It’s been a week since a supposedly vacant building caught fire along Casorso Road in Kelowna, B.C. Micheal Praught and his dog narrowly escaped serious injury as they fled the burning building Monday by jumping out of a second-story window. “I mean, we only had a few seconds to get out,” Praught said. “There was just smoke, I couldn’t see anything. By the time I got out and got the dog out, it was over.” 2:13 The regulation visited the property a week before the fire Praught and his dog managed to reach a ledge on the second floor before passersby helped them down. The dramatic scene was caught on camera. The story continues below the advertisement A woman was also inside at the time and managed to escape, but was seriously injured. Praught said the woman remains in hospital. “My ex-girlfriend had to jump out of a second-story window like that. She broke her tailbone and has third-degree burns,” he said. Latest news from Canada and around the world sent to your email address, as it happens. The building was believed to have been vacant for some time, but police told Global News they were trying to confirm whether squatters were in the residence, which neighbours believed to be the case. “At the time, we didn’t know it was an occupied residence or a building that was occupied,” Fire Chief Larry Watkinson said Tuesday. “We received reports from the owner confirming that no one was residing in this space.” Praught, however, says he has lived there for nearly two years. “Yeah, I was there full time doing security, more or less, I stayed there,” Praught said. “He gave me a good deal, I stayed there and took care of the property.” 2:52 One person injured in major fire in Kelowna Fashionable now ‘Hooded Rapist’ Larry Takahashi Granted Full Parole Why did Secret Service let shooter get so close to Trump, former agents ask Global News was unable to confirm Praught’s agreement with the property owner. The story continues below the advertisement Two weeks before the fire, a neighbor contacted city officials to express concerns about the property and potential squatters in the area. At that point, Praught said he received a warning to clean up a large number of tires adjacent to the building. “Bylaw services have attended the Casorso property five times in the past two years,” the City of Kelowna said in an email to Global News. “Four of these cases have been processed and closed. The fifth was opened in early July and was being processed before the fire.” In the email, the city also describes how it addresses issues related to vacant buildings, including having regulatory departments respond to and investigate public complaints. The city and fire department also provide a framework for how vacant properties should be maintained and if the owner fails to follow that framework, city staff can bring the property up to standard at the owner’s expense. Meanwhile, Praught believes a cigarette thrown in the backyard may have started the fire, but an investigation is still ongoing. 1:29 Armstrong house fire under investigation © 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc. Source link

Reduce the font size of the article Increase the font size of the article TORONTO — Daulton Varsho and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit home runs to help the Toronto Blue Jays win 7-3 and sweep the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers on Sunday. Varsho’s two-run hit, his 13th, landed in the Rangers’ bullpen as part of a three-run first inning, while Guerrero threw his team-best 19th to right field as part of a three-run third inning. The Blue Jays (49-56) have won five of nine home games since the All-Star break. The Rangers (51-55) have lost three straight after coming into town with a five-game winning streak. Toronto right-hander Jose Berrios (9-8) allowed one run on six hits with no walks and five strikeouts in seven innings. Related Videos 0:29 Bo Bichette goes viral for openly flirting with commerce Previous video Next video The story continues below the advertisement Texas starting pitcher Jon Gray aggravated a right groin injury in first-inning warmups. He was replaced by Jonathan Hernandez (3-1) before leadoff hitter Spencer Horwitz came to bat. Latest news from Canada and around the world sent to your email address, as it happens. Get the latest national news For news that impacts Canada and the world, sign up to receive breaking news alerts directly when it happens. By providing your email address, you have read and agreed to Global News’ Terms of Use. Terms and conditions And Privacy Policy. The Rangers’ bullpen was already stretched thin after Saturday starter Michael Lorenzen failed to finish the first inning. Lorenzen eventually made an appearance to start the fifth and worked the final four innings. Before Varsho’s two-run home run with Ernie Clement aboard, Guerrero scored the first run with a sacrifice fly to left field. Guerrero’s third-inning home run came with one out. Addison Barger then drove in Justin Turner and Varsho with a double to right-center field. Varsho opened Saturday’s game with a three-run hit. After Nathaniel Lowe’s single off Berrios gave the Rangers an opener in the sixth, Leo Jimenez’s sacrifice fly allowed Alejandro Kirk to score in the bottom half of the inning. Fashionable now Jasper wildfire: Before and after photos show town’s destruction ‘Metallic fibres’ may be present in these multivitamins and supplements, according to Health Canada Genesis Cabrera replaced Berrios to start the eighth and quickly allowed a two-run home run to Josh Smith. Barger and Turner led the Blue Jays’ attack with two hits each in front of 40,092 fans at Rogers Centre. Receiver’s call The story continues below the advertisement With catcher Danny Jansen being traded to the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, the Blue Jays recalled Brian Serven from Triple-A Buffalo. Serven, 29, played five games with the Blue Jays earlier this season. ON THE BRIDGE The Blue Jays open a four-game series with a doubleheader in Baltimore against the Orioles on Monday. Yusei Kikuchi, whose three-year contract expires at the end of the year, is the player most likely to be traded before Tuesday’s 6 p.m. trade deadline. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2024. © 2024 The Canadian Press Source link

