Planned Parenthood 'conned' government, Tory MP says

Another Saskatchewan MP is calling for the government to cut funding to the International Planned Parenthood Federation, accusing the organization of being deceitful and conning the Conservative government.

Maurice Vellacott, a Conservative MP from Saskatoon-Wanuskewin, alleges in a strongly worded press release that the international women's health organization will be using Canadian aid money to perform abortions.

The Canadian funding is for projects in countries where abortion is tightly restricted. The projects approved are sex education and contraception programs.

The press release says Vellacott is commenting on "IPPF’s deceitful language on abortion to con the Canadian government for taxpayer dollars."

"The IPPF is trying to dupe us into believing that because Canadian taxpayer dollars are going to countries where abortion is supposedly illegal, the money won't be spent on abortions," he says in the statement.

He said it's naive to think the organization won't be promoting abortion, even in the countries where it's illegal.

A spokesman for International Planned Parenthood firmly rejected Vellacott's assertions.

"IPPF is absolutely clear: no Canadian money will be used for any abortion-related services in any of the five countries that [the Canadian International Development Agency] has announced funding for," Paul Bell said in a written statement to CBC News.

"This includes advocacy for access to safe abortion services in countries where it is highly restricted."

Bell pointed to World Health Organization data that show there are 21 million unsafe abortions performed every year, and to a study released Tuesday that suggested cutting money to family planning programs resulted in less access to contraception and more abortions.

The UN estimates 215 million women want contraception but don't have access to it, he said.

"Restricting laws and access to safe abortion services does not reduce abortion rates, it just makes abortion clandestine and unsafe. This impacts the poorest women most, since even in countries where abortion is restricted, those with money can either find someone to perform an abortion safely in their country or they can travel to another country."

Vellacott says the controversy over the funding will "exposed the lies and destructiveness of IPPF’s agenda."

"It exposes what this abortion giant is surreptitiously trying to achieve worldwide.

"It's still not too late to stop this $6-million misappropriation of Canadian taxpayer funds, because IPPF does not meet the criteria of our commendable maternal and child health care initiative. IPPF will be doing abortions by another name," he said.

Vellacott was joining fellow Saskatchewan Conservative MP Brad Trost, who said Wednesday that anti-abortion activists would have to be more aggressive to get the government to listen to them.

Trost said last April that the Conservative government had "de-funded" International Planned Parenthood because of petitions by anti-abortion activists. The group's Canadian funding lapsed in 2009 without being renewed until last week.

Trost told Rosemary Barton, on CBC's Power & Politics, the prime minister's office hasn't tried to stop him from speaking out on the issue.

An official called him after he tweeted that he was going to post a response on his website, but neither the prime minister's office nor the whip's office, whose officials are in charge of caucus discipline, criticized him for his comments, he said.

"They do understand this is an issue caucus members have fairly strong opinions on," Trost said, adding he's going to encourage more Conservative MPs to go public if they oppose abortion.

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Denmark introduces 'fat tax'

Denmark has introduced what is believed to be the world's first tax on foods containing saturated fat.

The Danish government is applying a surcharge to foods with more than 2.3 per cent saturated fats, in a bid to combat obesity and heart disease.

The new tax will be levied on food such as butter, milk, cheese, pizza, oils and meat. It means customers will be paying about $3 more per kilogram of saturated fats in a product.

Prices rose Saturday in many grocery stores as the tax came into force, while some customers cleared out shelves earlier in the week to stock up on fatty favourites.

Food industry managers have complained that the tax will be a bureaucratic nightmare.

in 2004, Denmark declared war on trans fats, making it illegal for any food to have more than two per cent of the artery-clogging oils. Austria has a similar law. In July 2010, Denmark imposed a tax on sugary junk food.

About 10 per cent of Danes are considered obese. Britain is the fattest nation in Europe; one third of children and nearly two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese.

More than one in every four Canadian adults and almost one in 11 children are obese, with a body mass index of more than 30, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

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Energy drink sales ban has campus buzzing

The University of New Hampshire's short-lived decision to ban the sale of nonalcoholic energy drinks has created more buzz than the caffeinated beverages themselves.

