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CBC
26 minutes ago
- CBC
City rejects claims by family of victim killed after man fell from Leaside Bridge
The City of Toronto is arguing that a lawsuit filed by the family of a man who died after being crushed by another man who fell from the Leaside Bridge last year should be dismissed. In a statement of defence filed at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice last month, the city denies all claims in the lawsuit brought by the family of 76-year-old Harold Lusthouse and denies any liability in his death. According to the family, Lusthouse was a passenger in a moving car on June 16, 2024, when a man fell or jumped from the bridge toward the Don Valley Parkway and landed on the car, fatally injuring Lusthouse. Lusthouse died in hospital days after the incident. The family, which is seeking $1.7 million and potential future legal costs, is suing the city for the lack of suicide barriers on the bridge, alleging they would have prevented Lusthouse's death. In its statement of defence, the city denies it owes a "private duty of care" to Lusthouse. It also says it is protected by the City of Toronto Act, which states that no action will be brought against the city for damages caused by the "presence, absence or insufficiency" of a wall, fence, rail or barrier along any highway. According to the city, Toronto city council's executive committee received a report in 2018 from the Toronto medical officer of health that advised that barriers on city bridges, including the Leaside Bridge, were to be assessed through feasibility studies and any work recommended would be done in conjunction with state-of-good-repair bridge work likely in or after 2028. In 2023, the city's transportation services division began a feasibility study for the Leaside Bridge. The city notes that Lusthouse's death occurred before that study was completed and before the bridge was due for any state-of-good-repair work. The city also argues that even if it owed Lusthouse a duty of care, the legal action would be inadmissible under section 390 of the City of Toronto Act, which it says provides immunity if a policy decision is made in good faith. It says a decision to install suicide barriers on the Leaside Bridge would have been a policy decision made by the city. "The decision involves the allocation of millions of dollars and requires an evaluation of, among other things, the public purpose and efficacy of such barriers; the bridge's structural integrity; the resources required to ensure future maintenance of the infrastructure; and the balancing of these considerations with other pressing issues faced by the City given its finite resources," the statement of defence reads. In addition, the city argues that its highways are a "reasonable state of repair" and it is not compelled to take "any and all" actions to prevent accidents, including this accident, from occurring. "The fact that an accident is possible does not require a municipality, which must allocate finite resources, to take any and all conceivable measures to prevent such an accident. The City need only take reasonable steps to ensure the state of repair of its highways, which steps are informed by policy considerations, including but not limited to considerations of distributing scarce and finite resources," the statement of defence reads. The city is asking that the lawsuit be dismissed with costs.
CBC
26 minutes ago
- CBC
Why the very youngest of Islanders and people over age 75 will be getting help to fight RSV
RSV is a respiratory virus that can lead to lung infections like pneumonia, and it can be deadly to those without a strong immune system. As CBC's Connor Lamont reports, the P.E.I. government is expanding its coverage of vaccine and antibody treatments for the most vulnerable Islanders before the next cold and flu season hits.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
N.W.T. turns to vending machines to distribute HIV tests, naloxone kits, hygiene products
The government of the Northwest Territories is introducing a different type of vending machine to communities in the territory. They are called health boxes and provide the public with health supplies for free. HIV self-test kits, condoms, pregnancy tests, naloxone kits, toothbrushes and toothpaste are all items that can be found in these boxes, said Kami Kandola, the chief public health officer for the N.W.T. Like a vending machine, all the user needs to do is select the product they desire, and the item will be dispensed in a brown paper bag. Since the machines are located in publicly accessible areas, the paper bag helps maintain the user's privacy, explained Kandola. Everything remains anonymous since no ID is required to use the health boxes. Health items are not the only thing these machines supply. They also have information posted on them directing people to 811, a number that connects people to licensed registered nurses 24/7. And there is information on their screens about other services available to users. In addition, the boxes provide information about the products in the machines, such as directions on how to use the items. The machines are a response by the territorial government to public health concerns such as the syphilis outbreak declared in 2019, drug poisonings and barriers to accessing reproductive health supplies, Kandola said. "When we're looking at these struggles our communities are experiencing," she said. "We felt that having a vending machine that could provide free and private access to essential health and wellness resources…would be a great step forward to connecting the dots." Two machines currently operating; more to come Before the machines were installed, public health worked with communities and Indigenous organizations to determine the best location for the boxes and the type of products communities needed the most, Kandola explained. This means a machine in one community could carry different products than a machine located in another area. Sean Rourke, a clinical neuropsychologist and the director of Reach Nexus, the organization that created the health boxes, said the machines help reduce stigma around accessing health products. "We've really designed them to say, listen, these are things that you need to take care of yourself. We're going to get them to you," Rourke said. "They can take whatever they need. It's all free." Two health boxes are currently up and running in the N.W.T.: one in Behchokǫ̀'s Sportsplex and the other in the Hay River Community Centre. The Inuvik airport, the Midnight Sun Complex and the Yellowknife Public Library will have working machines in the upcoming weeks. A second health vending machine will be installed in Yellowknife, Kandola said, but a location hasn't been determined yet. The government of the Northwest Territories is also planning to place more machines in another two or three regions in the territory. The machines are part of a three-year project. If they prove to be popular, public health may replace the health boxes with more cost-effective models, like regular vending machines stocked with similar supplies, Kandola said.
