Fischer Hearing Centre- Signs of Hearing Loss
Recognizing signs of hearing loss is crucial for early intervention and treatment. Candace Fischer takes us through these tell-tale signs. #Sponsoredcontent
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CBC
31 minutes ago
- CBC
Manitoba eyes plan to cull hundreds of thousands of pigs if African swine fever arrives
Manitoba is developing a plan to cull and dispose of hundreds of thousands of pigs in the event of an African swine fever outbreak, an event agriculture officials call an "economic and animal welfare emergency" that would cost the province $3 billion in annual farm and food-processing revenue. The province issued a request for proposals last week for a consulting firm to develop an emergency response plan for African swine fever, which has killed millions of domestic pigs in Asia, central and eastern Europe and in sub-Saharan Africa, where wild pigs and ticks carry the virus that causes the disease without suffering any ill effects. While African swine fever (ASF) was first identified more than a century ago, it started to spread more rapidly in Asia in 2018 and has a toehold in the western hemisphere in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. If the virus ever makes it to Canada, "a large-scale welfare cull is needed to humanely euthanize and dispose of hundreds of thousands of pigs that cannot go to market," Manitoba Agriculture's animal health and welfare branch notes in its request for proposals. "An ASF outbreak in Canada will lead to immediate border closures with international trading partners," the branch says, estimating the cost of a border closure to the Manitoba swine sector at $1.2 billion in lost farm and processing revenue over three months or $3.1 billion for an entire year. "Given the severe impact of ASF on swine health and international trade, an outbreak in Canada would be an economic and animal welfare emergency. To reduce this risk, Manitoba is collaborating with government and industry partners to proactively develop and refine a provincial welfare response plan should the disease arrive here." The provincial animal health and welfare branch is now looking for a consultant to determine who will be responsible for responding to an outbreak within a number of government agencies as well as at private pork processors and hog producers such as Mississauga, Ont.-based Canada Packers, Steinbach's HyLife and Niverville's Progressive Group. The province is also looking for collaboration with other pork-producing provinces, particularly Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec. "This response plan could also be applied to other types of disease outbreaks or emergency events," the request for proposals notes. Cam Dahl, the general manager of Manitoba Pork, said one of the goals of the response plan is to reduce the duration of border closures, partly by working with authorities in the United States and Japan, where Manitoba sends most of its pork. "In Manitoba, 90 per cent of what we produce is exported," Dahl said Monday, describing a border closure as "a big hit." Glen Duizer, Manitoba's chief veterinary officer, said the province started working on the emergency response plan following the rapid spread of African swine fever in 2018. He said the province needs the consultant to draw the component parts together and finalize a plan that co-ordinates the actions of multiple government agencies and private companies. "As long as we can continue to do that, we have a good chance of keeping it out. And even if we don't, if we have that approach going into the disease, if it does enter into North American as a whole or even Canada more specifically, then we have a better chance of handling it," Duizer said Monday. Poses no threat to people The virus that causes African swine fever poses no threat to people and, unlike swine influenza, cannot jump to people or any animals other than pigs or old-world soft ticks. "ASF is a completely different virus. It's in its own unique family of viruses and there's really only this one that causes significant disease in pigs," Duizer said. "As that type of virus, it has no human health implications. It doesn't infect people, it has not jumped to other species, so that makes it a fair bit different from other diseases, including influenza." The ticks that carry African swine fever don't live in North America, Duizer said. Neither do wild African pigs such as warthogs or bushpigs. Around the world, the virus is transmitted mainly by contact with infected live pigs as well as their feces, blood or even pork products, where the virus that causes the disease can survive for months or even years. That's why hog producers are concerned with keeping people out of barns and otherwise strictly enforcing biosecurity regimes, Dahl said. "The most likely way of it coming in is it walking in with somebody from an airport … bringing in food from somewhere in an affected area," he said. The increased use of dogs as surveillance at airport arrival areas is aimed at combating this scenario, he added. "That's really what they're looking for. They're looking for food products," Dahl said. According to the request for proposals, the province wants to have the emergency response plan in place by March 2026. Duizer said he's pleased Canada has kept African swine fever out of the country for the past seven years and is also heartened the disease has been spreading elsewhere in the world more slowly over the past few years. "The risk is still present. That's what it really boils down to, and we have to be cognizant of that risk and we have to do everything that we can to prevent it from coming in," he said.
