Latest news with #The306
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'Bombs just started to rain down': Saskatoon nurse recounts working in Gaza when Israel broke ceasefire
After working two stints in Gaza, a Saskatoon nurse says she feels a "ton of guilt" watching news emerging from the region now that she's back in Canada. "I miss the people that I work with every single day," Casey Eberl said. "They're always in my mind. Always." Eberl remembers the scene in Gaza when Israel broke a fragile ceasefire by launching heavy airstrikes in March. "It was unlike anything any of us could have expected. We were sleeping," Eberl said. "The bombs just started to rain down and we all hibernated that night and our clinics had mass casualty incidents. The hospital I was working at had mass casualty incidents and it only got worse from there." The airstrikes broke a two-month ceasefire with Hamas, as Israel vowed to use force to free its remaining hostages in the territory. The strikes killed more than 400 people, according to Palestinian health authorities, and haven't stopped since. The decades-long conflict escalated on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel, killing around 1,200 people. In response, Israel launched a military campaign that has devastated much of Gaza. Israel's military campaign, which its leaders have said is aimed at uprooting Hamas and securing the release of the hostages, has killed more than 53,000 people and displaced practically all of Gaza's more than two million Palestinians in nearly 20 months of war, according to Gaza's health ministry. Most of the people Israel has killed are civilians, including more than 16,500 children under the age of 18, the ministry says. Eberl was serving in Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, which Israel has now struck multiple times. An airstrike at the hospital killed five people on March 23, including a Hamas political leader and Palestinian medics, Hamas said. On May 13, airstrikes at Nasser and another hospital killed 18 people. WATCH | Eberl said she was treating patients at Nasser Hospital for two months ending in April. She was also there for a six-week period last fall. She said hearing from her Palestinian colleagues motivated her to go back. "I'm extremely lucky that I got to see them again. Especially with the war going on, you never know if the people that you love, the people that you worked with and cared for, might be there again if you get to go back," Eberl said on CBC's The 306 radio show with host Peter Mills. Eberl said she saw a spike in the number of patients with blast injuries, infectious diseases and malnutrition because of a lack of access to clean water. She said she has never experienced a conflict like this before, and was looking to her Palestinian colleagues for how to navigate the situation. "There's no textbook or manual for something like that. And so I really looked to the Palestinian staff and to be honest, they led me. They told me what they needed, how I could support them, and I just tried to do my best to listen to their needs," she said. "They were the boss. They were the guides." Eberl said everyone she knows in Gaza has lost a family member. "There's nothing like the cry of a parent after they've lost their child." Eberl worked with Doctors Without Borders (also known by its French name, Médecins Sans Frontières), a non-governmental organization that provides emergency medical care to people in conflict zones, disasters or epidemics. Sana Beg, executive director of Doctors Without Borders Canada, said five Canadian health-care professionals with the organization were serving in Gaza as of Monday. "We're dealing with the very real impact of having our medical facilities under constant attack." A United Nations-backed assessment released earlier this month said the entire Gaza population is at critical risk of famine. Israel announced on May 18 that it will allow a limited amount of aid into the Palestinian enclave, but it was not immediately clear when aid would enter Gaza, or how. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would work to ensure that Hamas militants will not control distribution and aid does not reach militants. Beg said the teams in Gaza are also in urgent need of medical supplies like gloves, medications that alleviate pain and potable drinking water. "The heartbreaking reality of our teams having to witness parents anguish in their eyes as their children scream in pain, as we're sort of removing the dressings and giving them a new dressing, and we have no pain medication to be able to provide them." A total of 11 Doctors Without Borders staff have been killed in Gaza, according to Beg. "Inherently we're talking about a population that is living life in a death trap. It is hell on earth," Beg said. "This is a man-made crisis." Canada, the U.K. and France issued a joint statement on May 19 opposing the expansion of Israel's military operations in Gaza and calling for Israel to immediately allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. Beg said more needs to be done by those in power to help stop the war. "Doctors alone and medical professionals alone, we cannot be the ones that stop wars. We're not going to be able to stop the bombing of medical facilities, and this is where we need leaders to be able to act."