In the space of a few years, Jean-Luc Duval lost two of the most important people in his life to lung cancer. His wife Monique was diagnosed on her birthday and died on July 3, 2005, her 40th wedding anniversary. Months of debilitating chemotherapy treatments failed to stop the disease, which had slowly spread and taken root in her digestive system. Duval then reconnected with a former co-worker and, as they grew closer, they decided to live together as companions in his house in Repentigny, a suburb of Montreal. One night, she started coughing violently and he took her to the emergency room. Doctors discovered she had cancer in both lungs and she died five months later. Both women smoked, although they had quit years ago. Duval, too, had smoked for decades, but he had managed to quit years before his wife. The story continues below the advertisement Duval engaged in a lengthy legal battle against three major tobacco companies, and in a landmark 2019 ruling, Quebec’s top court confirmed that he and about 100,000 other Quebecers were entitled to billions of dollars in compensation for the harm they or their loved ones suffered. But five years later, none of them have received even a fraction of that money – and recent court documents suggest hundreds of people have died in the meantime. Jean-Luc Duval holds a photo of his late wife, Monique, in his home on Friday, June 14, 2024, in Repentigny, Que. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz “Not only have we not received a cent, but absolutely nothing has changed,” Duval, 80, wrote in a recent open letter to the Quebec government. “Cigarettes from these same manufacturers are sold everywhere in the province and in every corner of the country.” “I’m not interested in money, but I want justice,” he added. “I want this industry to stop existing.” The story continues below the advertisement Several health advocacy groups have also sounded the alarm about the lack of progress and transparency in the case, warning that Canada could miss what they call a historic opportunity to reduce tobacco use and regulate the industry. “We’re never going to have a better opportunity than we have right now, and, you know, tobacco companies can’t just go on business as usual after a deal,” he said. Rob Cunningham, lawyer for the Canadian Cancer Society. The organization has been designated as a social stakeholder in the case, meaning it can make submissions to the court. The lawsuits involved smokers who started smoking between 1950 and 1998 and became ill or addicted, or involved their heirs, as in Duval’s case. A Quebec Superior Court judge first ordered the payment in 2015 after finding that the three companies – Imperial Tobacco, JTI-Macdonald and Rothmans-Benson & Hedges – had chosen profits over the health of their customers. The latest health and medical news I send it to you by email every Sunday. The provincial Court of Appeal later upheld the landmark decision, prompting the companies to seek protection from their creditors in Ontario. That protection also stayed legal proceedings against them, which include lawsuits by provincial governments seeking to recover smoking-related health care costs. The initial suspension of the proceedings lasted a few months, but it has since been renewed a dozen times – most recently in March, when it was extended until September. The story continues below the advertisement The purpose of the stay is to maintain the status quo while the companies negotiate a global settlement with all those who have claims against them, including class members and the provinces. The discussions are confidential and participants have largely declined to comment on the proceedings. 1:37 Canada becomes first country to have individual warning labels on cigarettes However, in court filings last September, one of the class members’ lawyers said a settlement was “not currently in sight,” citing “recent setbacks” and suggesting the mediation had been “seriously compromised” by participants changing their previous positions. In his affidavit, Philippe Trudel indicated that approximately 700 members of the class action have died from tobacco-related illnesses since the first stay was granted and that “many others are increasingly fragile.” Some “could not wait any longer” and opted for medically assisted suicide, he added. The story continues below the advertisement Many have simply lost faith in the process, he said in the document. “They fear that because of the seemingly endless delays, few, if any, victims will be left alive to receive the compensation to which tobacco companies are entitled,” he added. It’s not just the delays that are problematic, but the entire process of protecting creditors and the secrecy it entails, said Flory Doucas, spokesperson and co-director of the Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control. By its nature, the process is focused on the viability of the industry, putting aside public health and justice aspects, she said. It essentially allows businesses to continue operating as usual while they restructure — and make more people dependent in the process, she said. The coalition is among several groups calling on provinces to emphasize significant public health measures to reduce tobacco use as part of a settlement, warning that focusing on financial compensation would only cause more harm in the long run. “That means you’re relying on future sales (to fund the payments),” she said. “That means governments have an interest in keeping these companies in business … and their business model is based on addiction and harmful products.” Until recently, no provincial government had publicly indicated what it was seeking or expected to receive in a settlement. Most stakeholders contacted by The Canadian Press in recent weeks declined to comment, citing the confidential nature of the negotiations. Fashionable now Elon Musk Announces Birth of 12th Child, Third with Neuralink Executive Hurricane Beryl strengthens to Category 5 after killing 2 in Caribbean The story continues below the advertisement A spokesperson for Quebec’s health ministry said only that the province wants compensation for expenses incurred since its health insurance program was put in…

