Police in B.C. put lid on grocery store theft, but thousands in cheese still ruined

OTTAWA – The federal government has tapped a panel of five experts to craft the path toward a universal pharmacare program.

Dr. Nav Persaud, the Canada Research Chair in health justice, will chair a committee that includes a variety of health-care professionals who are tasked with advising the government on the next steps of the program.

The Liberals and NDP negotiated the substance of a pharmacare bill as part of their now-defunct supply-and-confidence agreement.

The bill became law on Oct. 10, and allows the federal government to sign agreements with the provinces and territories to begin providing free access to contraceptives and diabetes medication.

Separately, the expert committee will come up with recommendations for creating a universal, single-payer pharmacare program.

The committee will submit a report to the health minister by Oct. 10, 2025, and that report will go to Parliament.

The experts include Linda Silas, president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions; Amy Lamb, executive director of the Indigenous Pharmacy Professionals of Canada; Dr. Stéphane Ahern, an associate clinical professor at the Université de Montréal ; and Dr. Steve Morgan, an expert on pharmacare systems at the University of British Columbia.

The committee will engage with provinces and territories, Indigenous groups and experts as it prepares the report.

In a statement, the NDP says it welcomes the appointment of the committee.

The federal Conservatives have said they would reject a single-payer drug plan if they form government.

Conservative governments in Alberta and Ontario have also expressed skepticism about signing onto the initial deals with the Liberal government.

Health Minister Mark Holland has said he hopes to have deals signed with all provinces and territories by next spring to begin coverage of birth-control and diabetes medications.

British Columbia has already signed a memorandum of understanding to provide coverage. Manitoba’s NDP government began covering prescription birth control on Oct. 1 and has indicated interest in making a deal with Ottawa.

That initial program is a universal, first-dollar, single-payer model, according to Holland, meaning that patients will not pay for the medications. People with a private health plan that covers the medicines can choose whether to use their health coverage or the federal plan.

But when asked about the national program’s structure last month, Holland refused to speculate on whether it will be a mixed-payer system or a single-payer system.

Instead, he said the expert panel will be tasked with sorting out what type of system will work best.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.

— With files from Laura Osman

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

OTTAWA – K’ahsho Got’ine guardians Twyla Edgi-Masuzumi, John Tobac and Buddy Gully pulled more than 300 fish out of the waters last week, distributing them to community members in the Northwest Territories who often struggle with the high cost of food.

“It’s very expensive to live here … There’s a lot of people struggling out here,” said Edgi-Masuzumi.

Gathering food for communities is just the start of the work they do: they locate missing boaters, host hide tanning and language camps, started their own water-monitoring initiative and are working to revitalize the trails their ancestors used to travel on.

“They’ve walked thousands and thousands of miles, and just having that feeling of walking in their footsteps is amazing,” Edgi-Masuzumi said.

But their work through the Indigenous Guardians program, while fulfilling for them and their community, isn’t always secure.

Now, thanks to a $375-million conservation fund, she said their work will be able to continue for years to come.

The Our Land for the Future fund is a collaboration between government, industry and Indigenous Peoples that includes $300 million from the federal government and $75 million from private donors. It’s the largest single investment in Indigenous-led conservation and stewardship to date in the territory.

That fund, announced on Thursday, will be used for Indigenous-led conservation and stewardship, ecotourism, traditional economic activities and climate research, among others. Money is expected to begin flowing out of it by mid-2025, and it’s expected to support hundreds of jobs per year over 10 years.

It’s the product of more than 20 Indigenous nations, government and industry partners working together, and was no easy feat, said Dahti Tsetso, the deputy director of the Indigenous Leadership Initiative.

Her organization was approached to help with the partnership table, and tasked with outreach.

“It’s been a bit of a journey to get here, but it’s really exciting to have got to a point where we’re ready to sign,” Tsetso said.

“We know that the return on investment for these dollars will be much greater than the investments themselves … We know what kind of impact these investments will have within our communities, across our regions, across the territory.”

Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree said the fund will be transformational for the region that is feeling the brunt of the climate emergency.

“There’s a real need to address it,” he said in an interview.

“And what we’re seeing is Indigenous Peoples — who are the true custodians of their land — having control over what they need to do to preserve and protect their land.”

The fund can be used to establish new protected and conserved areas identified by Indigenous governments, which Anandasangaree said will move the government closer to its goal of conserving 30 per cent of lands and waters by 2030.

“The signing of this landmark agreement marks a historic milestone in nature protection in the North and is a testament to what can be achieved through collaboration and a shared commitment to safeguarding nature, and building a conservation economy,” Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said in a statement.

“With our support to Indigenous leadership in conservation, we are ensuring the protection of these lands, as well as creating cultural and economic opportunities for our children, grandchildren, and all future generations.”

For guardians Edgi-Masuzumi, Tobac and Gully, those generations are always at the front of mind.

Edgi-Masuzumi said that is what drives her.

“We all have kids, and we want nothing but the best for them,” she said.

“And to keep them on the land, passing what we learned onto them … It’s like we’re making our own little history, and they can carry that for us when we’re not in this job anymore.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.

LONGUEUIL, Que. – People in a part of Longueuil, Que., were being asked to stay indoors with their doors and windows closed on Thursday morning after a train derailed, spilling an unknown quantity of hydrogen peroxide.

Police from the city just east of Montreal said it didn’t appear anyone was hurt, although a CN rail official told a news conference that three employees had been taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.

The derailment happened at around 9 a.m. in the LeMoyne area, near the intersection of St-Louis and St-Georges streets. Mathieu Gaudreault, a spokesman for CN rail, said about eight cars derailed at the Southwark rail facility, including four that toppled over.

“As of this morning, the information we have is it’s hydrogen peroxide that was in the rail car and created the fumes we saw,” he said, adding that there was no risk of fire.

François Boucher, a spokesman for the Longueuil police department, said police were asking people in the area, including students at nearby schools, to stay indoors while experts ensure the air is safe to breathe.

“It is as a preventive measure that we encourage people to really avoid exposing themselves unnecessarily,” he told reporters near the scene.

Police and fire officials were on site, as well as CN railworkers, and a large security perimeter was erected.

Officers were asking people to avoid the sector, and the normally busy Highway 116 was closed in the area. The confinement notice includes everyone within 800 metres of the derailment, officials said, who added that it would be lifted once a team with expertise in dangerous materials has given the green light.

In addition to closing doors and windows, people in the area covered by the notice are asked to close heating, ventilation and air exchange systems, and to stay as far from windows as possible.

Gaudreault said it wasn’t yet clear what caused the derailment. The possibilities include a problem with the track, a problem with a manoeuvre, or a mechanical issue, he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.