Within four days of announcing it would ban the sale of Red Bull and three other drinks, the university first delayed and then abandoned the plan altogether. The backtracking highlights both the drinks' popularity among young adults who use it for both study and play, and the extent to which college administrations have become entangled with the beverages' promotion.

UNH initially said it would stop selling the drinks beginning in January, apparently a first. The university said the ban would further President Mark Huddleston's goal of making the campus the nation's healthiest by 2020 and cited the dangers of mixing the drinks with alcohol.

But Huddleston issued a statement Thursday saying that there was no clear evidence that the drinks are exacerbating alcohol abuse and that sales data showed students aren't purchasing multiple servings, which might have suggested binge drinking.

"I do not now see a clear rationale for eliminating an option that our students say they want," he said.

Students weren't happy about the idea of a ban and said it would have done little to curb alcohol problems, since students buy the energy drinks off campus.

Sophomore Corrin Murphy sent her roommate a text message Monday as soon she heard about the ban. On Tuesday, her epidemiology class discussed whether students would seek out prescription drugs if they could no longer buy energy drinks.

And it was the first thing her friends brought up Wednesday morning, when she sat down in the student union building with a can of Red Bull to get ready for a chemistry quiz.

"Every class I've been in, everyone's been in an uproar," she said. "I haven't seen anyone who's for it."

Huddleston's statements delaying and then reversing the ban made no mention of input from energy drink manufacturers, though Red Bull said it was working with UNH "to find a resolution."

UNH said a total of 60,000 drinks — including the other brands — were sold on campus last year, or one-half of 1 percent of retail sales. Officials would not comment on the university's ties to Red Bull or further discuss what led to the ban and its reversal, but the company's promotions have been a big part of students' activities.

The company, with the administration's blessing, brought a motorcycle show to the university's spring picnic, had Red Bull skydivers drop into the football stadium at the start of the homecoming game, and gave away a snowboard and lift pass prize package to students. It has similar relationships with hundreds of other colleges and universities.

UNH also is one of nearly 700 campuses participating in Red Bull's "stash" contest, in which students search for four-packs of the drinks around campus in hopes of winning prizes worth a total of $224,000 US. Last fall, a Red Bull student "brand manager" at UNH organized a skateboarding competition, with a case of Red Bull given to winners in several categories, according to an article in the student newspaper.

"We have so many Red Bull-sponsored events," said Murphy, who keeps a 24-pack of Red Bull in her room and said she frequently sees fliers advertising campus events sponsored by Red Bull.

Energy drinks are the fastest growing U.S. beverage market, with sales expected to top $9 billion US this year, according to a report published in the medical journal Pediatrics in February. Hard figures are hard to come by, but those sales skew toward younger consumers, said John Sicher, editor and publisher of Beverage Digest. Consumption is heaviest among 18- to 35-year-olds, he said.

Despite the rise in sales, little national research has been done on consumption by college students, said Cecile Marczinski, assistant professor of psychology at Northern Kentucky University.

Red Bull emphasized that its products and other mainstream energy drinks meet federal safety regulations.

"College students consume Red Bull Energy Drink because it works," the company said. "The benefits of Red Bull tie in naturally with the daily activities of college students as the product delivers energy and the ability to focus."

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Smoking rates vary among workers

Smoking is more common in the mining and food service industries than in other occupations, according to a U.S. government report.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's report looked at cigarette smoking prevalence among 113, 000 adults from 2004 to 2010. Smoke-free workplace policies could help reduce smoking and improve employee health, U.S. researchers say. Peter Morrison/Associated Press

By industry, smoking was lowest in the education services industry such as among teachers and librarians (9.7 per cent) and highest in the mining and food services industries (30 per cent), the report's authors said.

Higher levels of smoking were observed among workers aged 18 to 24 years, male workers, those with high school or less education, those with no health insurance coverage, and those living below the federal poverty level.

Also, some people who work outdoors are less likely to face the kind of indoor smoking bans seen in white-collar workplaces like schools, hospitals and office buildings, said Dr. Tim McAfee, director of the Office on Smoking and Health at the CDC.

