinks.
The sugar tax became a frequent sticking point in the provincial legislature, with the Opposition Progressive Conservatives calling repeatedly for its repeal.
Liberal premier John Hogan announced last month the government would repeal the tax on July 1.
Study co-author Rachel Prowse says she'd like the province to reconsider that decision.
'I think that it was premature to remove the tax based on public opinion, because I haven't seen any information that an evaluation was done,' the assistant professor at Memorial University in St. John's, N.L., said in an interview.
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'They could really be sitting as a leader for health in Canada at this time.'
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 18, 2025.
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Brineura, the drug used to treat 10-year-old Charleigh Pollock's neurodegenerative Batten disease, costs more than $800,000 a year. George Abbott, pictured in 2012, when he was a member of the B.C. Liberal government. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO / PROVINCE PNG Former B.C. health minister George Abbott says he probably would have made the same decision as the current NDP government to continue expensive drug coverage for a 10-year-old girl suffering from a rare disease, against the recommendation of a provincial advisory group. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Abbott was health minister in 2007 under the B.C. Liberals when the expert group was established to provide advice to the then-Liberal government on treating patients with expensive drugs for rare diseases. It was created because the government was starting to have to make difficult decisions on approving the use of the expensive drugs coming onto the market, said Abbott, who retired from provincial politics in 2013. 'It's one of those difficult situations where you can never really get enough good advice on whether to fund or not,' said Abbott, who was asked by Postmedia to comment on the issue. 'If you're the sufferer, obviously you want access to the drug regardless of the price. For the broader system, there's always a challenge finding enough dollars to provide timely and effective service to patients,' he said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Abbott said the advisory group is 'absolutely necessary' but added there may be cases where the government does not accept their advice after weighing evidence about whether the drug has a benefit and confronting the pain and suffering the patient is going through. Brineura, the drug used to treat 10-year-old Charleigh Pollock's neurodegenerative Batten disease, costs more than $800,000 a year. Paul Ramsey, former health minister under the NDP during the 1990s, agreed such decisions are difficult. But he said the government must have the ability to say no to treatment, and should do so even when faced with extreme negative publicity. He stressed that decisions about somebody with a serious illness are made every day by physicians and institutions. 'And people die or get well. So the idea that every medical decision should be public is just counter to the way the system works, and the way I think people want it to work,' said Ramsey, who retired from provincial politics in 2001. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Abbott and Ramsey's observations come as B.C. Premier David Eby has called for an overhaul of the province's process to determine coverage for expensive drugs for rare diseases after 10 advisory group members quit over the government's decision to not follow their advice. Eby said there needs to be some changes to improve transparency and to better serve the public. Initially, the government backed the advisory group's decision to halt coverage, saying it should not interfere politically, but then restored coverage in the face of significant public backlash. The advisory group said they recommended stopping treatment because discontinuation criteria was met, beyond which the benefits versus risks of the drug were not believed to be favourable. Pollock's parents, her physicians, and doctors researching and treating Batten disease in the U.S. disagreed with the B.C. advisory group's decision. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Ramsey said introducing transparency may be challenging because these decisions conflict with patient confidentiality. He added the members of the advisory group are also not likely to want to have their names made public and have their inboxes filled up with letters and threats. 'It they were to provide good advice, they don't want to be part of a public dialogue or debate,' he said. Ramsey was health minister when pharmaceutical companies sued the B.C. government, and him personally, for introducing a so-called reference-based pricing system that limited pharmacare coverage. It essentially designated a reference drug within a class. If a patient chose a more expensive drug, they paid the difference. The province established the Therapeutics Initiative — comprised mostly of practising physicians and pharmacists — to help select the reference drugs. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Ramsey said the profit-incentive of the drug companies and their relationship to patient advocacy groups also makes decisions on government drug coverage difficult. Abbott noted the only time decision making on expensive rare disease drugs would likely be able to become public is if the patient makes it so. He said the advisory group system was established after the government had to make some difficult decisions on expensive rare disease drugs, including funding Naglazime for more than $1 million a year for a young patient suffering from a progressive condition that causes many tissues and organs to enlarge, become inflamed or scarred, and eventually waste away. Abbott said the government decided to fund the treatment, calling it a 'heart-wrenching decision.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. While the patient's family advocated for the treatment, it did not become public as far as he could remember, he said. Abbott noted the government also took heat for a decision not to fund a cancer drug. He said he believes these decisions are becoming more difficult because there are more expensive rare disease drugs and they will eat up more of the provincial health budget. Postmedia reported earlier that spending last year had reached just under $200 million for treatment for 600 people with rare diseases, up from $22 million eight years ago. In response to Postmedia questions on how the province might make the system more transparent, including how that could happen given it involves medical patients, Health Minister Josie Osborne said this week it's too early to say what changes may be implemented. 'Our goal is a system that is more transparent and responsive, where patients and families feel supported and understand the process, and where committee members have the tools and resources they need,' Osborne said in a written statement. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Dr. Sandra Sirrs, one of the advisory group members that quit, said while she agrees that transparency is important, for privacy reasons there cannot be transparency about individual patient decisions. There can be more transparency about the process in choosing which drugs to list and which patients will be eligible for those drugs, she said. ghoekstra@ Read More Vancouver Whitecaps GlobeNewswire Local News Local News Local News
