Manitoba’s health minister wants a national clinical trial of a controversial treatment for multiple sclerosis. Theresa Oswald says a trial of the so called liberation treatment is the quickest way to determine whether the government should offer and pay for the procedure. The liberation treatment is based on an unproven theory that MS is caused by blocked veins in the neck or spinal cord.
The province has lifted its severe flood watch for the northern Interlake and Lake Winnipeg regions. The watch was issued last week after weather officials predicted up to 150 mm of rain could fall in the area. Some areas did get close to 100 mm but major flooding was reported.
An AG group says heavy rains that soaked Manitoba for 3 days will definitely take a toll on farmers. Ian Wishart of the Keystone Ag Producers says harvest yields are now gonna depend on how long it takes fields to dry.
A Winnipeg gang member convicted of killing an innocent bystander during a gunfight with a drug dealing rival, claims he deserves a brand new trial. Lawyers for 24 year old Jeffrey Cansanay say the judge in the case made several mistakes in her instructions to the jury during the trial last spring. Cansanay is currently serving a life sentence for the October 2005 killing of 17 year old Phil Haiart, who was walking along a street and got caught up in the crossfire between the rival gang members.
Actor Michael Douglas has been diagnosed with a throat tumor. The 65 year old Academy Award winner, is now set to undergo weeks of chemo and radiation treatment. Douglas says he expects to make a full recovery, and he’s very optimistic.
Well not that this news is any real shocker. A new report says cancer the world’s costliest disease. The American Cancer Society says the disease’s economic toll in 2008 was almost 900 billion dollars. The group says cancer costs more in productivity and lost life, than AIDS, malaria, the flu or any other disease that’s spread person to person.
Effective this morning, almost all major Canadian banks will be trimming most of their mortgage rates by a 10th of a percentage point. That brings the 2 year closed rate down to 3.55 per cent, while the 5 yr drops to 5.49.
Authorities have released the final tally of how many Sri Lankans were aboard a ramshackle cargo ship that arrived last Friday near Victoria. There are 443 adults now being detained, and 49 minors. Although detention hearings began in Vancouver yesterday, so far, the media has been banned from them.