The authors called for employers to take steps to reduce smoking and improve employee health, decrease absenteeism, and reduce use of health care resources.

These measures include:

100 per cent smoke-free workplace policies.Easily accessible help for those who want to quit.Health insurance with little or no co-payment for cessation treatments.

For decades, the biggest smokers by profession in the U.S. have been roofers, drywall installers, brick and stone masons and other workers in construction trades.

But health officials have warned construction workers may be at higher risk from smoking, especially if they are exposed to asbestos since studies suggest people who work with asbestos are more likely to develop lung cancer if they also smoke.

Smoking can also be more dangerous for miners who might ignite methane gas with matches or cigarette lighters.

The report's authors acknowledged drawbacks of the study, such as self-reports of smoking that were not backed up with biochemical tests.

The study was published in this week's issue of the CDC publication Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

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Organic grape tomatoes recalled for salmonella

People shouldn't eat certain organic grape tomatoes because they may be contaminated with salmonella, federal food officials say.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency warned people not to consume Organic Grape Tomatoes, sold in plastic clam shell containers and supplied by Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce of San Diego, Calif.

The affected product is Limited Edition 10.5 oz (298 grams) organic grape tomatoes. The label says Product of Mexico and bears the code 0 33383 65592 5.

The tomatoes were distributed in British Columbia and Ontario and possibly in other provinces.

No illnesses associated with the products have been reported.

Food contaminated with salmonella may not look or smell spoiled, but eating these foods may cause illness. In young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems, the salmonella may cause serious and sometimes deadly infections, CFIA said.

In otherwise healthy people, the illness may lead to short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Long-term complications may include severe arthritis.

The importers are voluntarily recalling the product.

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Listeria warning for type of Strubs smoked salmon

Ontario's chief medical officer of health is warning people not to eat a Strubs brand of smoked salmon because it may be contaminated with Listeria.

It's identified as ready to eat smoked salmon, Lot Identifier: 09192011 and distributed in 250 gram vacuum packs, the agency said in a release Thursday. The processing plant is in Toronto but the extent of the distribution across Ontario is not known.

It is sold in supermarkets, grocery stores or delis and people should throw it out or return it to the retailer. There have been no reported illnesses.

Dr. Arlene King says people at high risk for listeriosis, such as the elderly, pregnant women and those with weak immune systems should not eat the salmon.

Listeria can cause listeriosis, a serious but rare illness. Listeriosis usually manifests as mild flu-like illness and symptoms can include vomiting, nausea, cramps, severe headache, constipation or fever.

More severe illness may result in meningitis and blood infection in newborns and adults.

For public inquiries call ServiceOntario, INFOline at 1-866-532-3161 (Toll-free in Ontario only)

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Night owl teens at greater risk for obesity

Children and teens who go to bed late and wake up late are more likely to be overweight than their peers who go to bed early and rise early, Australian researchers suggest.

For the study, 2,200 Australians aged nine to 16 kept track of their bedtimes, wake times as well as time spent watching TV, playing videogames or using computers. They also wore pedometers to record their physical activity levels, and weights were measured.

When they went to sleep was key to the results.

Those who went to bed late and got up late were 1.5 times more likely to become obese than those who went to bed early and got up early, even when they got the same amount of sleep, Carol Maher, a post-doctoral fellow with the University of South Australia, and her co-authors reported in Saturday's issue of the journal Sleep.

The late-nighters were almost twice as likely to be physically inactive and nearly three times more likely to sit in front of screens for more than guidelines recommend, racking up nearly an hour more of these sedentary activities.

"This study shows that the teenagers that have that pattern of late to bed, late to wake up don't have as good health outcomes," Maher told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.The time teens go to bed is linked to their risk of being overweight. (Jessica Rinaldi/Reuters)

The findings contradict opinions that it is normal for teenagers to get into a sleeping pattern of staying up late and sleeping in, or advisable to adjust school times to fit in with a teenager's sleep patterns, she said.

Since the study was observational in design, it is difficult to determine what could be causing the effect, said CBC's medical specialist Dr. Karl Kabasele.

