New Canadian navy vessel's Arctic deployment postponed by mechanical issue
The problem was discovered aboard HMCS Max Bernays, one of Canada's new Arctic and offshore patrol ships, prior to its planned departure from Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt on Monday.
The fault was found with a davit that lifts and launches one of the vessel's rescue lifeboats, and is currently undergoing repairs, a Maritime Forces Pacific spokesperson confirmed Tuesday.
'Our engineering teams are actively working to investigate and then repair the problem, and the ship is now expected to sail later this week,' acting Sub-Lt. Christopher Hofing said in an emailed statement.
The spokesperson did not respond to questions about whether the ship's planned Arctic operations would be modified due to the issue.
The Department of National Defence says the Arctic patrol ship will operate alongside a Halifax-class frigate and a naval supply ship 'to enhance awareness and understanding of maritime activities' in the western Arctic region.
The ships are expected to be joined by RCAF patrol aircraft and vessels from the United States navy during operations in the Bering Sea and Chukchi Sea.
'Asserting sovereignty in the Canadian Arctic is becoming ever more important as our adversaries increase their activity in the region,' National Defence Minister David McGuinty said in a statement announcing the planned deployments Sunday.
'These northern operations also create excellent opportunities for strengthened collaboration with our allies and partners. Ensuring that Canada's North is well defended is a critical component of maintaining a secure North American homeland.'
HMCS Max Bernays was the third Arctic patrol ship built for the Royal Canadian Navy, which has ordered six of the vessels to conduct surveillance and assert national sovereignty over Canadian territorial waters.
The vessels were designed to accommodate the CH-148 Cyclone, the military's main maritime helicopter, however deficiencies were later discovered that have so far prevented helicopters from operating aboard the ships.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
5 hours ago
- CBC
Lawson VP of research and scientific director departs amid outcry over dog cardiac study
Social Sharing The scientific director and vice president of research at Lawson Research Institute has left the organization, a week after it emerged that clandestine cardiac tests were being performed on dogs at St. Joseph's Hospital, prompting public outcry. In a brief email to senior staff on Thursday, Roy Butler, president and CEO of St. Joseph's Health Care London, which operates Lawson, announced that Lisa Porter was no longer with the research institute as of Thursday. "We thank Lisa for her service and wish her well in her future endeavours," the email, sent late Thursday morning, reads. Butler, who is also a professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Windsor, was named Lawson's vice president of research and scientific director in February 2024. Messages seeking comment left with Butler's University of Windsor email and phone number were not returned before publication. St. Joseph's confirmed her departure, but added that, "out of respect for the privacy of all parties, we cannot share details and will not discuss individual personnel matters." Her departure comes days after St. Joseph's publicly announced it would immediately end research studies on dogs, following consultations with the province. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Monday that he was "deeply disturbed" by the research. During an announcement in Windsor on Tuesday, Ford went further, promising to introduce legislation that would ban testing on certain animals in the province, prompting concerns about political interference in scientific research. St. Joseph's initially defended the research after the Investigative Journalism Bureau (IJB), based out of the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health, revealed dogs had been used for years as part of a heart study at Lawson. Published in partnership with Postmedia, the report said researchers from Lawson had been inducing heart attacks as long as three hours in dogs and puppies as part of research aimed at accurately imaging post-heart attack injury and healing. CBC News has not independly varyfied the reports from IJB. Sourced from U.S. breeders, IJB said the dogs, some as young as 10 months, would be wheeled into the hospital in blanket-covered crates and taken to a lab on the hospital's sixth floor. Loud music would be blared to drown out their barking. The dogs would be euthanized, and their hearts removed for further study, the report said, citing two whistleblowers. St. Joseph's has said the research was conducted to "learn more about how to accurately image post-heart attack injury and healing that we cannot yet decipher using other models," including artificial intelligence. In a separate email to St. Joseph's staff on Thursday, which can be read in full below, Butler said the past week had been "deeply difficult for all of us," and that the organization was working on a transition plan to minimize the impact on researchers and their work — work "which has resulted in major strides in cardiac care and treatment." "The dogs involved will remain in our facility under the care of animal care specialists while we work with the Animal Care Committee at Western to explore opportunities for rehoming them." In his email, Butler said inaccurate information had been shared about the research, but didn't go into detail. CBC News has asked multiple times for clarification on the inaccuracies but has not received a response. Animal research, Butler said, was important in finding new medical treatments and tests, and when scientific discoveries can be made without the use of animals, they are used. St. Joseph's will appoint an independent third party to review its research involving animals, with the findings shared publicly as part of a "commitment to improving transparency," he said. Hospital officials have refused multiple interview requests from CBC News. "We understand there are personal opinions about the merits of research involving animals, but it is important to be clear about the scientific, transparent, ethical and regulated approach taken to this work and our adherence to these strict standards," Butler said. "Please know that over the coming weeks, we will continue to focus on the safety and security of our staff, physicians, researchers, patients, residents, and visitors." On Thursday, Lawson issued what it said was a fact sheet to provide information and counter some details in IJB's initial story, including that the dogs were caged alone, without beds, for long periods of time. All procedures were conducted under anesthetic, with dogs monitored by a registered veterinary technician during and after, the document reads. Pain management was also a "top priority," and the dogs socialized daily with humans and each other, and "had access to outdoor spaces and nutritious food." "Although the research studies involving dogs has been stopped, this care continues to be delivered for the dogs currently in our care." The Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) and the Western Animal Care Committee (ACC) provided oversight to ensure research is ethical at every stage, the document reads. Institutions with researchers seeking federal funding are required to have an ACC to oversee animal-based research. At least 16,151 dogs were used in research across Canada in 2023, according to the CCAC, which develops standards for the ethical use and care of animals in science, and participates on ethics review panels for research approval.
