Latest news with #BernardDavis
CBC
26-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
Cancer society wants cash from N.L. tobacco settlement targeted at prevention programs
The Newfoundland and Labrador government has decided how a half-billion-dollar legal settlement with major tobacco companies will hit the books. But there are few details at this point on how the province will actually spend that money when it flows into the provincial treasury. Now the Canadian Cancer Society is weighing in to call for targeted investments it believes could have big impacts. "Tobacco remains a leading preventable cause of disease and death in the province," Rob Cunningham, the society's senior policy analyst, told CBC News. "It is essential that a significant proportion of the tobacco settlement funds be allocated to strengthen the province's tobacco control strategy." Cunningham noted the province is going to be receiving cash over 20 or 30 years. "We can reduce cancer and other diseases, and that's exactly what the priority should be," he said. "The greater the action by the government, the greater the public health benefit will be, and that will be accompanied also by a reduction in health care costs." Last month, CBC News asked then-justice minister Bernard Davis whether there is a specific plan for the tobacco settlement money, or whether it would go into general government revenues. "We haven't talked about where that revenue will go," Davis said on April 11, two days after the provincial budget was tabled. "That's going to be a decision of the cabinet and the government as a whole to see where that investment goes. But obviously the class-action suit was based on the tobacco industry's impact on health care and individuals in that area." In an interview Friday, Health Minister Krista Lynn Howell indicated those decisions still haven't yet been made. WATCH | N.L. should spend money from a lawsuit settlement on anti-smoking measures, says cancer society: N.L. won $500M from a lawsuit over tobacco companies. The Canadian Cancer Society has ideas for that cash 39 minutes ago Duration 1:46 Over the next few decades, Newfoundland and Labrador will see half a billion dollars from a legal settlement with tobacco companies. The Canadian Cancer Society has a list of suggestions for how the government should spend some of that money. The CBC's Rob Antle reports. "We'll be advocating that some of that money is certainly invested into our department, into our programs and into the many things that happen here in the department to continue to support health care in Newfoundland and Labrador," Howell said. "It'll be a big discussion throughout the whole government." The Canadian Cancer Society is calling for a comprehensive strategy that would include programs to help people stop smoking, prevention efforts targeted at youth, communications campaigns and policy development. Cunningham said one of the immediate policy options would be increasing the minimum age for tobacco and cigarettes from 19 to 21. Prince Edward Island, he noted, has already done that. Cunningham also highlighted the issue of youth vaping. Vaping was specifically mentioned by Newfoundland and Labrador's health department when it launched public consultations a year ago on possible changes to laws governing tobacco and related products. Howell expressed concern about vaping, saying she's received "very alarming" reports of use by children as young as Grade 4. "We know that there are significant challenges now and questions and concerns about vaping and how the younger generations are exposed to that," Howell said. "So I think educational programming is a very big piece of this puzzle." She said her department will soon release a report with feedback from last year's public consultations. But actions may be a long time coming. Some would require legislative changes, and the House of Assembly is now closed. There will almost certainly be an election before it sits again. The Newfoundland and Labrador government expects to receive more than $500-million from the tobacco litigation settlement over the next 20 to 30 years. It booked the entire amount in this year's pre-election budget. There were a series of fiery clashes in the legislature between the governing Liberals and Opposition Progressive Conservatives in the wake of CBC News reporting on the issue earlier this month. Resolution of the tobacco litigation has been a long time coming. The origins of the legal action date all the way back to the 1990s. In March, Ontario Superior Court Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz approved a $32.5-billion compensation plan to be paid by three tobacco companies. A portion of the cash will go to some smokers who were diagnosed with cancer. Provincial and territorial governments will split about three-quarters of the overall amount — just over $24.7 billion. A chunk of the compensation will be paid up front. The remainder will flow over the next couple of decades, with the tobacco companies forking over the majority of their net after-tax income until the $32.5-billion is paid in full.
CBC
27-01-2025
- Business
- CBC
Oversight and negotiating committees announced for Churchill Falls talks
In a series of back-to-back news releases, the provincial government signalled Monday afternoon that it's charging ahead with a proposed new energy deal for the Churchill River. First, Justice Minister Bernard Davis announced the three-member panel that will provide independent oversight of the negotiations. Second, Premier Andrew Furey revealed that the same team that negotiated December's memorandum of understanding between Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro and Hydro-Quebec will lead the effort to reach formal contracts. "We are now moving toward drafting definitive agreements with the leadership of this smart and experienced team that helped get us to this stage. Our goal is to complete the definitive agreements within the timeline outlined in the MOU," Furey said, referring to the spring 2026 target date for a new partnership between the two provinces. The negotiating team includes former Fortis Group of Companies executive Karl Smith, N.L. Hydro president and CEO Jennifer Williams and Denis Mahoney, deputy minister of Justice and Public Safety. The team brings together expertise in industry, utility and law, and will also be supported by internal and external expertise as required. Meanwhile, engineer C. Douglas Bowman and business leader Michael Wilson will join consumer advocate Dennis Browne on a special panel that will provide oversight of the Churchill Falls memorandum of understanding negotiations. " Independent review of the negotiations with Hydro-Quebec was a critical component in reaching this historic memorandum of understanding and will continue to play an important role in getting the most out of future negotiations toward definitive agreements," Justice and Public Safety Minister Bernard Davis said in a statement. By establishing the panel, Davis said the province "can be confident that the important need for independent oversight of this historic deal for our province is achieved. The work of Mr. Browne, Mr. Bowman and Mr. Wilson will be critical to the negotiations process, and I thank them for their commitment." With opposition politicians clamouring for more independent oversight of the historic MOU, the provincial government announced on Jan. 9 that a special oversight panel, led by the consumer advocate, would be created. The oversight structure was established in co-operation with the two members of the New Democratic Party and the two independent MHAs. The 14 members of the Progressive Conservative caucus refused to vote on the MOU following four days of debate in the House of Assembly, saying they were not satisfied with the level of oversight, and that they had outstanding questions about the framework agreement. Browne will chair the panel, which has been tasked with reviewing the Dec. 12, 2024, MOU and monitoring the progress toward formal contracts between N.L. Hydro and Hydro-Quebec. The panel will provide advice to the cabinet of Premier Andrew Furey. There's no mention in the news release to any public release of that oversight. But in a Jan. 10 statement to CBC News, Browne pledged to provide regular updates to the public and the legislature. "Our oversight team will work for the people of the province and provide factual information on which the public will be able to rely," he said. Davis said the panel will provide "reliable and transparent" oversight. Browne is a longtime St. John's lawyer who has served two stints — 1996 to 2004 and 2016 to the present — as the province's consumer advocate. The role of the advocate is to represent rate payers on electricity issues. Browne's selection to lead the oversight panel was criticized by the PCs because of his previous connection to the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador, and his supportive comments of the MOU in media interviews. But, Browne said "I have not been involved politically for almost 10 years now," and that he was selected as the consumer advocate through the Independent Appointments Commission. Bowman, meanwhile, is an electrical engineer with more than 40 years of experience in the power industry. His areas of expertise include electricity services costing, pricing and contracts, and power sector restructuring, regulation and markets. Bowman has provided consulting advice to governments, regulators, utilities and consumer groups, and has played a leading role in consulting projects in over 50 countries around the world. Wilson is a chartered accountant with a career that has spanned more than four decades with the professional services firm Ernst and Young. Prior to his retirement in 2013, he was a managing partner in St. John's and senior partner in the Toronto. According to his biography, Wilson has prepared or reviewed numerous commercial contracts in a wide variety of industries, such as power and energy, oil and gas, technology, insurance and construction and transportation.
