Reduce the font size of the article Increase the font size of the article Study of deadly diseases in British Columbia heating dome In 2021, researchers reported that the risk factor most strongly associated with dying during those sweltering days was whether or not a person received income support. The paper, written by researchers at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control and published in Environment Research: Healthcompared those who died with similar people who survived, focusing on health conditions and socioeconomic status. 2:00 New government program to distribute 8,000 air conditioning units A 2022 BC coroner’s report said 619 deaths were attributed to the heat event, and the latest research indicates the prevalence of low income was 2.4 times higher among those who died than among those who survived. The story continues below the advertisement Temperatures soared for several days across much of British Columbia in late June 2021, reaching temperatures above 40 degrees in some areas, while overnight temperatures remained unusually high. The latest health and medical news I send it to you by email every Sunday. Get weekly health news Get the latest medical news and health information delivered to your inbox every Sunday. By providing your email address, you have read and agreed to Global News’ Terms of Use. Terms and conditions And Privacy Policy. The study calls the 2021 heat dome “one of the deadliest weather events in Canadian history.” 2:15 Activists rally to demand installation of heating dome Fashionable now Jasper wildfire: Videos and photos show destruction of town Prince William’s exorbitant annual salary revealed in royal report The researchers found that the health conditions most strongly associated with death during the heat dome were schizophrenia, COPD, Parkinson’s disease, heart failure, chronic kidney disease, ischemic stroke and substance use disorders. “Susceptibility to extreme heat is not determined by a single factor, but rather depends on the confluence of overlapping factors,” says the study published this week. “For example, higher social vulnerability is associated with several risk factors for mortality (related to extreme heat events), including higher prevalence of chronic diseases, poorer general health, less access to air conditioning, and features of the built environment that promote higher local temperatures, such as less green space and more paved surfaces.” The story continues below the advertisement A report commissioned by the province’s chief coroner found that most of those who died were elderly people whose health was compromised by multiple chronic illnesses and who lived alone. © 2024 The Canadian Press Source link

One of the owners of the largest employer in a small town west of Moncton, N.B., says the last 18 hours have been “a bit of hell,” but the local mayor is confident the family will rebuild after a fire destroyed Burgess Transportation. Trevor Burgess says a janitor noticed smoke coming from the top of the roof of the Petitcodiac business on Smith Street near New Brunswick Highway 1 around 7 p.m. Tuesday and called 911. Burgess said they “got a few computers and laptops out” before the fire got too big, but there’s “not a lot of salvage material out there.” “You dedicated your whole life to this and in just 12 hours it’s all gone,” he said. The massive fire required a major response from the Petitcodiac Fire Department as well as support from Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe. The story continues below the advertisement “Over 12 departments responded, over 20 pieces of equipment responded and over 100 firefighters were on scene,” said Petitcodiac Fire Captain Brian Dunfield. “It ranges from aerial vehicles to large tanker trucks, because in our area we need tanker truck shuttles. We don’t have water reserves or fire hydrants.” The email you need for the day The top news from Canada and around the world. Receive daily national news Get the day’s top political, business and current affairs news delivered to your inbox once a day. By providing your email address, you have read and agreed to Global News’ Terms of Use. Terms and conditions And Privacy Policy. Dunfield said there were no injuries and the fire department would determine the cause. Firefighters battle the blaze at Burgess Transportation. Courtesy of Doug Hamer Although Burgess said the business – which repairs trucks and has its own fleet of vehicles, employing around 60 people – has received “a few offers” from other garages to set up shop temporarily, it will “be a day or two before we’re back up and running” and they are unsure how many people they will be able to keep on staff immediately. The story continues below the advertisement “We’re going to pull ourselves together and see if we can get back to normal and serve our customers like we did before, but it’s going to take some time.” Fashionable now Jasper wildfire: Firefighters expect difficult conditions as blaze moves closer to town Jasper wildfire: Alberta government to review conflicting messages in evacuation orders Petitcodiac Mayor Peter Saunders knows the Burgess family personally and describes them as strong, determined and community-minded. “It’s a great loss for a beautiful family business that doesn’t deserve it at all. But it happens,” he said. Saunders said the family built the facility in 1996 and it’s been a “favorite place, with a trucking company, mechanics, truck sales and everything they do here.” He said the company is “unquestionably the largest employer in the community now that the plant is closed.” “They know the hard times, they know how to rebuild… they are already planning what they are going to do next.” While describing the loss as “heartbreaking,” Burgess expressed gratitude to firefighters, RCMP and volunteers for their response. Saunders also highlighted the broader community support, saying he was “very proud of this community.” “When they can open a grocery store at 10 p.m. and have a Legion crew and women and men come out and make sandwiches and coffee all night for over 100 firefighters and women here? That’s a big thing in a community like this,” Saunders said. The story continues below the advertisement — with files from Silas Brown of Global News © 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc. Source link