National Post
9 hours ago
- National Post
Head of secret research lab that used dogs in tests no longer at the Ontario hospital
Article content The dog research at St. Joseph's has been well financed by public and philanthropic sources. Article content Using public records, the IJB has identified more than $3 million in total funding received by the lab's researchers from government funding and foundations including the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Article content Asked for confirmation on the total amount of public and donated funds received for dog research over the past five years, St. Joseph's officials did not respond. Article content The research has been happening for much longer than that. The IJB has found studies on dog use by the same researchers dating back to the 1980s. Article content Michelle Pitt recalls dogs from St. Joseph's Hospital being test subjects in heart failure experiments as early as 2002. Article content As part of her former job as a research assistant at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), she says she witnessed 13 dogs arrive from St. Joseph's 23 years ago for use in heart imaging experimentation involving induced heart attacks. The dogs were temporarily moved to LHSC for a few weeks, she says. Article content Article content Like the whistleblowers, the former employee says the dogs were caged with no beds for 23 hours a day before being killed at the end of the research. Article content Shortly after, Pitt says she left her job after 14 years due to what she calls the trauma from witnessing the animal research. Article content 'It was horrible. It was destroying my soul…I tried to do the best I could for them, but they weren't under my care…. It will haunt me for the rest of my life. I'm just shocked that they're still doing this. It should stop.' Article content St. Joseph's officials did not respond to requests for comment on Pitt's allegations. Article content An archived copy of Porter's profile that previously appeared on the hospital's website says she was raised in Sault Ste. Marie. She is a distinguished professor in biomedical sciences at the University of Windsor and the founding director of We-Spark Health Institute that specializes in research, education and training, and community engagement. Article content 'She is convinced that St. Joseph's is an ideal place where health research and improved patient care intersect,' the article reads.
CTV News
10 hours ago
- CTV News
How University of Waterloo researchers are attacking kidney stones with a tiny robot army
Anyone who has had kidney stones knows the pain can be intense, and the treatment is neither quick nor painless. But University of Waterloo (UW) researchers are developing a new minimally invasive procedure that could change all that. 'A lot of the therapies involve oral medication. So people go on oral medication, have to take pills and maybe a couple of times a day for several months,' said Veronika Magdanz, an assistant engineering professor from UW overlooking the work. That's not always effective or efficient. Surgery is another route. 'When it gets really acute and these stones are, for example, blocking the ureter, the surgeons will have to go in and remove those stones,' said Magdanz, who is also the director of the Medical Microrobotics Lab at UW. A lot of times once people get kidney stones, they're more susceptible to getting them again. So the UW researchers were approached by a urologist in Barcelona, who was looking to get patients relief in a less invasive way. 'He said, 'hey, you guys are doing these wireless microbots. Is there maybe a way that you could locally trigger the dissolution of stones by bringing medication or a reaction close to the stones in the urinary tract, causing the dissolution and then thereby avoiding longtime medication or even surgery,'' said Magdanz, recalling the question from the urologist. It may seem like an obscure request but it wasn't for the UW researchers. The answer from them was: 'Yes, there is a way.' Afarin Khabbazian, who was a master's students when she worked on the project, showed CTV News their method. 'We set up a rotating magnetic field using a permanent magnet, which is attached to a motor. We control the position of the magnets using a robot arm,' said Khabbazian. 'When I move [the arm], the [microbot] will move with it.' The microbots are made up of thin spaghetti-like strips fitted with magnets, which are moved into place near uric acid kidney stones with the robotic arm. The soft strips contain an enzyme called urease, and once in place, it reduces the acidity of the surrounding urine, which then dissolves the stones until they are small enough to pass naturally in a few days. 'This is definitely the first of its kind for kidney stones,' said Magdanz. The medical breakthrough is extra special for Khabbazian because she has suffered from kidney stones. 'The first time I saw the robots move was one of the best days of my life,' Khabbazian said. The technology is still in the testing phase and needs more work before moving on to human clinical trials. Still, it's not a small feat for a very small robot.
