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WATCH: Wayne Mantyka explains why the City of Regina made the decision to approve an economic incentive program to build a second Costco.
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CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
B.C. mom picks up her son's ADHD medication, is given an opioid instead
A mother on Vancouver Island is warning people to double check their prescriptions after she was accidentally dispensed the powerful opioid hydromorphone instead of her son's regular ADHD medication. Comox, B.C., resident Sarah Paquin, 31, says she still shudders to think about what could have happened to her nine-year-old son had her husband not noticed the medication looked different before he gave it to him. "It was terrifying," Paquin said, standing in her front yard and playing with one of her three young boys. "One simple little mistake like that could have ended horribly." WATCH | 9-year-old dispensed opioid in pharmacy mix-up: Pharmacy mix-up leaves child with hydromorphone pills 15 hours ago Duration 1:58 A mother on Vancouver Island is warning people to check their prescriptions very carefully after a close call for their son. As Maryse Zeidler reports, she and her husband found that their pharmacy accidentally dispensed the wrong medication. Paquin says she didn't think too much of it when she went to pick up her son Declan's medication last week and the staff member at her local Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacy didn't check her ID or take out the prescription from the bag. The next day, her husband was about to give Declan his medication when he saw the pills were a different colour and shape than normal. Her husband looked at the bottle and noticed the prescription was for someone else, and that it was for five milligrams of hydromorphone. Right away he returned the pills to the pharmacy. "Immediately your mind goes to the worst case scenario," Paquin said. "The results could have been catastrophic and it just makes my heart sink to think about what could have happened." Hydromorphone is a powerful opioid that is two to eight times stronger than morphine and is often used to treat acute pain or chronic cancer pain. According to the Mayo Clinic, it can cause serious unwanted effects or fatal overdose in children. Human error CBC News reached out to Loblaws, the company that owns Shoppers Drug Mart. In a written statement, the company said the incident was a case of "human error" that never should have happened. "We have controls in place to minimize risks like this — where the patient was handed the wrong prescription bag — and the associate will review these with employees to avoid a similar situation in the future," the company said. Paquin says she has since heard from the pharmacist, who was very apologetic. She says he acknowledged that steps were missed and standards were dropped, and told her the employee who dispensed the medication has been suspended pending an internal investigation. Asking for accountability Despite his reassurances, Paquin has filed a complaint with the College of Pharmacists of B.C. "The pharmacy needs to take responsibility, be held accountable for what happened," she said. In an email, the college told CBC News it takes these types of errors very seriously. "We have legal requirements in the Health Professions Act bylaws in place to prevent these occurrences, including mandatory standards for prescription preparation to ensure accuracy of the prescription product and consultations for all prescriptions, to make sure clients understand their medication, how to take it properly, and address any questions," the college said. As part of pharmacists' consultation with clients, they are required to confirm the person's identity, name and the strength and purpose of the drug, it added. In 2023-24, the college says it received a total of 990 concerns through its intake process. Of those, 54 became formal complaints and investigations, 16 of which were medication related. Paquin decided to share her ordeal on social media, to warn others to check their prescription before taking it. "It's scary that it happened to us, but I'm also in a way kind of thankful that it happened to us and we caught it because it could have been given to somebody who didn't notice and got hurt," she said.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
MPI pulls plug on costly IT overhaul Project Nova, cites 'missteps' and 'failures'
Manitoba Public Insurance is cutting its losses and killing Project Nova, the IT overhaul project that has bled money since it was first launched in 2019, and the province has requested an audit of "the decisions and management" around it. "It is clear that Nova has experienced significant missteps, and I would be even so bold to say failures," MPI president and CEO Satvir Jatana said at a Thursday news conference. "It has not delivered the value for money that was originally planned and promised, and we did not make this decision lightly. However, staying on this path would not be responsible nor in the best interest of Manitobans." Project Nova was supposed to replace MPI's outdated technology with a new modern platform to provide insurance and driver licensing services and more online options for customers. The initial budget was $86 million, but within a few years it soared to $290 million. The MPI board and CEO who were decision makers on Project Nova are no longer in place. Jatana was hired in February 2024 and shortly after put a pause on Nova to get a better understanding of it. In January 2025, she noted $162 million had already been spent, but only two of Nova's four phases had been completed. At Nova's peak, close to 200 staff and close to 300 consultants worked on it. Now it's closer to 50 and 50, Jatana said. Consultant contracts ended while staff were shifted to other projects — there were no layoffs, she said. "There was ineffective governance — critical business requirements were overlooked, significant changes in MPI leadership, a global pandemic and a historic strike. These factors have led to delays and cost overruns with many starts and stops," she said Thursday, recapping what the review had found. "It is evident that our aspiration did not meet our capacity, nor our capabilities. Simply put, the project timelines were unrealistic." Finance minister wants audit The MPI announcement comes a day after Minister of Finance Adrien Sala sent a letter to Auditor General Tyson Shtykalo, requesting an audit of the decisions and management of Project Nova. If the project were to be completed, the updated cost projection was $452 million, according to Sala's letter, a copy of which was obtained by CBC. The two completed phases only constitute about 30 per cent of the project's scope, and only $46.5 million of value has been derived from it, according to the letter. An organizational review of