Police were called to the Stony Mountain facility, 24 km north of Winnipeg, after receiving a report of a serious assault. The victim was rushed to hospital where she later died. Source link

THE LCBO has committed to keeping 680 of its outlets open through 2027 and will launch a task force to examine the impacts of the Ford government’s alcohol access policies on the Crown corporation’s revenue, Global News has learned. In the final days of the two-week strike, the LCBO agreed to three key points aimed at allaying the union’s concerns about the thousands of new retail outlets — like convenience and grocery stores — set to open after Sept. 5. The strike officially ended after thousands of Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) workers ratified a new agreement Sunday allowing LCBO stores to reopen to the public on July 23. While details of the deal have not been made public, Global News has obtained a memorandum of understanding that was signed by both parties on Friday and includes three letters of agreement detailing market modernizations, store closures and full-time jobs. The story continues below the advertisement Market Modernization Working Group While the Ford government has refused to negotiate its position on allowing convenience stores to sell ready-to-drink beverages, the LCBO has agreed to create a new working group with the union to review the government’s modernization policy and consider opening new stores or pop-up outlets. According to a letter of understanding, the LCBO and OPSEU will create a joint working group “to explore innovative business models that could enhance the LCBO’s competitiveness,” which could include opening stores in new markets or even pop-up liquor stores run by LCBO workers. The working group, which will include three union members and three LCBO representatives, will meet four times a year to “assess the impacts that modernization could have on LCBO operations and employees.” The agreement specifies, however, that the working group will only be able to formulate “non-binding recommendations that fall within the scope of the LCBO’s activity.” The story continues below the advertisement Colleen MacLeod, one of the OPSEU representatives at the bargaining table, calls the task force a major victory for the union, giving its members access to information they wouldn’t have had otherwise. The email you need for the day The top news from Canada and around the world. Receive daily national news Get the day’s top political, business and current affairs news delivered to your inbox once a day. By providing your email address, you have read and agreed to Global News’ Terms of Use. Terms and conditions And Privacy Policy. “It gives us the opportunity to get data to find out what the impact is on our stores and they will have to provide that information to us with this task force,” MacLeod told Global News. “That’s what it was about,” MacLeod added. “Getting them to commit to having these discussions.” The agreement provides for the working group to hold its first meeting in three months. The new contract was also aimed at allaying union concerns about possible LCBO store closures, after the Ford government indicated that up to 8,500 convenience and grocery stores could soon offer customers access to retail alcohol. The story continues below the advertisement While the agreement stipulates that LCBO management would retain “unfettered” control over store closures, the Crown agency agreed to avoid closing retail outlets that were affected by the provincial policy. “The LCBO commits to ensuring that there will be no closures of the current 680 stores due to market modernization until March 31, 2027,” the agreement states. MacLeod told Global News the union can monitor the impact of external alcohol sales by looking at sales trends and would use that data to push back on potential store closures. Fashionable now Kamala Harris’ Top Picks for Vice President May Also Be Her Biggest Competitors Kamala Harris wins Pelosi’s support to replace Biden MacLeod said sites with structural problems and safety risks could still close and the union agreed management had the right to make the decision. On Monday, Premier Doug Ford suggested he was not interested in reducing the LCBO’s footprint and that the government planned to open new stores instead. Ford said the province is considering opening a new LCBO store in St. Thomas to meet the needs of the incoming workforce. Volkswagen’s new gigantic battery manufacturing plant and suggested that consumers would likely choose the provincial liquor store over a convenience store for ready-to-drink beverages. Ford, however, reiterated his belief that “the market will dictate” the LCBO’s success. “You provide quality service, quality product, competitive price, and guess what consumers do? They come into your store,” Ford said at a news conference in Kitchener. He added that the LCBO meets all the criteria for success. The story continues below the advertisement In touting the deal, Premier Ford said LCBO workers would get higher wages, greater job security and more of its workforce would be converted to full-time employment. Under the agreement, at least 30 per cent of the LCBO’s workforce will be permanent full-time employees, while at least 12.5 per cent of jobs will be permanent part-time employees. Between October 2024 and May 2025, the LCBO will convert 1,000 casual workers into full-time permanent workers, according to the agreement, compared to the 400 initially proposed by the Crown corporation. The union called it a “massive victory” and said permanent part-time jobs at the LCBO “have all but disappeared.” “The employer has continually casualized the workforce so people have no guarantees of hours, benefits or hope of permanent employment. Permanent part-time work has all but disappeared,” MacLeod said. “I’m beyond proud that we fought back and got those permanent jobs.” The story continues below the advertisement Ford, who stressed the job security aspect of the deal, said the two sides had worked together to “save 9,000 jobs.” © 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc. 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