The City of Grande Prairie has signed on as the Representative Plaintiff in a $10 billion class-action lawsuit on June 3, 2020, in regards to the opioid crisis. 

The lawsuit is being filed against over 40 various pharmaceutical companies for their role in the harm caused to communities and the resource strain placed on municipalities to respond to the opioid crisis.

“Participating in this class action lawsuit is a logical continuation in our community’s response to the opioid crisis,” says Mayor Bill Given. 

“Each one of us in Grande Prairie has been impacted in some form by the opioid crisis, and we can recognize the very real human cost the issue has. It also has a very real financial toll in the form of increased costs for local governments in areas ranging from policing and emergency response services, to social programs needed to address treatment and prevention and even into less expected operational areas such as parks and transit operations."

“This lawsuit allows us to take action on behalf of all municipalities and hold these companies, and not local taxpayers, responsible for the costs incurred in our community due to the opioid crisis. We look forward to other Canadian communities joining this suit.”

The City is being represented by Guardian Law Group, a leading class action firm located in Calgary, Alberta, and working with Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, a leading US firm with a track record of success against these pharmaceutical companies. The City is participating on a contingency fee basis. There will be no costs to the City and any fees are deducted from settlement funds only. If there is no settlement awarded the City is not responsible for paying any fees.