Alberta reaches deal to donate imported children's pain medication to Ukraine
Health Partners International of Canada (HPIC) struck an agreement with Alberta Health Services (AHS) to accept as many as 1.4 million bottles of acetaminophen and ibuprofen to donate to the war-torn European country
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Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
France to ban smoking in parks, beaches, and near schools
PARIS (AP) — France has struggled to kick its smoking habit. A new public health decree published Saturday aims to change that. In the coming days, smoking will be banned in all French parks and sports venues, at beaches and bus stops, in a perimeter around all schools, and anywhere children could gather in public. In a country where smoking has for generations been glamorized in cinema and intertwined with the national image, government crackdowns on tobacco use have met resistance. 'In France, we still have this mindset of saying, 'this is a law that restricts freedom,'' Philippe Bergerot, president of the French League Against Cancer, told the Associated Press. The ban aims ''to promote what we call denormalization. In people's minds, smoking is normal,' he said. ''We aren't banning smoking; we are banning smoking in certain places where it could potentially affect people's health and … young people.' It's been illegal to smoke in restaurants, bars and public buildings since a series of bans in 2007 and 2008. Ever-higher taxes mean a pack now costs upwards of 12 euros ($14). Yet more than 30% of French adults still smoke cigarettes, most of them daily, one of the higher rates in Europe and globally. The Health Ministry is particularly concerned that tobacco remains popular among young people, citing public health statistics showing that 15% of 17-year-olds smoke. Black market cigarette trading is common. More than 200 people in France die each day of tobacco-related illness, Health Minister Catherine Vautrin said in a statement Saturday. That adds up to some 75,000 deaths per year. In a Paris park as the ban loomed, views were mixed. Parisian Natacha Uzan welcomed the énd of smoking in restaurants. But she said: ''Now outside, in parks, I find it becoming a bit repressive.' The broader ban is a ''good thing' for Anabelle Cermell, mother of a 3-month-old boy. ''I tell myself, oh, it's really not ideal for him, but there's not much I can do about it, or I would have to … not take the bus, not go to parks.' The government said last month that the new ban would take effect July 1. The official decree introducing the ban was published Saturday, and a health minister's statement said that a government order specifying the perimeters set by the ban would be published in the coming days. Electronic cigarettes are exempt from the new ban. Other European countries have gone farther. Britain and Sweden have tightened smoking regulations in public spaces. Spain is extending its smoking ban to café and restaurant terraces, which are exempt from France's new ban. ___ Angela Charlton in Paris contributed.
CTV News
15 hours ago
- CTV News
Blue-green algae advisory issued for Isle Lake
Samples from a bloom of blue-green algae taken from the French River have been confirmed to be a species of cyanobacteria that can produce toxins. (File) Visitors to Isle Lake should watch out for blue-green algae. Alberta Health Services (AHS) issued a release Friday saying cyanobacteria had been found in the lake that spans the Parkland and Lac Ste. Anne Counties. The algae, which can appear like scum, grass clippings or fuzz on water's surface, can be harmful to people and animals that come into contact with it. Symptoms include skin irritation, rash, sore throat and eyes, fever, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. People and pets should not swim or wade where algae is present or eat whole fish or fish trimmings from the lake, AHS said, but fish filets are safe. Any area of the lake where the bacteria are not present is safe to use. AHS said untreated water from any body of water should never be used for drinking or cooking. For more information, visit the AHS website. Anyone who suspects illness related to cyanobacteria can also call Health Link at 811.
Global News
17 hours ago
- Global News
Alberta strikes deal to off-load remaining controversial children's pain medicine
Three years after Alberta's government paid $70 million for children's pain and fever medicine, its front-line health provider says it has worked out a deal to off-load what remains of the controversial stockpile. Alberta Health Services spokeswoman Kristi Bland, in a Friday statement, confirmed the medicine is being donated to the charity group Health Partners International of Canada to distribute to 'vulnerable communities worldwide.' 'Preliminary shipments of products have started to leave Alberta, and additional shipments will happen in the coming months,' she wrote. Jackie Cousins, president of Health Partners, said the group works with others to ship medicine where it is needed, and that donations of medicine could end up in more than one country. In an email, she said some of the Alberta medicine would be sent to war-torn Ukraine. Story continues below advertisement 1:46 Alberta government looks to recoup $80M from children's medicine shipment The medication has proven to be problematic for Premier Danielle Smith's government. It struck a deal for the medicine three years ago to fill a gap during the COVID-19 pandemic. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Alberta paid $70 million to MHCare Medical for the medication in 2022 during a countrywide shortage. The province only received about 30 per cent of the shipment, and it has sat on 1.4 million bottles since the spring of 2023 after front-line health staff reported problems, including that the medicine's thicker consistency risked clogging feeding tubes. View image in full screen The government of Alberta paid more than $70 million for 1.4 million bottles of children's pain medicine in 2022, during a countrywide shortage, but was forced to stop distributing the medicine when health care workers raised safety concerns. Government of Alberta At an unrelated news conference Friday, Opposition NDP finance critic Court Ellingson said the government 'refuses' to take responsibility for the medicine and has 'no plan' to recoup funds. Story continues below advertisement 'That somebody is able to make use of this Tylenol somewhere, I'm going to say that that is a good thing, but there are so many other challenges there,' he said. '(Smith's government members) need to acknowledge that they were the ones that made these inappropriate decisions, that we're still on the hook for (product) — that we did not get product, and we don't know if that money is coming back.' Smith hinted in March that her government was working on a deal to send scores of the medication elsewhere. At that time, then-health minister Adriana LaGrange called the medications 'good quality drugs' and said it bothered her that they were going unused. The government has said it's still looking to get its money's worth by working with MHCare to import other medications to fulfill the $70-million deal. 0:40 Alberta Health Minister confirms new procurement of children's medicine will be at average retail price MHCare has since became embroiled in a provincial contracting and conflict of interest scandal after the former head of Alberta Health Services filed a wrongful dismissal lawsuit against the province. Story continues below advertisement In the lawsuit, which hasn't been tested in court, Athana Mentzelopoulos alleges she was fired for looking into inflated government contracts awarded to private surgical companies. The lawsuit mentions MHCare multiple times, but the company is not named as a defendant. MHCare has said any allegations of wrongdoing on its part are 'unwarranted and unjustified.' The allegations have prompted numerous internal and external investigations, including by the RCMP.
