Latest from Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa Citizen
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Soo Greyhounds to retire Jeff Carter's number this season
Jeff Carter will return to Sault Ste. Marie this fall for one final moment in the spotlight — this time, in the rafters. Article content The longtime NHL forward and Greyhounds alumnus announced Thursday morning via the team's social media that his No. 7 jersey will be officially retired on Saturday, Nov. 22, during a special pre-game ceremony at GFL Memorial Gardens. Article content Carter, who captained the Greyhounds and later carved out a 19-year NHL career that included two Stanley Cups, will be on hand for the special ceremony as part of the team's home game against the London Knights that evening. Article content Article content 'Jeff Carter was a great Greyhound who went on to have a long and decorated NHL career,' said Greyhounds president and governor Tim Lukenda in a news release. 'We will be very proud to recognize Jeff's accomplishments by having his jersey hanging among those of other Greyhound legends.' Article content Article content Carter will join John Vanbiesbrouck (1), Craig Hartsburg (4), Adam Foote (5), Ron Francis (10), Joe Thornton (19), and Wayne Gretzky (99) as the only Hounds to have their numbers retired. Thornton's number was the most recent addition to the rafters, being honoured in November 2023. Article content Originally selected third overall in the 2001 OHL Priority Selection, Carter made an immediate impact in Sault Ste. Marie. Over four seasons with the Greyhounds (2001–2005), he recorded 123 goals and 123 assists in 236 regular-season games. He added 12 points in 15 playoff contests and was named captain for his final two seasons. Article content Article content The London, Ont., native was a standout at the junior level, earning spots in the CHL Top Prospects Game and multiple OHL All-Star teams. In 2005, he was named CHL Sportsman of the Year and a First Team All-Star. Article content 'Putting the Greyhounds jersey on over my four-year career in the Soo was so special,' Carter said in a statement. 'Now having it hanging in the rafters alongside the Soo Greyhounds greats means the world to my family and I. I can't wait to get back up to the Soo and show my family around the great city of Sault Ste. Marie and see all the familiar faces.' Article content Carter represented Canada internationally at the U17, U18, and U20 levels, including a gold medal performance at the 2005 World Juniors, where he scored seven goals in six games. Article content Drafted 11th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2003, Carter played 1,321 NHL games with the Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Los Angeles Kings, and Pittsburgh Penguins. He finished his career with 442 goals and 409 assists, won Stanley Cups with the Kings in 2012 and 2014, appeared in two NHL All-Star Games, and helped Canada win Olympic gold at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.
Ottawa Citizen
2 hours ago
- Ottawa Citizen
Man, 74, charged in intimate partner violence case
Article content Article content The suspect, whose name was not released to protect the victim's identity, has been charged with two counts of assault with a weapon, and one charge each of assault, mischief and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. Article content
Ottawa Citizen
2 hours ago
- Health
- Ottawa Citizen
Adam: Even now, the PSA test remains highly controversial
Article content I've been thinking about writing this column for about five years, but haven't done so until now because there is a personal element to it. But former U.S. president Joe Biden's recent prostate cancer diagnosis finally pushed me over the line. Article content I don't want to be overly dramatic about it, but it is something of a Shakesperean dilemma: to do or not to do a PSA test for prostate cancer. Article content Article content Article content Research published in 2006 in the Canadian Journal of Public Health (the latest definitive data I could find) showed that 47.5 per cent of Canadian men over 50 had taken a PSA test for prostate cancer in their lifetime. I am one of the 52.5 per cent who haven't done so. A more recent report on American adults issued in 2023 by the U.S. National Cancer Institute, said 38 per cent of men had had a PSA test for prostate cancer within the past year, in that case 2023. Article content My inclination is to take the test, but my family doctor cautions against it, because it doesn't definitively tell whether you have prostate cancer, and after testing and possible treatment, the potential for harm is considerable. Even if the test detects cancer, the disease may never bother you. The psychological and physical damage that may ensue after a test can be devastating, he says. However, my doctor says that if I insist, he'll arrange it, but to help me understand the full implications, he referred me to a report on the subject by the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health (CTFPHC). I didn't know about the study, but the findings are sobering. They vindicated my doctor's advice. If you haven't read the report, do so. Article content Article content The CTFPHC is an independent, expert federal body charged with developing national preventive health guidelines for primary care. It examined what would happen if 1,000 men aged 55 to 69 were screened over a 13-year period, and the recommendation was surprising. 'The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health recommends against screening for prostate cancer with the PSA test,' it says. The task force says 'the potential small benefit' from PSA screening is 'outweighed' by 'the potential significant harms of the screening and associated follow-up treatment.' Article content It says that if 1,000 men are screened with PSA, the risk of dying from prostate cancer is five in a 1,000. And among those who are not screened with PSA, the risk of dying from prostate cancer is six in 1,000. Basically, there's little difference in mortality rates. Of the 1,000 men screened, 720 will have a negative test. One hundred and seventy-eight, or almost 20 per cent, will have 'false positives' that will require unnecessary biopsies. One hundred and two men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, but 33, or about one-third of these diagnoses, will not result in symptoms or death in the patient's lifetime. But, because of uncertainty about the progression of the disease, these men will likely seek treatment.
