Articles by Camille Bains, The Canadian Press

Jul 18 2019 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. — Chiefs who gathered in New Westminster, B.C., to commemorate an Indigenous leader's wrongful trial and execution 154 years ago say they see signs of reconciliation from the federal government but their struggle for recognition continues in the courts. Chief Ahan was hanged in the city's downtown on July 18, 1865, and a ceremony memorializing his exoneration […]

Jul 9 2019 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — VANCOUVER — Six First Nations that have filed another legal challenge against the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion say Canada's ownership of the corporation behind the project created a bias that prevented full consultations as ordered by the Federal Court of Appeal. Chief Leah George-Wilson of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation said Canada had an opportunity to "get it right" but failed to take […]

Jul 8 2019 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — VANCOUVER — Three women who shared their stories of sexual harassment as part of a class-action lawsuit against the RCMP have shown great courage so others who may have endured similar experiences can come forward, a lawyer said Monday. Lawyers for Cheryl Tiller, Mary Ellen Copland and Dayna Roach reached a settlement that opens the door to potential claims from thousands […]

Jun 13 2019 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — VANCOUVER — Smoking marijuana containing low levels of the drug's main psychoactive ingredient does not increase most drivers' risk of a crash even though Canada's impaired-drug laws would penalize them, says the lead investigator of a study that analyzed THC amounts in the blood samples of more than 3,000 people who were injured behind the wheel. Dr. Jeffrey Brubacher, associate professor in the […]

Jun 1 2019 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — BURNABY, B.C. — The mayor of Burnaby, B.C., says he met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss his concerns about the risk of a fire at a tank farm in his city, which would be the terminus of an expanded Trans Mountain pipeline. Mike Hurley said he told Trudeau on Saturday that the facility on Burnaby Mountain is within […]

May 16 2019 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — VANCOUVER — When a British Columbia woman experiencing fever, headaches and weight loss for two months finally went to her doctor, a blood test revealed she'd contracted a contagious disease from a dog she'd rescued in Mexico. Dr. Elani Galanis, an epidemiologist and public health physician at the BC Centre for Disease Control, said the case was surprising because […]

May 8 2019 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — VANCOUVER — Researchers who have estimated future rates of 30 different types of cancer hope their study serves as a road map for policy-makers to introduce prevention programs that would help Canadians reduce their risk through positive lifestyle choices. The study, which included epidemiologists and experts in environmental and occupational exposure to carcinogens such as asbestos, says as many as four in 10 […]

May 2 2019 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — VANCOUVER — A Canadian psychiatrist is advising doctors to help address the needs of mentally ill Muslim patients whose medication regimen could be affected by fasting during the upcoming religious observance of Ramadan. Dr. Zainab Furqan, a psychiatry resident at the University of Toronto, said about a billion Muslims around the world participate in Ramadan each year but […]

Apr 29 2019 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — VANCOUVER — Health Canada needs to be more consistent with three other countries when it comes to issuing warnings about the safety risks of certain medications, especially if the jurisdictions with similar demographics have already advised patients taking the same drugs, a University of British Columbia professor says. Barbara Mintzes, the lead investigator of a new study published Monday, said […]

Apr 24 2019 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — VANCOUVER — The federal government will split funding for bus service on rural routes abandoned by Greyhound in northern Ontario and Western Canada but Transport Minister Marc Garneau says only British Columbia has so far taken him up on the offer. "This is something that for over 60 years has been a provincial responsibility," he said of Ottawa's decision not to subsidize Greyhound or […]

Apr 17 2019 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — VANCOUER, B.C. — Police in Vancouver are asking parents to have a "tough" conversation with their teenagers about the dangers associated with marijuana at a large unsanctioned 4-20 event while city and park board officials call on organizers to pay for policing costs. Sgt. Jason Robillard said Wednesday the 25th annual event, featuring vendors selling marijuana, baked edibles and drug paraphernalia, […]

Apr 16 2019 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — VANCOUVER — Canadian researchers have identified genes in brain cancer stem cells that fuel the growth and survival of glioblastoma in hopes their data will be mined to develop treatments targeting an aggressive tumour that claimed the life of Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie. The major challenge is that even after 99 per cent of a […]

Apr 14 2019 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — VANCOUVER — Patient safety is at risk in British Columbia because of changes to the 911 dispatch system, says a fire chief who has instructed city staff to ask for an ambulance during medical emergencies. Nick Delmonico of the Port Coquitlam Fire Department said aspects of a so-called clinical response model adopted by BC Emergency Health Services last […]

Apr 3 2019 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — The federal health minister is forming a national task force to provide input on how to better prevent, treat and manage chronic pain, which affects one in five Canadians and is often addressed with opioids. Ginette Petitpas Taylor said in an interview Wednesday the task force will provide information on barriers that may prevent people suffering with persistent pain from receiving the […]

Mar 28 2019 — Camille Bains, The Canadian Press — VANCOUVER — Canada's prisoner service is considering opening overdose prevention sites as it expands a needle-exchange program that is now offered at a fifth institution for offenders who inject smuggled drugs. In a statement, the Correctional Service of Canada says it "is in the early stages of exploring overdose prevention sites as another harm-reduction measure option for inmates." […]