Canada
column for Sunday, April 7/13
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THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By
Jim Fox
The Ontario government is launching an independent inquiry into how diluted
chemotherapy drugs were given to more than 1,100 patients for up to a year.
The
underdosing affected patients at London Health Sciences Center, Windsor
Regional Hospital, Lakeridge Health in Oshawa, Peterborough Regional Health
Center and Saint John Regional Hospital.
“It’s
unacceptable that this should have happened – that the doses would not have
been accurate,” said Premier Kathleen Wynne.
The review will consider if it was a systemic problem, an isolated
incident and if the privatization of chemotherapy drug preparation was a
factor, Health Minister Deb Matthews said.
There
was too much saline added to the bags of chemotherapy medications that watered down
the prescribed drug concentrations by three percent to 20 percent, Cancer Care
Ontario said.
Most
hospitals mix their own drugs but the four affected Ontario hospitals and one
in New Brunswick had used the same supplier, Marchese Hospital Solutions of
Hamilton, Ontario.
The
supplier said the problem wasn’t the result of how the drugs were prepared but the
way they were administered at the hospitals.
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It’s
being called the “Justin Trudeau effect” – the sudden increase in popularity for
the federal Liberals.
Trudeau, son of the late prime minister Pierre Trudeau, is expected to
be named on April 14 leader of the party that slipped to third place in the
last election.
Time will tell if the “fresh face” and famous name will have a lasting
effect, said pollster David Coletto of Abacus Data.
Abacus polls show the Liberals have “positive momentum,” while the ruling
Conservatives and Opposition New Democrats are declining.
A Forum
Research poll found 48 percent of Canadians believe Trudeau, 41, is qualified
to be prime minister should the Liberals win the next election. Thirty-seven
percent said he wasn't and 16 percent said they didn’t know.
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News
in brief:
-
Robbery is considered the motive in the slayings of a “snowbird” couple from
Toronto in their condo in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Police said Rochelle
Wise’s wedding band with five half-carat white diamonds in a half-moon shape
valued at $16,000 is missing. The bodies of Wise, 66, and David Pichosky, 71, were
found in their winter home on Jan. 10. A reward of $51,000 is offered for tips
that lead to an arrest.
-
Controversial former Ontario New Democrat politician Peter Kormos has died at
his home in Welland. Kormos, who was single, was 60 and died of “natural causes.”
After retiring from provincial politics in 2011 after 23 years, he was elected
to Niagara Regional Council.
-
About 250,000 Canadians have cut the cord and quit their costly cable and
satellite TV services in the past year. Convergence Consulting Group said
another 130,000 subscribers are expected to join the movement to stream TV
online from services such as Netflix this year.
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Facts and figures:
Canada’s jobless rate rose to 7.2 percent from 7.0 percent last month
with an unexpected loss of 54,500 jobs from the economy, Statistics Canada
said.
The
Canadian dollar is higher at 98.29 cents U.S. while the U.S. greenback is
valued at $1.0173 in Canadian funds, before bank exchange fees.
The Bank of Canada’s key interest rate is steady at 1 percent while the
prime-lending rate is 3 percent.
Stock
markets are lower with the Toronto exchange index at 12,319 points and the TSX
Venture index 1,033 points.
Lotto 6-49: (April 3) 20, 26, 27, 32, 36 and 46; bonus 49. (March 30)
26, 30, 34, 35, 38 and 41; bonus 48. Lotto Max: (March 29) 8, 11, 12, 13, 22,
33 and 47; bonus 7.
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Regional briefs:
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Workers are cleaning up 16,600 gallons of crude oil that spilled when a
Canadian Pacific Railway freight train derailed near White River, Ontario. There
were no injuries. A week earlier, 14 cars of a CP train derailed in Minnesota,
spilling about 15,000 gallons of Canadian oil headed to U.S. refineries.
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The New Democrats kicked off their election campaign in British Columbia by
accusing the Liberal government of hiding an $800-million budget deficit this
year. Finance critic Bruce Ralston said the provincial budget numbers were an
attempt to mislead voters ahead of the May 14 election.
- Nova
Scotia’s New Democratic government predicts a slim surplus of $16.4 million in
its fiscal plan for the next year. Finance Minister Maureen MacDonald expects
higher revenues along with $86 million in departmental spending cuts. Balancing
a few tax breaks is an immediate tax increase for smokers of two cents a
cigarette.
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Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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