Alberta Tobacco Reduction Strategy

The Alberta Tobacco Reduction Strategy (ATRS) was initially launched in 2002 with a $12 million annual budget and it was based on a 10-year implementation plan that came to an end in 2012.  The ATRS was renewed in 2012 with a revised 10-year plan and new performance targets but no specified budget.

The strategy has been widely applauded as an ambitious and comprehensive evidence-based plan to reduce tobacco use in Alberta.  However the implementation of this ambitious strategy has been impaired by a lack of funding, reporting, monitoring and evaluation.

At present, Alberta Health Services is spending only $1.00 per capita or $4 million annually on the tobacco reduction strategy.¹ Five years after its renewal, the ATRS appears unlikely to meets its 10-year targets.

To meet best practice guidelines the annual tobacco control budget for Alberta should be approximately 48 to 60 million dollars.²

While the funding for tobacco reduction has substantially eroded, tobacco tax revenues have substantially increased from $633 million in 2003 to over $1 billion in 2017/2018.³

An online survey of 1,005 Albertans conducted by Leger Research in January 2017 revealed that 75 percent of respondents wanted the Alberta government to reinvest one-third of tobacco tax revenue in effective strategies to help smokers quit and to keep youth from starting to use tobacco.  The survey also revealed that two-thirds of respondents (68%) support a cigarette tax increase of at least $1.50 per 20 pack.  A tobacco tax increase of this size would generate over $100 million annually.

The Campaign for a Smoke-Free Alberta is making the following recommendations to improve the implementation of the ATRS:

1. Allocate a portion of new tobacco tax revenue (at least $20 million) to fully implement the ATRS;
2. Implement a sustainable revenue model requiring major tobacco companies to purchase a manufacturers' license to sell tobacco in Alberta and apply the proceeds toward the ATRS by collecting at least $20 million in license fees annually; and
3. Fully implement the ATRS with adequate funding allocated to prevention, protection, enforcement, monitoring and evaluation.