"What's not clear is perhaps maybe it's the kids who like to do exercise who just choose to get up early and go to bed early," Kabasele said. "Kids who stay up late can't really exercise."

The study's authors said that young people who are attracted to physical activity may choose to get up early to take part in early morning training sessions or to walk or bike to school. Similarly, young people who prefer screen time may choose to stay up late to watch TV or log on to social networking.

External factors in the home may also make a difference, such as parents' need to leave early for work, siblings' activities and household rules around bedtime, the researchers said.

The findings point to the importance of having parents encourage healthy habits in their children, Kabasele said.

Dr. Louise Hardy, a senior research fellow at the Prevention Research Collaboration based at the University of Sydney, studied childhood obesity rates in New South Wales.

There is a strong association between sedentary activities such as television viewing and obesity, Hardy said.

The researchers "haven't got dietary data, but it would be interesting to see if those children going to bed late are actually in front of a television or maybe they're social networking where they can get their hands off the computer to eat."

The investigators called for long-term studies to confirm how bed and wake time habits may affect weight, as well as experiments that manipulate bedtimes to shed light on the possible cause-and-effect mechanisms.

The study was funded by the Australian Commonwealth Department of Health and Aging; the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry; and by the Australian Food and Grocery Council, an industry sponsor that the researchers said played no role in preparing the manuscript.

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Vancouver's Insite drug injection clinic will stay open

Vancouver's controversial Insite clinic can stay open, the Supreme Court said Friday in a landmark ruling.

In a unanimous decision, the court ruled that not allowing the clinic to operate under an exemption from drug laws would be a violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The court ordered the federal minister of health to grant an immediate exemption to allow Insite to operate.

"Insite saves lives. Its benefits have been proven. There has been no discernible negative impact on the public safety and health objectives of Canada during its eight years of operation," the ruling said, written by Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin.

If Insite wasn't allowed to operate it would prevent injection drug users from accessing the health services offered at the facility, threatening their health and their lives, the ruling said. Withdrawing the exemption would even undermine the purpose of the federal drug law, which includes public health and safety, the court said.

The Supreme Court said that if the health minister, currently Leona Aglukkaq, receives applications for more exemptions, she must continue to exercise her discretion and aim to strike a balance between charter rights and protecting public health and safety.

Where there is no evidence that a supervised injection site would have a negative impact on public safety, the minister "should generally grant an exemption," the court said.

The Conservative government is opposed to the Insite operation, and when it came to power it dropped harm reduction from the national anti-drug strategy. Aglukkaq said Friday the government's investments are targeted at prevention and treatment.

"Although we are disappointed with the Supreme Court of Canada's decision today, we will comply," Aglukkaq said in question period. "We believe that the system should be focused on preventing people from becoming drug addicts."

Aglukkaq said the government planned on reviewing the decision.

While the ruling is a victory for Insite, the Supreme Court said it "is not a licence for injection drug users to possess drugs wherever and whenever they wish."

"Nor is it an invitation for anyone who so chooses to open a facility for drug use under the banner of a 'safe injection facility,'" said the court.

Supporters of Insite immediately celebrated their victory and expressed relief over the decision.

"This has been the most incredible battle," NDP MP Libby Davies said at the court in Ottawa minutes after the decision. She said Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government has been opposed to Insite based on partisan and ideological principles and never recognized its benefits. It saves lives, she said.

"The Conservative government has been relentless in their opposition, so today's decision by the court just feels like an incredible victory. It feels like a great day," she said. Insite is in her riding and she said she was thinking of her constituents who use the clinic.

Davies was at the court in Ottawa with Dean Wilson, one of her constituents who used the clinic and helped launch the original court case. A former heroin addict who has been clean for two years, he said he supports more clinics like Insite in other cities, but only if it's right for that community. The floodgates shouldn't necessarily open because of the ruling, he said.

"You need the nurses on side, you need the city on side, you need the local police department on side," the 55-year-old said.

Wilson said he wants to offer an olive branch to the federal government so that all sides can work together to support what he called a gold standard in health services.