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Nova Scotia's first provincial autism action plan to be released in 2026
Nova Scotia's first autism action plan, which aims to improve services and supports for people on the autism spectrum, is expected to be released within the first few months of 2026 following about a year of community consultation. The plan, which has been touted as the first of its kind in Canada, was first announced in May 2024. The goal was for it to be ready in 2025, but Autism Nova Scotia and the provincial government agreed to spend more time to ensure the plan will be properly implemented upon its release. "We really wanted to make sure that we were not leaving any stones unturned," said Amanda Alexander, Autism Nova Scotia's CEO, in a recent interview. Alexander said the organization has been working to identify what supports are now available to people of all ages with autism spectrum disorder, and make recommendations to fill any gaps in services. They've been gathering information through virtual consultations, surveys and a number of working groups made up of caregivers, service providers, experts and people on the spectrum. Amanda Alexander is the chief executive officer of Autism Nova Scotia. (Autism Nova Scotia/Facebook) "One of the most important things that we heard repeatedly … was that in order to best serve the autistic community, autistic voices and their lived experience have to be central to the work and really be the driving force behind decisions," Alexander said. Brian Comer, minister of addictions and mental health, told CBC in a recent interview that the prevalence of autism, particularly among youth in Nova Scotia, is concerning. He said significant work on the action plan has been done so far, with even more to be completed. The Nova Scotia government gave Autism Nova Scotia $200,000 to develop the plan, and about 10 provincial departments are involved — including Addictions and Mental Health, Health and Wellness, and Education. Comer said one of the most prominent gaps that's been identified through the development of the plan to date is the need for more programming across the province, particularly in rural areas. "I think ultimately it's really about accessing services in your community, right? Closer to home, quicker access to services and really supporting families and their children," he said. He was reluctant to say exactly what would be in the final action plan, but he said he hopes it will include strategies to help families navigate the resources that are available. Brian Comer is the minister responsible for Nova Scotia's Department of Addictions and Mental Health. (CBC) Alexander said the two pieces of feedback Autism Nova Scotia has heard most "loudly and boisterously" have been the need for more autistic individuals to be involved in creating the policies that impact them, as well as the need for more education about neurodiversity. "Those are demands of the community that the community is waiting to have met," she said. MORE TOP STORIES
Globe and Mail
2 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Why Viking Therapeutics Stock Zoomed 5% Higher Today
Key Points Good news from a peer and a positive analyst update were the elements driving Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ: VKTX) stock higher on the first trading day of the week. The clinical-stage biotech, closely watched by some because of its investigational weight-loss drug VK2735, saw its share price improve by more than 5% as a result. By contrast, the S&P 500 index basically traded flat across the trading session. What's good for the goose... The news driving Viking and other obesity drug developers came from a leading company in that space, Wegovy maker Novo Nordisk. Late Friday, the Denmark-based pharmaceutical announced that Wegovy earned approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat a new indication, noncirrhotic metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), a liver disorder. Companies like Viking and Novo Nordisk have been on the radar of many of an investor because of the obvious side benefits to obesity drugs. The latter company earning a fresh approval to treat a medical issue besides obesity provides a significant morale boost to shareholders of weight loss drug developers. Bullish stance reiterated Also improving sentiment on Viking stock was that new analyst note. Monday morning before market open, Piper Sandler 's Biren Amin reiterated his overweight (buy, in other words) recommendation and $71-per-share price target on the biotech. Amin's focus, according to reports, wasn't Novo Nordisk's recent news; rather, he was cheered by the prospects for VK2735. Viking is putting an oral version of the medication through clinical trials, and the readout of a phase 3 study is expected within this calendar quarter. In his estimation, if oral VK2735 continues to do well in testing and is brought to market, it could garner sales of $2.1 billion. Should you invest $1,000 in Viking Therapeutics right now? Before you buy stock in Viking Therapeutics, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Viking Therapeutics wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $668,155!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,106,071!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,070% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 184% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of August 18, 2025