Federal health regulators on Friday declined to approve the psychedelic drug MDMA as therapy for PTSDa major setback for groups seeking a decisive ruling in favor of using psychotropic substances to treat serious illnesses mental health terms. Drugmaker Lykos Therapeutics said the FDA notified the company that its drug “cannot be approved based on the data submitted to date” and requested an additional late-stage study. Such studies typically take several years and cost millions of dollars. The company said it plans to ask the agency to reconsider its decision. Lykos and other psychedelic companies hoped that MDMA would be approved and pave the way for other hallucinogenic drugs to enter the medical mainstream. If the FDA had granted the request, MDMA, also known as ecstasy or molly, would have become the first illegal psychedelic to receive federal marketing approval. The FDA’s decision was expected after a panel of government advisers voted overwhelmingly against using the drug to treat post-traumatic stress disorder in June. The negative vote came after a daylong meeting in which experts reviewed data from the Lykos study, research methods and the drug’s possible risks, including heart problems, injuries and abuse. The story continues below the advertisement The FDA said Friday that the MDMA marketing authorization application had “significant limitations” that “prevent the agency from concluding that the drug is safe and effective for the proposed indication.” The agency said it would continue to encourage “innovation in psychedelic treatments and other therapies to address these medical needs.” Lykos said the issues raised by the FDA in what is called a complete response letter echoed concerns expressed at the June meeting. “The FDA’s request for a new study is deeply disappointing,” Lykos CEO Amy Emerson said in a statement Friday. “We are heartbroken for the millions of veterans, first responders, victims of sexual and domestic abuse, and countless others suffering from PTSD who now face years without access to new treatment options.” 4:49 MDMA, a psychedelic drug used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder Lykos is essentially a subsidiary of the country’s leading psychedelics advocacy group, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, or MAPS, which funded the initial MDMA studies by raising millions of dollars from wealthy backers. The story continues below the advertisement The group has pioneered research into the medical use of psychedelics, which big pharmaceutical companies have been unwilling to fund. Two small studies submitted to the FDA suggested that combining MDMA with talk therapy led to significant reductions in symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. 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. Antidepressants are now the only FDA-approved drugs for post-traumatic stress disorder, which is closely linked to depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts and is more common among women and veterans. In recent years, MDMA research has been widely publicized by veterans, who say the lack of treatment options for the condition has contributed to higher suicide rates among military personnel. Last month, veterans who support psychedelic therapy rallied on Capitol Hill in support of the drug. And more than 80 lawmakers from the House and Senate have signed letters to the FDA in recent weeks calling for approval of MDMA. But the FDA review shed new light on the research. The vast majority of patients in Lykos studies correctly guessed whether they had received MDMA or a dummy pill, making it “nearly impossible” to maintain the “blinding” that is considered essential for medical research, according to FDA insiders. Current trend New Tenants’ Bill of Rights Should Eliminate ‘No Pets’ Clauses, Petition Says Costco crackdown: Membership scanners to be added to warehouse entrances In recent months, separate allegations of misconduct have emerged, including that some researchers involved in the studies advised patients to suppress negative results or inflate positive results. Despite the setback, many experts believe other psychedelics may fare better before the agency. The story continues below the advertisement 1:34 Canadian police officer says ayahuasca helped him cope with post-traumatic stress disorder MDMA is the first in a series of psychedelics expected to be reviewed by the FDA in the coming years amid renewed interest in their therapeutic potential. The idea of ​​using psychedelics to enhance psychotherapy is not new. A handful of therapists in California used MDMA in the 1970s and 1980s—when it was still legal—to facilitate couples therapy sessions. MAPS was founded in 1986 to oppose a federal ruling that put MDMA in the same ultra-restrictive drug category as heroin, LSD, and other illegal psychedelics. MAPS studies on MDMA began more than a decade ago. Since then, dozens of small pharmaceutical startups have jumped into the field, studying other substances like psilocybin and LSD to treat conditions like depression, addiction, and anxiety. These studies are typically larger and more rigorous than the MDMA studies submitted to the FDA. The story continues below the advertisement Two drug developers, Compass Pathways and Usona Institute, are conducting advanced studies of psilocybin – the active ingredient in magic mushrooms – for severe depression. In Canada, The Senate released a report last year which recommended that the federal government “immediately” conduct a “major research program” into how psychedelics can help veterans suffering from PTSD. —With additional files from Global News © 2024 The Canadian Press Source link