Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including more unauthorized skin lightening creams and workout supplements, while Transport Canada flagged an issue with tens of thousands of Teslas.
TESLA’S AUTOPILOT
After more than two million Tesla vehicles across various models were recalled in the U.S. over an issue with the autopilot function, Transport Canada said Wednesday the recall will affect about 193,000 cars in Canada.
The transportation department said the recall will be added to its database of vehicles with safety recalls.
Tesla is expected to provide an over-the-air software update to fix the advanced driver assistance features, Transport Canada said.
According to the U.S. National Highway Safety Administration investigation, the recall affects cars produced between Oct. 5, 2012, and December 7 of this year.
U.S. safety regulators had investigated a series of crashes involving Tesla’s autopilot feature, some of which were fatal.
WINDOW SHADES
Health Canada issued a recall Wednesday for various window shades due to a choking hazard.
Taylor & Olive window cordless shades, sold on Bed, Bath and Beyond’s website and available in several colours, were recalled after they failed to meet the Corded Window Coverings Regulations.
The recall notice said the bottom rail end caps may detach, creating a hazardous small part and posing a choking hazard to young children.
Fewer than 30 shades were recalled, ranging from March 2022 to November 2023.
The company said no injuries have been reported in Canada as of December 11.
The health ministry said customers should stop using the recalled items and contact the company for a free endcap replacement kit.
Health Canada also recalled Cooper Grove Yerevan top down bottom up shades on Thursday, in various colours, due to a strangulation hazard.
The window shades, also sold on Bed Bath and Beyond’s website, failed to meet the standard coverings regulations.
Children can become entangled in blind cords, which can lead to strangulation and even death, the recall notice said.
The company said 77 units were sold in Canada between June 2022 and August 2023 and has received no reports of incidents or injuries in Canada since December 7.
UNAUTHORIZED PRODUCTS
Health Canada issued a recall Wednesday for additional unauthorized products, including skin lightening treatments, sexual enhancement, and workout supplements, due to potential serious health risks.
The health department listed Hadalabo Pearl Barley Facial Foam as the recent recall for skin treatment products—used to treat skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis—stating it was labelled to contain aminocaproic acid.
For sexual enhancement products, Black Panther Triple Maximum, Premium Pro Power 3500 Gold Rhino Extreme 500K, and Rhino 99 Diamond 30000 were recently recalled and labelled to contain “yohimbe” and “tadalafil,” according to the recall note.
Health Canada also added the following workout supplements to the recall: Axe & Sledge – The Grind, in various flavours, and 5% Knocked the Fck Out, in two flavours. All products were labelled to contain L-tryptophan.
The items were tested to have “dangerous ingredients” and were not labelled correctly to include these ingredients, according to the recall notice.
The recall history of these unauthorized products, including weight loss, as a workout aid, as “poppers,” tracks as early as November 2017.
Health Canada urges consumers to stop using these unauthorized items and consult a health provider if used.
UNAUTHORIZED INJECTABLE DRUG
Health Canada issued a recall Wednesday for an unauthorized injectable drug product sold by Canlab due to serious health risks.
According to the recall, the products are promoted as peptides and sold online at two of Canlab Research’s websites, including www.canlabresearch.com and www.canlab.net.
The health department said some injectable prescription drugs available for sale on Canlab websites include oxytocin and triptorelin.
“Most synthetic injectable peptides are regulated as prescription drugs in Canada and require a prescription from a licenced health care professional,” Health Canada said.
Health Canada urged consumers to buy prescription drugs from licensed pharmacies and to stop product use.
LITTLE GOURMET MEALTIME BOWLS
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued a recall Wednesday for certain Little Gourmet mealtime bowls due to possible pieces of wood found in the food.
The CFIA said the recall includes the 130-gram Veggie Chicken Pasta and Veggie Beef Lasagna bowls, identified by their Universal Product Code 62861988104 and 628619881027
The recall was triggered by a consumer complaint, according to the notice
The food inspection agency said customers should check if they have the mealtime bowls and throw them out.
