| Stories 1 to 10 of 3368 |
|
11/18/2008
6:21PM
These days, it's all about planning...natural disasters, flu pandemics -- as a society, we've got to be prepared. But are we?
Today, the Public Health Works Speaker Series welcomed Dr. Thomas Barker, who spoke about Public Engagement in Risk Communication. Barker was showcasing ways of engaging the public in disaster preparation, response and recovery.
What is risk communication?
"It's usually communication from an agency, often a public health agency or emergency service that tries to help the public understand what risks they might face and how to deal with it," Barker says.
"The kind that I deal with is risk communication that surrounds flu pandemics or other public health threats from infectious diseases that helps people understand what they need to do in response to a pandemic threat or infectious disease threat like listeriosis or meningitis or flu." Barker says.
"(I research) what they need to do to respond, what they need to do to prepare and what they need to do to recover."
Dr. Barker has spoken to several Edmonton community leagues about preparing for a possible pandemic flu outbreak.
For more information, and to get in touch with Dr. Barker, go to: www.faculty.english.ttu.edu/barker/pandemicrisk/
You can also call him ...
Read Full Story
|
11/18/2008
5:07PM
The Jury has once again heard a 9-1-1 tape as a woman accused of murdering her foster boy was cross-examined.
The evaluator is heard in the tape speaking with the accused in the early morning hours of January 26th of last year.
The Crown wonders why during the call the woman never once tells the evalutator the version of events she has testified in court happened that morning.
The Jury has heard the accused say the boy had a tantrum and had been struggling with her while in the downstairs bathroom, that's when he slipped from her arms and fell, hitting his head on the toilet bowl rim.
The Crown has a different theory.
Prosecutor Mark Huyser-Wierenga told the woman, your frustration reached a point when you lost your composure and battered the child in the garage.
The accused replied "absolutely not."
Read Full Story
|
11/18/2008
4:22PM
Edmontonian Tom Wilson - the only person to survive a BC plane crash that took the lives of seven others - has gone through an `emotional roller-coaster' since the tragedy, says his brother.
Michael Wilson says his brother, Tom's, first concern was for his co-workers, six of whom died Sunday when their plane crashed on a remote island off B.C.'s Sunshine Coast.
He says his brother is in good spirits, but has been `up and down' since the crash and hasn't talked much about what happened.
The crash killed the pilot and six passengers, who were headed to the construction site of an energy project on Thormanby Island, off the coast north of Vancouver.
Despite being injured, Wilson walked several kilometres from the crash to a beach, where he was spotted by rescuers.
The B.C. Coroners Service hopes to remove the bodies of the seven dead from the crash site today.
(The Canadian Press)
Read Full Story
|
11/18/2008
2:51PM
Bruce Power is looking at an alternative site for a proposed nuclear power plant in northwestern Alberta.
The new site is located about 30 km north of the Town of Peace River.
Bruce Power is still considering the original Lac Cardinal site about 30 km west of the town.
The company, which is a joint venture of uranium giant Cameco Corp. and TransCanada Corp., said it plans to study both areas before making a final decision early next year.
Once the site is chosen, Bruce Power would begin a preliminary design of the plant before presenting its plan to Alberta regulators and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.
Bruce Power operates six Candu reactors at its electricity generating stations about 250 km northwest of Toronto.
(The Canadian Press, Grande Prairie Herald-Tribune)
Read Full Story
|
11/18/2008
3:25 PM
Syncrude says the oilsands giant has reached a deal with the province over royalties for bitumin.
Starting in the January 2009, Syncrude will join other companies paying royalties based on bitumen products, after operating and capital costs.
That's instead of paying royalties based on fully upgraded synthetic crude oil.
They say the royalty deductions previously received by Syncrude's owners on the crude will be recaptured by the Alberta government over a 25-year period, effectively providing the Province with an additional $1.25 billion plus interest in Crown royalties.
Read Full Story
|
11/18/2008
3:05PM
"A six-and-a-half billion dollar hit to the bottom line."
