WolseleyGirl.com: reflections on life in the granola belt

TORONTO - People with breathing problems should take care -- Environment Canada has issued another smog advisory for much of southern Ontario. The advisory covers Windsor, Chatham and London to Niagara and Toronto. It also covers the regions of Waterloo and Grey Bruce and as well as Belleville,

VANCOUVER - The authors of an article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal reviewing the history and effectiveness of Vancouver's safe-injection site are urging the federal government to give up its Supreme Court of Canada challenge aimed at shutting the facility down. The analysis,

TORONTO - It seems that a city-wide bedbug battle has become a pest for the Toronto International Film Festival. Festival co-director Cameron Bailey said on Twitter that officials are responding to a complaint about the troublesome insects at one of the festival's main movie hubs, the Scotiabank

TORONTO - The Canadian Medical Association Journal says provinces and territories should cover the cost of smoking-cessation programs and products to help tobacco users butt out. An editorial in the journal says reducing smoking rates could save hundreds of thousands of lives while slashing

REGINA - Saskatchewan has turned to private health care to help clear up a backlog of patients waiting for day surgeries. The province says the Regina health region has started booking patients for dental surgery and knee arthroscopy procedures at Omni Surgery Centre, a private surgical facility.

TORONTO - Health officials have upgraded a heat alert issued for Toronto to an extreme heat alert. Medical officer of health Dr. David McKeown says the extreme alert will remain in effect until further notice. The humidex, combining the effects of heat and humidity, is expected to hit 40 C

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Eating more heart-healthy omega-3 fats provided no additional benefit in a study of heart attack survivors who were already getting good care, Dutch researchers report. After nearly 3 1/2 years, there was no difference in deaths, heart attacks and other heart problems between

CHICAGO - Emergency room visits for school-age athletes with concussions has skyrocketed in recent years, suggesting the intensity of kids' sports has increased along with awareness of head injuries. The findings in a study of national data don't necessarily mean that concussions are on the rise.

TORONTO - A co-founder of the Ontario Autism Coalition accused a Liberal provincial politician of suggesting she should have her autistic son jailed to get better treatment for him, but Greg Sorbara said his comments were misrepresented and he was set up. Susan Fentie-Pearce said that Sorbara, a

SASKATOON — Clinical trials of the controver­sial liberation treatment for multiple sclerosis should happen immediately, says a former Univer­sity of Saskatchewan researcher who proposed an eerily similar theory more than a decade ago. Bernhard Juurlink published a hypothesis in

IT’S not addictive, it’s easy to take and 50 years of use shows it’s safe. So why do women still need a prescription for the birth-control pill? A move to make oral contraceptives available over the counter is gain­ing momentum in the United States — and any

TORONTO - Jack Layton says governments need to invest in infrastructure and cities to make apathetic Canadians want to vote again. The NDP leader says helping small businesses create jobs, and building physical and social infrastructure will help inspire Canadians to become more politically

TORONTO - Ontario plans to launch a new tracking system to curb the abuse of the highly addictive painkiller OxyContin and other prescription drugs, a growing problem that's sparked crackdowns in other provinces. The system would monitor prescription narcotics and other controlled substances,

TORONTO, ONTARIO, - If your kids insist on style over comfort when it comes to selecting their backpacks, core strengthening can help keep their backs strong to prevent potential injuries. The Ontario Kinesiology Association has outlined some additional exercises which include: — Stationary

TORONTO - Some students may favour fashion over function when it comes to the bag they'll use to tote their books and supplies as they head back to class. But the president of the Ontario Kinesiology Association says there's more to selecting the right backpack than looking stylish —

WINNIPEG - An improperly shipped vitamin sample led to the evacuation of a Winnipeg mail sorting plant Friday and sent two workers to hospital. Canada Post spokeswoman Kathi Neal said a U.S. company tried to mail the vitamins to a customer in Toronto using a regular envelope, not a parcel. The

The U.S. birth rate has dropped for the second year in a row, and experts think the wrenching recession led many people to put off having children. The 2009 birth rate also set a record: lowest in a century. Births fell 2.6 per cent last year even as the population grew, numbers released Friday

HALIFAX - A review of some Nova Scotia government funding for Dalhousie University has determined the medical school should get more money. The Health Department said today it has agreed to come up with an additional $695,104 for medical seats. The funding issue arose after an earlier cut of $2.

TORONTO - Ontario's governing Liberals are moving ahead with new restrictions on the highly addictive painkiller OxyContin and other prescription narcotics. Health Minister Deb Matthews will be in London today to announce long-overdue changes aimed at curbing the abuse of certain prescription

TORONTO - One in six people who take care of the everyday needs of ailing seniors at home is in a state of distress, says a study of more than 130,000 people age 65 and over who receive publicly funded long-term home care in Canada. These informal caregivers are flagged as being in distress when