NEW GLASGOW, N.S. – Police in New Glasgow, N.S., say a 44-year-old woman faces fraud charges after funds went missing from the Pictou East Progressive Conservative Association.
New Glasgow Regional Police began the investigation on Oct. 7, after Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston reported that an undisclosed amount of money had gone missing from his riding association’s account.
Police allege that a volunteer who was acting as treasurer had withdrawn funds from the association’s account between 2016 and 2024.
The force says it arrested Tara Amanda Cohoon at her Pictou County, N.S., residence on Oct. 11.
They say investigators seized mobile electronic devices, bank records and cash during a search of the home.
Cohoon has since been released and is to appear in Pictou provincial court on Dec. 2 to face charges of forgery, uttering a forged document, theft over $5,000 and fraud over $5,000.
Police say their investigation remains ongoing.
Houston revealed the investigation to reporters on Oct. 9, saying he felt an “incredible level of betrayal” over the matter.
The premier also said a volunteer he had known for many years had been dismissed from the association and the party.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.
PICTOU, N.S. – A Nova Scotia excavation company has been fined $80,000 after a worker died when scaffolding collapsed on one of its job sites.
In a decision released Wednesday, a Nova Scotia provincial court judge in Pictou, N.S., found the failure by Blaine MacLane Excavation Ltd. to ensure scaffolding was properly installed led to the 2020 death of Jeff MacDonald, a self-employed electrician.
The sentence was delivered after the excavation company was earlier found guilty of an infraction under the province’s Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Judge Bryna Hatt said in her decision she found the company “failed in its duty” to ensure that pins essential to the scaffolding’s stability were present at the work site.
Her decision said MacDonald was near the top of the structure when it collapsed on Dec. 9, 2020, though the exact height is unknown.
The judge said that though the excavation company did not own the scaffolding present on its job site, there was no evidence the company took steps to prevent injury, which is required under legislation.
MacDonald’s widow testified during the trial that she found her husband’s body at the job site after he didn’t pick up their children as planned and she couldn’t get in touch with him over the phone.
Julie MacDonald described in her testimony how she knew her husband had died upon finding him due to her nursing training, and that she waited alone in the dark for emergency responders to arrive after calling for help.
“My words cannot express how tragic this accident was for her, the children, and their extended family,” Hatt wrote in the sentencing decision.
“No financial penalty will undo the damage and harm that has been done, or adequately represent the loss of Mr. MacDonald to his family, friends, and our community.”
In addition to the $80,000 fine, the New Glasgow-based company must also pay a victim-fine surcharge of $12,000 and provide $8,000 worth of community service to non-profits in Pictou County.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Investigators found the remains of a 77-year-old American man on Wednesday at the scene of a fire that destroyed a hotel in western Newfoundland on the weekend.
Eugene Earl Spoon, a guest at the hotel, was visiting Newfoundland from Kansas. His remains were found Wednesday morning during a search of the debris left behind after the fire tore through the Driftwood Inn in Deer Lake, N.L., on Saturday, the RCMP said in a news release.
“RCMP (Newfoundland and Labrador) extends condolences to the family and friends of the missing man,” the news release said.
Spoon was last seen Friday evening in the community of about 4,800 people in western Newfoundland. The fire broke out early Saturday morning, the day Spoon was reported missing.
Several crews from the area fought the flames for about 16 hours before the final hot spot was put out, and police said Wednesday that investigators are still going through the debris.
Meanwhile, the provincial Progressive Conservative Opposition reiterated its call for a wider review of what happened.
“Serious questions have been raised about the fire, and the people deserve answers,” Tony Wakeham, the party’s leader, said in a news release Wednesday. “A thorough investigation must be conducted to determine the cause and prevent such tragedies in the future.”
The party has said it spoke to people who escaped the burning hotel, and they said alarm and sprinkler systems did not seem to have been activated during the fire. However, Stephen Rowsell, the Deer Lake fire chief, has said there were alarms going off when crews first arrived.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.
