National
De Grasse, Brown, Blake, LePage withdraw from Commonwealth Games following worlds
Sprinter Andre De Grasse and decathlete Pierce LePage are among the top Canadian track and field stars who have withdrawn from competing at the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
De Grasse ran the anchor leg as Canada won gold in the 4×100-metre relay at the recent world track and field championships.
Aaron Brown and Jerome Blake, who were also part of the relay team, have also withdrawn.
“These athletes have had a challenging world championships in hot weather conditions and unfortunately must withdraw from the 2022 Commonwealth Games to properly recover and prepare for the rest of the season,” Athletics Canada said in a statement Tuesday.
De Grasse, who had a bout with COVID-19 about a month back, failed to qualify for the men’s 100m final at the world championships before pulling out of the 200m event altogether.
Opting to compete in the relay days after those events ended, he anchored the Canadian team to gold in an upset over the Americans.
LePage, who had won silver at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, earned his first world championship medal with silver in the decathlon.
Olympic decathlon champion Damian Warner, who suffered a hamstring injury at the world championships, was not on Canada’s Commonwealth Games team.
The Commonwealth Games are set to take place from July 28 to August 8 in Birmingham, England.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 26, 2022.
The Canadian Press
By Brieanna Charlebois in Vancouver
A new study says reduced access to HIV services during early COVID-19 lockdowns in British Columbia was associated with a “sharp increase” in HIV transmission among some drug users.
The study by University of British Columbia researchers says that while reduced social interaction during the March-May 2020 lockdown worked to reduce HIV transmission, that may not have “outweighed” the increase caused by reduced access to services.
The study, published in Lancet Regional Health, found that fewer people started HIV antiretroviral therapy or undertook viral load testing under lockdown, while visits to overdose prevention services and safe consumption sites also decreased.
The overall number of new HIV diagnoses in B.C. continues a decades-long decline.
But Dr. Jeffrey Joy, lead author of the report published on Friday, said he found a “surprising” spike in transmission among some drug users during lockdown.
Joy said transmission rates for such people had previously been fairly stable for about a decade.
“That’s because there’s been really good penetration of treatment and prevention services into those populations,” he said in an interview.
B.C. was a global leader in epidemic monitoring, which means the results are likely applicable elsewhere, Joy said.
“We are uniquely positioned to find these things,” he said. “The reason that I thought it was important to do this study and get it out there is (because) it’s probably happening everywhere, but other places don’t monitor their HIV epidemic in the same way that we do.”
Rachel Miller, a co-author of the report, said health authorities need to consider innovative solutions so the measures “put in place to address one health crisis don’t inadvertently exacerbate another.”
“These services are the front-line defence in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Many of them faced disruptions, closures, capacity limits and other challenges,” Miller said in a news release.
“Maintaining access and engagement with HIV services is absolutely essential to preventing regression in epidemic control and unnecessary harm.”
The Health Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Researchers said the spike among “select groups” could be attributed to a combination of factors, including housing instability and diminished trust, increasing barriers for many people who normally receive HIV services.
British Columbia is set to become the first province in Canada to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of hard drugs in January, after receiving a temporary federal exemption in May.
Joy said this decision, alongside measures like safe supply and safe needle exchanges, will make a difference preventing similar issues in the future.
“The take-home message here is, in times of crisis and public health emergency or other crises, we need to support those really vulnerable populations more, not less,” he said.
“Minimally, we need to give them continuity and the access to their services that they depend on. Otherwise, it just leads to problems that can have long, long-term consequences.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2022.
By Mickey Djuric in Regina
Celeste Leray-Leicht received many condolence gifts after the Humboldt Broncos bus crash that claimed the life of her son, but it was a beaded green and yellow ribbon with a white heart that stood out.
Leray-Leicht wore it for years after her son Jacob Leicht died. It now lives on her vehicle’s visor, next to a photo of her children when they were little, alongside a poppy.
