NWT hints at how it will spend $185M in smoking compensation – Cabin Radio

March 17, 2025

The NWT government says it will use its share of a huge payout from cigarette manufacturers to “support preventative care and enhance the efficiency of our healthcare system.”

The territory is set to receive $185 million from three companies – JTI Macdonald, Imperial Tobacco, and Rothmans, Benson & Hedges, which are subsidiaries of Japan Tobacco, British American Tobacco and Philip Morris International respectively.

An Ontario court approved a settlement earlier this month that will distribute $32.5 billion from those companies to Canada’s provinces and territories. The money is designed in part to compensate for smoking-related healthcare costs over previous decades.