Ottawa Citizen
3 hours ago
- General
- Ottawa Citizen
Design trends: Creating a new house within an old house
Article content The task: to create a new house within an old house, a job that involved transforming a tired and traditional main floor into a modern, open-concept layout so the homeowners could continue to love the Unionville, Ont. neighbourhood where their three children grew up and were still attending school. Article content Article content The renovation, completed over eight months, resulted in an entirely new main floor and updated principal bedroom and ensuite on the second floor. As you enter the Article content house, applied mouldings add subtle texture, while durable large-format porcelain tile is ideal for a busy family that also includes a dog and a cat. Article content The newly-redesigned kitchen features an expansive island that removed the need for a cumbersome breakfast table that the owner felt was always in the way. The island features two zones: a built-in eating area and a food preparation zone complete with a secondary sink. Article content BRIGHT KITCHEN Article content In keeping with the homeowners' desire for a bright kitchen, most of the cabinets are lacquered white with a very thin contemporary shaker profile. Some are rift cut white oak, which ties into the white oak flooring. The main wall features a beautiful marble stone archway that's illuminated by very subtle ambient lighting on the back of floating shelves. Article content Article content Because the homeowner is an avid cook and baker, Cinnamon maximized counterspace and ensure all surfaces are durable. The working surfaces are man-made quartz, while the marble island is protected by a TuffSkin adhesive. Article content Article content A coffee and bar station leads into the family room, which is located across from the kitchen, making it conveniently accessible from all zones, including the outdoor entertaining area. A glass display cabinet located in the middle of the main floor is filled with glassware and is equally accessible. Article content In the family room, an off-centred fireplace was replaced with a modern, linear one that was centred and became home to the TV. The larger furniture pieces are neutral and light and two velvet swivel chairs are nestled in front of windows to the backyard. An oversized ottoman invites you to put your feet up and doubles as a coffee table.
Ottawa Citizen
6 hours ago
- Health
- Ottawa Citizen
EXCLUSIVE: Puppies secretly tested and killed at Ontario hospital for human heart research
Article content London, Ont. — Surrounded by security staff, an unmarked white van pulls up to a receiving door behind St. Joseph's Hospital. Scrub-clad staff quickly remove large boxes covered with blankets from the van and slide them into the building. Article content Hidden beneath those blankets are puppies in cages headed for the hospital's sixth-floor research lab, according to two staffers. Article content Article content Their way out will most likely be in garbage bags. Article content Researchers inside the hospital's Lawson Research Institute, studying heart attack recovery in humans, use the dogs as stand ins. They induce up to three-hour-long heart attacks in the animals before killing them and removing their hearts, according to internal photos, documents and two current staff members who work there. Article content It is a clandestine process that has successfully kept the hospital's long-standing dog research program hidden from the public and patients. Article content The publicly funded research has been reviewed and approved. The hospital says the dogs are treated ethically in the service of medical advancement that benefits the public. Article content Article content But some experts interviewed by the Investigative Journalism Bureau (IJB) say the use of dogs in these experiments is both unnecessary and unethical. And the two whistleblowers call their work deeply troubling. Article content Article content Under strict orders of confidentiality, staff bring the puppies — as young as 10 months and as old as two years when they arrive from U.S. breeders — into the hospital. According to one whistleblower, they play loud music to drown out the barking. Article content Article content 'We turn the radio on as loud as we can when we're in there,' says the staffer who spoke with the IJB on condition of anonymity. 'We're not even allowed to throw animal food bags into the regular garbage. We conceal them in other bags so no one knows we have animal food.' Article content Videos obtained by the IJB filmed at St. Joseph's in April show three security guards surrounding a white van that pulls up to a hospital side door. Three people in scrubs wheel carts with blanket-covered boxes the size of dog crates from the van into the hospital. After bringing in the first cart, a person runs back to the van before wheeling in a second blanket-covered cart.