MPI by the Treasury Board Secretariat, conducted in 2023 with a final report released in January 2025, identified issues including concerns around the selection of the Nova software, terms of the vendor contract and irregularities in contract practices, according to Sala's letter, which says MPI will be paying for software licences for years, despite the software not being used. According to Jatana, MPI is locked into contracts for about $88 million over the next seven years. Of that, $68 million is considered "no value." However, MPI is in discussions with vendors and "hopeful and optimistic" the contracts can be renegotiated to mitigate those costs, she said. Given the losses, there is value in a review that will inform future technology acquisitions, accountability and governance, even though the board and management behind Project Nova have been replaced, Sala's letter said. Jatana said the corporation will co-operate fully with any audit process and looks forward to the results. Aging technology still needs to be replaced: CEO While reviewing the past mistakes will help identify things to avoid in the future, the need to replace MPI's aging technology still exists, Jatana said. She also said the previous board and management failed to create a path forward for the corporation's other IT needs, which are equally outdated. The new board and management have studied what the next phases of Nova were expected to provide, and have done a thorough review of all other IT needs "to create a rolling five-year IT road map," she said. "This has provided a true picture of all the technological needs and allows the corporation to prioritize work into bite-sized pieces" to be done at a responsible pace, Jatana said. That approach also aligns with industry best practices, she said, and will include regular reporting intervals for accountability. MPI will break down the replacement needs for its systems into stand-alone projects with "reasonable timelines" of 12 to 24 months, said Jatana. A close-out report for Project Nova is coming, and will identify how much money was spent on work that has no value and will need to be written off, she said. Jatana insisted the wastage would have no impact on future insurance rates. "We have taken a hard look at what went wrong and we have implemented strategic changes to get us back on track," she said. The five-year roadmap is well thought out by a leadership team that is listening to experts, said MPI board chair Carmen Nedohin. One of the most important pieces is the governance behind it, which comes with clear decision-making accountability, she said.
Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Globe and Mail
Canada's go-to guy for PGA-level golf course renovations likes to reward boldness
Taylor Pendrith plays it safe off the first tee. The long-hitting Canadian pulls a fairway wood and launches what looks like a perfect drive – until it nestles against the steep face of a bunker. Strolling down the fairway, Pendrith turns to Ian Andrew, the 59-year-old golf course architect responsible for the newly placed trap. 'You did that,' he says, half-laughing. Andrew grins. Guilty as charged. Since his renovation of TPC Toronto's North Course two years ago, Andrew has worried: Would his tweaks be an adequate test for the world's best? Or would the pros shrug and shoot a 59? Pendrith's sandy fate during Wednesday's pro-am offered a reassuring answer. Pendrith was annoyed. Andrew was thrilled. Nick Taylor leads trio of Canadians playing together at RBC Open Over the past decade, Andrew has become Canada's go-to guy for PGA-level renovations, having refreshed three of the last four Canadian Open venues. It's a curious line of work. Course designers are part landscaper, part engineer – and part riddler. As he walked the Caledon, Ont., property, Andrew wasn't just sketching bunkers, he was setting up puzzles for the likes of Rory McIlroy to solve. The North Course opened in 2001, part of Osprey Valley's sprawling 54-hole complex conceived by famed architect Doug Carrick. Back then, pros averaged 280 yards off the tee. Now, it's closer to 300, rendering many courses obsolete. In 2023, with the possibility of landing the Canadian Open in sight, Osprey Valley president Chris Humeniuk wanted to revamp the original design and tapped Andrew. 'The aha moment came when I said that I didn't want to build a public course that hosts championship golf, I wanted a championship course that the public can play,' Humeniuk said. 'Ian really embraced that vision. He doesn't get emotionally attached to drawings. He spends a lot of time on site making sure what's on paper makes sense in time and space.' It was a homecoming of sorts. Andrew grew up nearby, a typical kid obsessed with brook trout and the Toronto Maple Leafs. But at 13, he fell in love – with Pebble Beach. Watching the Bing Crosby Pro-Am on TV, he became captivated by the holes themselves. He started sketching courses, memorizing classic layouts and devouring books on design. Family vacations turned into course tours. Barely a teen, he'd already found his calling. He joined Carrick's firm in 1989 before going solo in 2005. For years he avoided working on courses designed by Carrick 'out of respect.' With Osprey Valley's North Course, he finally felt comfortable taking on one of his old boss's works. 'I had a bit of an attachment to the North,' he said. 'I did all the greens as part of my role within the original project and I had been involved with quite a bit of the design.' He wanted to reward boldness. Many of the old fairway bunkers were ornamental, the fairways too generous. The endless hunt for your next, maybe first, great golf shot Like a tailor taking in a baggy suit, he narrowed the corridors, set bunkers just past the 300-yard mark and forced players to alternate between fades and draws. The 15th hole, a short par-4 with a big personality, exemplifies his approach. From a new back tee, a large tree looms along the right edge of a doglegging fairway. Play it safe with an iron left of the tree, and the fairway's tilt might kick your ball into the tullies, leaving you with a long approach – and little chance at birdie. Braver souls might go over the tree and leave a wedge in. The boldest – big hitters with a fade – can aim for the tight gap right of the tree and try to drive the green. 'If you miss that shot and you end up in the woods, that could easily be a six on the scorecard,' Andrew said. 'But if you play too passively, you're essentially playing for par and you may give up a shot to the field. That's where it gets exciting.' At the end of his pro-am round, 2023 champion Nick Taylor seemed adequately puzzled by Andrew's angled fairways. 'If you're missing a lot of fairways, it'll be tough to make birdies,' he said. 'I don't think it'll be a shootout by any means, but there'll be some low scores.' That's the kind of line that lets Andrew breathe easy.
