Latest news with #Baylis
Global News
3 days ago
- Health
- Global News
Halifax Mooseheads' anthem singer battling brain cancer: ‘I drew this card'
A well-known Halifax musician says he's remaining upbeat despite a sudden cancer diagnosis. Peter Baylis has been the Halifax Mooseheads' anthem singer for more than a decade, and he's now hoping the community he's uplifted for years will help him in his new fight. 'Another door of your mind opens up when someone tells you, 'you have cancer,'' he said of his shocking diagnosis. Baylis, who is best known for his passionate renditions of the Canadian national anthem at Mooseheads' games, was diagnosed last month with a glioblastoma, an aggressive form or brain cancer. 'We are guaranteed nothing on this planet. Nothing at all,' he said. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'If you look at it that way, metaphorically, and that deck of card is your life. I drew this card — you know, there it is.' Story continues below advertisement He says he's not letting this new obstacle take away his love for life. 'I will open my mind with a positive mindset that I'm going to grab this and I'm going to run through it with all my strength that I possibly can,' he said. A GoFundMe has been launched to support Baylis and his family, as he will be unable to work while undergoing chemotherapy. The team's president, Brian Urquhart, says Baylis is an integral part of the Halifax Mooseheads family and has brought a patriotic flair to the Scotiabank Centre for QMJHL games. 'Peter is a well-known anthem singer in junior hockey circles which is a little, it was not the norm, to be honest,' said Urquhart. 'It's something that he should be very proud of and we're certainly proud of to have him as part of our family.' Baylis hopes to help others dealing with glioblastoma as he goes through his treatment process, and also dreams of returning to a stage sooner rather than later. 'Because I feel very, very at home and at ease in that particular moment because I'm so darn proud of what I'm doing,' he said.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Honoring history: Exhibits tell Rochester's connection to the Vietnam War
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — This year is the fiftieth anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. News 8 has been telling the stories of people in our area who served, and one local man is described as the keeper of our area's stories. Baylis enlisted as a Green Beret combat medic and was deployed outside of Vietnam. Currently, Baylis serves as the executive director of the Military History Society of Rochester. The museum is inside the Anderson Arts Building at 250 North Goodman Street, on the second floor. He has been curating at the museum for 16 years, as it's been pieced together through his own collection of items found at auctions, donations, and more. 'The real reason I have done this is that there was nothing in our area that dealt with military heritage,' he said. Baylis highlighted that there are similar organizations in Buffalo and Syracuse. Congressman Morelle recognizes local Vietnam veterans He says that Rochester, as a city, sent some war material to Vietnam; things soldiers carried: from sunglasses, to essential boot powder. But now, Baylis carries the stories of Monroe County residents who served, and the 282 who were killed in Vietnam. Those include Gary Beikirch, Don Holleder, Geoffrey Considine, who had 4,400 combat hours in the air during the war, Stephen Purchase who won a Distinguished Service Cross for piloting a medevac chopper successfully after his co-pilot died, and Richard Martineau a sub-hunter pilot who is alive to see four of his grandchildren in aviation. Medal of Honor recipient Will Perkins Jr. is also one of the soldiers whose story Baylis holds. 'His father worked for Kodak. He became a combat photographer. He was with his unit… (and) they were ambushed,' Baylis said. '(Perkins is) in a foxhole with three of his buddies, a hand grenade comes in, he hops on top of it, and he was awarded the Medal posthumously.' The Greater Rochester International Airport's tribute to the military is being redone to honor Perkins, and the Military History Society will provide the content for the exhibit. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Como Park western lowland gorilla euthanized
The Brief Nyati, a western lowland gorilla that was born at Como Zoo in 2017, was euthanized this week. Zoo officials say Nyati was "humanely euthanized" following a medical assessment that confirmed a significant decline in quality due to long-term neurological complications. Nyati was one of a family troop of western lowland gorillas at Como — a species that is considered "critically endangered" due to habitat loss, poaching and disease outbreaks. ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A western lowland gorilla named Nyati, who was born at Como Zoo in October 2017, has been euthanized, according to zoo officials. What we know In an announcement on Wednesday, Como Park Zoo & Conservatory officials say Nyati was "humanely euthanized" the day following a medical assessment that confirmed a significant decline in quality of life due to long-term neurological complications. According to the zoo, medical challenges began in 2020 for Nyati, after she was diagnosed with Baylisascaris procyonis, also known as Baylis – a parasitic infection likely contracted through environmental exposure at a young age. During the past five years, Como says its team provided extensive support, including targeted medications and physical therapy for Nyati, but the parasite caused permanent brain lesions that led to progressive degeneration of her coordination, mobility and motor skills. What they're saying "Nyati was deeply loved, not just by her care team, but by everyone who came to know her," said Wes Sims, Director of Animal Care and Health at Como Zoo, in a statement. "Her life was shaped by medical challenges, but also by resilience, thoughtful care, and compassion. The decision to let her go was extremely difficult, but it was the most humane option for her." "Nyati had a gentle presence and a quiet strength," said Jill Erzar, Senior Zookeeper, in a statement. "Even with her limitations, she continued to interact with her family and move through her space in her own way. She taught us a great deal about patience, adaptation, and care." Dig deeper Como Zoo has a family troop of western lowland gorillas, with Nyati being the daughter of Schroeder and Alice, while living alongside her parents and fellow troop members: Nne and Dara, and Dara and Schroeder's offspring, Arlene. Western lowland gorillas are native to central and western Africa and are listed as "critically endangered" due to habitat loss, poaching and disease outbreaks. Como participates in conservation efforts and Species Survival Plan (SSP) programs to help protect and preserve this incredible species, the zoo says. The Source Information provided by Como Park Zoo & Conservatory officials.