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
2 paramedics struck by car in Las Vegas have returned to Sask. with massive medical bills
Two young Saskatchewan women who went to Las Vegas to celebrate a birthday and their recent graduation as paramedics — and were hit by a car at a crosswalk in the city — are now back in their home province. On top of multiple broken bones and a lot of pain, Katrine Sinclair and Charlie Listowski were left with huge medical bills for the treatment they received at a U.S. hospital. Roberta Sinclair, Katrine's mother, said Katrine's bill after two to three days in the hospital was $144,000 US. "I actually wrote a cheque and my hands were shaking," Roberta said on CBC Saskatchewan's The 306. "I wrote a cheque for $21,621. I've never written such a big cheque in my life." Roberta said she was surprised to receive an invoice for treatment upfront. "We Canadians never see the cost up front for a medical [expense] and in the States they hand you an invoice with itemized items," she said. "My daughter had to have six CT scans for $38,000 to $40,000 [US]." Meanwhile, the air ambulance they used to transfer her daughter ended up costing around $45,000 US. "It's incredible the cost, but this was a situation where [we thought] you know what, we need to do this," said Roberta. "You cannot put a price tag on your child's life." Family, friends and community members have raised close to $90,000 via a GoFundMe campaign started by a family friend of Sinclairs. The GoFundMe said Lastowsky had partial insurance, and Katrine's coverage stopped on her 21st birthday, hours before the collision in Las Vegas. "My health insurance expired on [Katrine]," Roberta previously told CBC. "And being a young girl, she did not purchase extra medical insurance for the trip." Charlie Lastowsky, left, and Katrine Sinclair, right, recently graduated together and work as paramedics with Parkland Ambulance in Prince Albert. (Submitted by Roberta Sinclair) With the women now back in Saskatchewan, Roberta said they are finding more fractures and broken bones as the swelling goes down. Katrine has a broken right humerus, one broken rib on her right side, three pelvis fractures, L3, L4, L5 vertebrae fractures and a tibia plateau fracture. Being a paramedic has helped Katrine accurately assess her pain for doctors. "She's able to analyze herself," Roberta said. "She was saying, 'My knee is really sore. It's more swollen. This isn't right.' I think that's one of the biggest things she says is they're listening to her." Roberta used a line of credit to help pay some of the hospital bill and the air ambulance. She thanked the community, first responders and people who have donated.
CBC
30-04-2025
- Health
- CBC
2 paramedics struck by car in Las Vegas have returned to Sask. with massive medical bills
Social Sharing Two young Saskatchewan women who went to Las Vegas to celebrate a birthday and their recent graduation as paramedics — and were hit by a car at a crosswalk in the city — are now back in their home province. On top of multiple broken bones and a lot of pain, Katrine Sinclair and Charlie Listowski were left with huge medical bills for the treatment they received at a U.S. hospital. Roberta Sinclair, Katrine's mother, said Katrine's bill after two to three days in the hospital was $144,000 US. "I actually wrote a cheque and my hands were shaking," Roberta said on CBC Saskatchewan's The 306. "I wrote a cheque for $21,621. I've never written such a big cheque in my life." Roberta said she was surprised to receive an invoice for treatment upfront. "We Canadians never see the cost up front for a medical [expense] and in the States they hand you an invoice with itemized items," she said. "My daughter had to have six CT scans for $38,000 to $40,000 [US]." Meanwhile, the air ambulance they used to transfer her daughter ended up costing around $45,000 US. "It's incredible the cost, but this was a situation where [we thought] you know what, we need to do this," said Roberta. "You cannot put a price tag on your child's life." Family, friends and community members have raised close to $90,000 via a GoFundMe campaign started by a family friend of Sinclairs. With the women now back in Saskatchewan, Roberta said they are finding more fractures and broken bones as the swelling goes down. Katrine has a broken right humerus, one broken rib on her right side, three pelvis fractures, L3, L4, L5 vertebrae fractures and a tibia plateau fracture. Being a paramedic has helped Katrine accurately assess her pain for doctors. "She's able to analyze herself," Roberta said. "She was saying, 'My knee is really sore. It's more swollen. This isn't right.' I think that's one of the biggest things she says is they're listening to her." Roberta used a line of credit to help pay some of the hospital bill and the air ambulance. She thanked the community, first responders and people who have donated.
