By Sheldon Spackman

Class Action

Red Deer examining role in Grande Prairie-led lawsuit against opioid manufacturers

Jun 18, 2020 | 5:11 PM

The City of Red Deer’s legal team is still looking into whether the municipality will be joining a $10 billion class action lawsuit against opioid manufacturers for the current opioid crisis.

Mayor Tara Veer acknowledges that they’ve been approached by the class action lawsuit being represented by the Guardian Law Group, but says it’s a significant legal consideration that requires more time for a decision.

“Red Deer city council has yet to contemplate any recommendations with that. But of course, now that we’re in the relaunch phase, I think municipalities are now returning to more regular business,” Veer said Thursday.

Last month, the City of Grande Prairie signed on as the Representative Plaintiff in the lawsuit, which is being filed against over 40 pharmaceutical companies for their alleged role in the opioid crisis and the harm caused to communities and the effect it has had on their resources responding to the issues.

It recently came to light that Red Deer has once again reclaimed the unfortunate title of having the province’s highest rate of poisoning deaths related to fentanyl at 28.9 per 100,000 persons.

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Veer says if the City’s legal department has any recommendations for council to consider regarding the lawsuit, there would certainly be deliberations planned for the coming weeks.

“Like many communities in Canada, Red Deer certainly has significant issues with respect to addictions and the social consequences of addictions, particularly with opioids and how lethal they are and the impacts they are having on the people of our community,” adds Veer. “I think that it’s important that we have a multi-pronged approach in terms of addressing our addictions response and the consequences of the drug trade and trafficking in our community.”

Veer notes, however, that the class action lawsuit is certainly a tool that’s available to the City.

“We would have to weigh and measure the risks and what would ultimately be in the best interests of the community that we serve from a social impact perspective, as well as from a financial resource perspective,” remarks Veer. “But we need to exercise our due diligence and have a responsibility to review any formal requests that may have come our way with respect to joining.”

The Opioid Response Surveillance Report indicates only Edmonton, Red Deer, and Lethbridge have seen an increase in their rate of fentanyl-related deaths so far this year from 2019.