She always felt a connection to the beaded ribbon because of the heart.
“My son Jacob, he was a Valentine baby, so I’m drawn to hearts,” Leray-Leicht said from her home in Humboldt, Sask., east of Saskatoon.
On April 6, 2018, near Tisdale, Sask., 16 people were killed and 13 were injured when an inexperienced truck driver ran a stop sign, crashing into a bus that was taking the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team to a playoff game.
Leray-Leicht’s son played with the Broncos and was 19 when he died in the crash.
She never knew who gifted her the beaded pin, but she found out when she headed out to James Smith Cree Nation, northeast of Saskatoon, to drop off food and other donations earlier this month.
Bernard Constant Community School on the reserve has become a gathering hub after a stabbing rampage on Sept. 4 that killed 10 people, nine of whom were James Smith Cree Nation members. Eighteen others were injured. Both suspects have died.
The school is where funerals and wakes were held, where volunteers continue to cook throughout the day to keep members fed as they recover. It’s also where people come to pray.
On Sept. 11, it became the place where two women, dealing with devastating loss, came face to face for the first time.
While in the school’s gym, Leray-Leicht met Lissa Bear, who is a member of James Smith Cree Nation, and has been grieving alongside her community.
She’s also the Indigenous artist who anonymously gifted her the beaded ribbon that had always reminded Leray-Leicht of Jacob.
To Leray-Leicht’s surprise, Bear had approached her saying she had sent her the pin years ago.
“And I said ‘I just looked at that pin half an hour ago,” Leray-Leicht said. “We were kindred spirits. We instantly hit it off.”
Leray-Leicht said it was remarkable to meet Bear, despite the tragedies that unite them.
“I think God is in the details and I don’t really believe in coincidences too much. I think we’ll become good friends,” said Leray-Leicht. “It was just so special to me.”
Bear declined to comment, but gave consent to Leray-Leicht to share the story.
Humboldt and James Smith Cree Nation are 125 kilometres apart, but are connected through their grief.
Since the mass stabbing, families from Humboldt have silently attended funerals, donated food and offered support to people in the Indigenous community.
“As adults and leaders in the community, it’s our responsibility to try and find as many supports as we can for our youth and for our adults without reliving the trauma over and over again,” Leray-Leicht said.
Students in Humboldt wrote messages of hope on hearts for James Smith Cree Nation, something a nearby community did for them in 2018 after the bus crash.
At a vigil in Humboldt on Sept. 14, the hearts were placed in baskets alongside chocolate Hershey hugs, and were given to James Smith Cree Nation Chief Wally Burns. They asked him to pass them along to the youth of his community.
“When asked ‘what do you need?’ and they say prayers, I can relate,” said Leray-Leicht, who helped plan the vigil. “That’s all I remember thinking — ‘That’s what we needed, too.’ Prayers to lift us up to survive this devastating loss.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2022.
Tim Hortons Smile Cookie campaign continues to Sunday
Consumers could see higher car insurance premiums. Here’s how to lower yours
The Vaccine Narrative Is as Leaky as the Vaccines
Aurora records $618.8 million net loss in Q4 as it records impairment charges
-
Community17 hours agoTim Hortons Smile Cookie campaign continues to Sunday
-
Automotive18 hours ago
Edmunds: The pros and cons of vehicle touchscreens
-
Business2 days ago
NHLers have mixed feelings on jersey ads: ‘You knew something like that was coming’
-
Business2 days ago
Tom Brady’s TB12 Method is in schools. Experts have doubts.
-
Alberta2 days ago
‘Kind of like carnies’: International balloon festival returns to High River, Alta.
-
Business17 hours ago
Airbnb hosts are sick of Airbnb, too
-
Business2 days ago
Former BoC governor Stephen Poloz warns against entrenching inflation in expectations
-
Also Interesting2 days ago
Can The New Look Flames Build on Last Season’s Success?