CBC
28-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
It's federal election day. Here's how you can cast your ballot in Sask.
Social Sharing The 45th federal election is underway, and Saskatchewanians have until this evening to cast their ballots. There are 14 federal ridings in the province. Nearly 207,000 Saskatchewan residents already voted in the advance polls — more that a 12-per-cent increase from the last general election in 2021. The polls open at 7:30 a.m. Monday and will remain open until 7:30 p.m. As long as the voter is in line before that time, they will get to cast their ballot. You can figure out your riding and where to vote on the Elections Canada website. Make sure to bring either a driver's licence or another ID issued by the federal government with your name, photo and address, or alternately two pieces of ID, with at least one must show your current address. That, for example, could be a bank statement and voter information card. If you do not have ID, you can declare your identity and address and have someone assigned to your poll station vouch for you. As for results, Elections Canada says voting hours are staggered across the country. That means the majority of results will be available at approximately the same time Monday evening. Follow elections results live on the CBC website, or by downloading the free CBC News app. Where to watch and listen Follow election coverage on all CBC platforms starting at 4:30 p.m. CT. Online: Stream on CBC Gem and TV: Live on CBC Television (check your TV service provider for channel). Listen: On CBC Radio One or listen online. TikTok: Peter Mills, host of CBC Radio's The 306, will be live on TikTok when polls close to talk about results with some special guests. Make sure to follow us @cbcsasknews and tune in!
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Weyburn senior and community advocate facing eviction from care home
A 71-year-old housing advocate in Weyburn is now being denied a care home of his own. Fred Sandeski says he will no longer have a care home bed starting Wednesday. He suffers from COPD, epilepsy and visual impairment. Sandeski was awarded the Queen Elizabeth Platinum Jubilee Medal last year for his work to help the unhoused. It was presented to him by then-Weyburn MLA Dustin Duncan. Now Fred is asking for help, for himself. Fred said he is being denied an extension to remain at his current facility. "I'm in the final stages of COPD. I have trouble walking 10 feet without having to sit down and catch my breath," Sandeski said in an interview with CBC's The 306. "They're just telling me to use home care, go home, and die." Fred's wife Teresa Sandeski, herself in a wheelchair and paralyzed from the waist down, said she is physically unable to care for her husband. The couple initially placed Fred in the care home temporarily while Teresa recovered from major surgery. Since then, they have been paying out of pocket for continued respite care. Teresa said assessments by the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) have failed to take into consideration Fred's complex medical history, including a prior open-heart surgery and seriously low lung capacity. "We're not looking for a handout, we're looking for a hand up," she said. The Ministry of Health and SHA said in a statement Monday that they are "in contact with Mr. Sandusky to discuss appropriate services." Fred said the only options he's been given are to rely on limited home care services or pay $3,000 up front to enter a private care home — a cost the couple simply can't afford. "It's just a run around," Fred said. "They'll give me a subsidy for it, but I have to first pay the $3,000 up front." Community members have organized a rally on Wednesday at 1 p.m. CST in Weyburn to show their support. Teresa said it's not a protest, but a show of solidarity and a call for help and compassion. "Fred, he's worked in the community for 20 years as an advocate for people with disabilities, work barriers, free income tax [filing]. He's done all of that free, no money from the government, and they can't even have the decency to give him a bed so he can pass away," she said. "That is not integrity at all."