That's the so-called "sobering news" Finance Minister Iris Evans hinted at, before releasing the province's second-quarter financial report Tuesday.
The new forecast calls for a $2 billion surplus -- down considerably from $8.5 billion that was forecast in the first-quarter report.
On top of that, the value of the Heritage Savings Trust Fund is down by about $1 billion.
Lower energy revenues are largely to blame as oil prices have plummetted from a high of $147, US, per barrell in the summer, to less than $60, US, this week.
So, looking ahead to the third quarter, what does Evans expect? She points out the second-quarter report doesn't include the October market melt-down.
"There's still some potentially-sobering news on the horizon," says Evans.
To help off-set the loss in the expected surplus, Evans says a planned $3.1 billion savings won't happen. That's alarming to the opposition Liberals. They feel the province should be saving now for a rainy day since Alberta is so dependant on non-renewable resources.
*****
Alberta's predicted surplus is $6.5 billion lower than it was just three months ago.
But, the province is still writing with black ink.
In the second-quarter ...
Read Full Story
|
11/18/2008
2:45PM
Liberal MP Peter Milliken has been re-elected speaker of the House of Commons, saying he hopes the fall session of Parliament will be more civil than the last one.
In congratulating Milliken on his victory, Prime Minister Stephen Harper assured him of his party's desire to make the fall sitting less raucous.
Milliken, who has held the job since 2001, fended off seven challengers from three parties. It was a day-long marathon as members from all four federal parties signalled they wanted a crackdown on misbehaviour in the House.
(cp/bp)
Read Full Story
|
11/18/2008
1:45PM
The crown is grilling a woman accused of murdering her foster boy about the events that lead to his death.
Crown prosecutor Mark Huyser-Wierenga asked the foster mother Tuesday why she didn't go into action as the three-year-old boy laid struggling to breath on the floor after she claimed he hit his head on the toilet bowl rim in January, 2007.
"You're a nurse and he is having difficulty breathing and you provide him with no asisstance," said Huyser-Wierenga.
The accused, who can't be named to protect the identity of the young victim, replied that she was in shock.
"I don't know why I didn't do what I think everyone thinks I should have done," she responded.
Cross-examination by the crown continues.
(so/bp)
Read Full Story
|
11/18/2008
12:57PM
Mayor Stephen Mandel has released a budget plan that he says can provide the same services yet cost the tax payer a whole lot less.
"The time has come for us to look at things differently."
The bottom line on the bottom line is the tax increase would fall from 13.1% to 3.75%.
Same result, different method of paying.
"I think we owe it to our citizens this year more than anything else to keep a lid on our costs. A three point seven five per cent increase is reasonable. And we're not cutting anything in the sense of what we're going to have. The big change is the one with the neighborhoods."
The city was proposing 2% hikes every year, to get the cash up front.
Mandel says raise taxes a quarter point, and borrow, much like having a mortgage over twenty five years.
Another one? Mandel wonders why the city owns as many vehicles as it does. Cut the numbers, and the size of them so they aren't the gas guzzlers we have on the road now. Mandel says he's met with most GM's to run by them, these nearly seventy million dollars worth of budget adjustments. ...
Read Full Story
|
11/18/2008
2:15PM
A NAIT student is trying out a new line of woodworking equipment, made specifically for those in wheelchairs.
The school is the first of its kind to have the modifications in its classrooms.
Devin Forbes, 34, is in the Millwork and Carpentry program at NAIT.
He tells iNews880 the kinds of challenges he faced, before the equipment was introduced.
"Working with the equipment when it's not at the proper height, there's a lot of dangers with material -- what we call a kick-back, when basically the blade will throw the material back at you," says Forbes. "Being at eye-level with that material is definitely not a place you want to be."
The modified equipment is built at a lower level with on/off switches in places that are easier to reach. It is intended to make working safer and more comfortable for those in wheelchairs or with limited mobility.
(sb/bp)
Read Full Story
|
|