CBC
06-02-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Baylis calls for term limits, Gould lays out housing strategy as next Liberal leadership deadline nears
Liberal leadership candidates Frank Baylis and Karina Gould announced policy plans on Thursday, the eve of a third fundraising deadline. The remaining leadership candidates, including Mark Carney, Chrystia Freeland and Ruby Dhalla, must pay a $350,000 total entry fee, made over four instalments between Jan. 23 and Feb. 17. A non-refundable amount of $125,000 is due at 5 p.m. on Friday. In Ottawa, Baylis presented a three-point government reform plan, which would limit terms for senators and MPs to 10 years. He said that after serving for 10 years, MPs would have to sit out for a "prolonged period" before becoming eligible to run again. The duration of that period would be debated, Baylis said. Senators would be limited to one 10-year term. Currently, once senators are appointed, they may hold their seat until the mandatory retirement age of 75. There is no restriction to the number of times members may seek re-election. "What we need is for people to come to Ottawa, use their expertise to contribute to the debate and then move on to leave space for new Canadians to come take their place," he said at a news conference in Ottawa. "I don't want professional politicians." Baylis said he wants to introduce a second chamber for debate in the House of Commons to "make the government far more productive." He suggested that main debates could still take place in the House of Commons but that uncontested business such as "petition presentations, members' statements, members' motions and the like would take place in the second chamber." He said he intends to tackle Parliament gridlock by redistributing "power that has been concentrated in the offices of the leaders of different parties" and return it to the Speaker, members of parliament and by extension, Canadian citizens. Gould talks housing policy, criticizes fundraising deadline At a news conference in Toronto, Gould outlined her housing policy, which mainly consists of creating an accord program with provinces and territories to speed up housing initiatives and offering a $2,000 tax credit on the provincial land transfer tax for first-time homebuyers. "We will partner with municipalities to streamline zoning and build more homes faster with a new round of housing accelerator funding," she said. Gould said she would offer interest-free loans to first-time homebuyers worth up to 50 per cent of the home's purchase price. Previous iterations of the program had limited the loans to about 10 per cent. The homebuyer would have up to 25 years to repay the federal government, she said. To meet the NATO defence spending benchmark in 2027, she would immediately appoint a "procurement czar" and increase the salaries of Canadian Armed Forces personnel, she said. Freeland also announced on Thursday that she would hit that benchmark by 2027 if elected leader, while Carney committed to 2030. WATCH | Gould accuses Liberal Party establishment of keeping people out of leadership race: Gould accuses Liberal establishment of 'aggressive' leadership rules, says she is in it to win 3 hours ago Duration 0:54 Canada is aiming to meet NATO's military investment benchmark of two per cent of gross domestic product by 2027 — five years earlier than what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in July. Gould also said the Liberals "put forward an extremely aggressive fundraising deadline … to make it as hard as possible" for a wide array of leadership candidates to run. "My campaign doesn't have some of the deep pockets of some of the other candidates, but it has people power," Gould said, noting that 85 per cent of her donations are sums of $200 or less. "Despite the efforts of the party establishment to keep people out of this race, I am in it, and I am excited about it."
