In the news for Feb. 7: N.S. health services reduced, Oilers fall to Golden Knights

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…

Health services still reduced after N.S. snowstorm

Nova Scotia Health says non-emergency services in its Eastern zone will continue to be reduced following a weekend snowstorm.

That zone comprises Antigonish and Guysborough counties as well as Cape Breton, where up to 150 centimetres of snow accumulated in some areas.

The health authority says its focus today will be on emergency and urgent care, and is asking patients to consider whether any non-urgent appointments can be rescheduled.

The provincial government says residents of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality and Eskasoni should avoid unnecessary travel, and that it’s hoping most roads will be clear by the end of the week.

Golden Knights end Oilers’ 16-game streak with 3-1 win in Vegas

Chandler Stephenson scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period, Adin Hill stopped 30 shots and the Vegas Golden Knights ended the Edmonton Oilers’ 16-game winning streak with a 3-1 victory on Tuesday night.

Edmonton was looking to tie the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins for the longest NHL win streak of 17 games.

Instead, with the game tied 1-1 after two periods, Stephenson took a pass from Jonathan Marchessault and ripped a shot from the centre of the left circle to beat Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner blocker side and put the Golden Knights in front by a goal less than two minutes into the final period.

From there, Hill was spectacular in keeping the Oilers at bay while keeping the crowd energized until the final horn.

By disclosing his cancer, Charles breaks centuries of royal tradition. But he shares only so much

In British history, the secrecy of the monarch’s health has always reigned supreme.

Buckingham Palace’s disclosure that King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer shattered that longstanding tradition.

Never complain, never explain, as Charles’ late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was known to say.

Charles has withheld details of his illness and treatment, and in that way is carrying on her approach.

Health improvements will take time, minister says

It has been one year since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with premiers to offer a new funding deal intended to urgently treat their ailing health systems, but health advocates say the fix needs to come faster.

So far, Ottawa has signed four one-on-one deals with provinces for targeted funding — provided the provinces lay out how they plan to spend the money.

Alberta, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia have all made specific promises about how they will eventually transform their health systems.

Health Minister Mark Holland says negotiating the one-on-one deals that will actually provide measurable improvements is taking time.

Former RCMP intelligence official to be sentenced

A former RCMP intelligence official is slated to learn his fate today after being convicted of breaching Canada’s secrets law.

Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert Maranger is set to hand a sentence to Cameron Jay Ortis, found guilty in November of violating the Security of Information Act.

Ortis, 51, led the RCMP’s Operations Research group, which assembled classified information on cybercriminals, terror cells and transnational criminal networks.

Crown prosecutor Judy Kliewer argued at a January hearing that Ortis should be sentenced to decades behind bars.

Groups seek review of chemical tied to dead salmon

Conservation groups have written to the federal environment minister requesting a review of a chemical used in tires that they say has been linked to the “mass deaths” of coho salmon.

Peter Ross, senior scientist atRaincoast Conservation Foundation, says the mystery of coho dying in urban waterways had persisted for years, until a 2020 study uncovered the role of a particular chemical used in tire rubber.

Ross says the study published in Science, a top academic journal, found a chemical known as 6PPD produces a breakdown product that’s acutely toxic for coho.

He says the study showed toxic concentrations of 6PPD-quinone after rain events in Seattle-region watersheds, suggesting it was flowing off roads and into streams.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 7, 2024

The Canadian Press