In Vancouver a large crowd of supporters at the supervised drug injection site on East Hastings Street in the city's troubled Downtown Eastside site burst into cheers after learning of the ruling on Friday morning.

Joe Arvay, the lawyer who fought the federal government and won, was one of the crowd of health officials, social activists and Downtown Eastside residents.

"Obviously great happiness, great relief — we were nervous. It could have gone the other way," said Arvay.

Dr. Julio Montaner of the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS said the decision sends a strong message that addiction is a medical condition, and the charter rights of Insite's clients trump the federal Conservative government's wish to shut the facility down.

"Mr. Harper, you had an opportunity to do the right thing. You chose not to do it for whatever ideological or moral restraints you are operating under. The time has now come for you to move on, and accept the rulings of the court," said Montaner.

Dr. Patricia Daly, the public health officer for Vancouver Coastal Health, said the decision by the top court should finally put to rest the debate over whether Insite is safe.

"For those who doubt it, I have to say during my 20 years in public health I have never seen more evidence supporting a public health practice as we have had published around Insite," said Daly.

"I don't think that there is any doubt in the medical community and in the public health community that this service works and it is evidence-based," said Daly.

Dr. Evan Wood with the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, was also on hand to celebrate the decision.

"I think on a personal level there's a degree of happiness with the decision, to say the least, just because we've seen improvements in the health of so many of our patients. And we're aware of the research that programs like Insite save tax dollars," said Wood.

"In terms of the public disorder and public injecting, those issues obviously would have gotten a lot worse if it had to close," he said.

Montaner noted the federal government didn't lose everything in this case when the high court ruled in favour of Ottawa on a jurisdictional issue, saying it has jurisdiction over health-care delivery at Insite.

But he did not anticipate that would prevent any other province or regional health authority from setting up its own supervised injection facility.

Bernie Pauly with the School of Nursing at UVic said the question of jurisdiction will still need some parsing by lawyers. But she said this decision is a boost for those who would like to see a similar facility in Victoria.

"Absolutely, the obstacles are removed, and we have our city, our health authority, are all in support of harm reduction, and so it means we have to move forward. There is no reason not to," said Pauly.

B.C.'s Health Minister Michael de Jong called the ruling "a wise and humane ruling by a unanimous bench."

"Today's ruling will allow the doctors, nurses and staff at Insite to continue to deliver care in a safe environment with a stable future," said de Jong.

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson issued a statement applauding the decision.

“I am very pleased to see today’s ruling from the Supreme Court of Canada in favour of Insite," said Robertson.

“Addiction is a health issue, not a criminal issue. Research, and now the law, confirms our position that safe injection sites such as InSite perform an important health-care role in the lives of people living with chronic addiction-related problems," said Robertson.

Health groups, including the Canadian Medical Association and the Canadian Public Health Association, also applauded the decision.

Insite, supported by the City of Vancouver and the B.C. government, provides sanitary conditions for addicts while they inject drugs, medical supervision to help monitor for overdoses, clean needles and counselling for those seeking rehabilitation.

The clinic does not supply any drugs.

Insite has supervised more than one million injections, according to the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, and there has never been a death at the facility. The health authority says there have been more than 1,400 overdoses and that medical staff were able to intervene successfully in all cases.

A study published in the British medical journal The Lancet found that overdose deaths had declined by 35 per cent in the area of Insite, on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, since the clinic had opened, compared to a nine per cent drop in overdoses city-wide.

The B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS has said that since Insite opened, there's been a 30 per cent increase in the number of addicts who enter detox.

Other Canadian cities, such as Victoria and Toronto, have said they want to open their own safe-injection clinics, modelled on Insite.

Insite was granted a three-year exemption from the possession and trafficking provisions of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act when it first opened its doors in 2003.

It was granted two extensions but the Conservative government made it clear in 2008 that it did not support another exemption, and court proceedings were launched to try to save the clinic. Lawyers for the federal ministry argued that the government should not be in the business of facilitating illegal drug use.

The federal health minister at the time was Tony Clement, now Treasury Board president, and the Supreme Court agreed with lower court decisions that found his decision to withdraw the exemption violates Section seven of the charter because it contravenes the principle of fundamental justice.

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