Health

OTTAWA — Federal health officials say some farm-raised Pacific oysters are being recalled due to a marine biotoxin which causes paralytic shellfish poisoning.

EDMONTON — Some four-legged canine comfort is coming to paramedics in Alberta. Alberta Health Services says it has enlisted a three-year-old black Labrador retriever to help responders overcome psychological job stress.

VANCOUVER — Chronic opioid users in rural and remote communities in British Columbia need access to supervised injectable treatment that is already available in the Vancouver area, says the head of the BC Pharmacy Association.

SASKATOON — The University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon has a new research centre that specializes in respiratory health.

HALIFAX — Nova Scotia legislation aimed at giving greater autonomy to people with intellectual or cognitive disabilities came under criticism Monday, with predictions it will face a constitutional challenge if passed without changes.

TORONTO — Ontario is fast tracking legislation to create safe zones around abortion clinics with all-party support, after the bill's introduction led to accusations of political posturing on various sides.

WASHINGTON — In a story Oct. 12 about the worldwide gap in pain relief medication, The Associated Press misspelled the last name of a Stanford University psychiatry professor. His name is Keith Humphreys, not Humpreys.

EDMONTON — The Alberta government says 323 people may have been exposed to tuberculosis at a seniors facility in the Edmonton area.

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar — As plague cases rose last week in Madagascar's capital, many city dwellers panicked. They waited in long lines for antibiotics at pharmacies and reached through bus windows to buy masks from street vendors.

DETROIT — Responding to consumer concerns about exhaust fumes, Ford is offering to inspect and repair Explorer SUVs at no cost to owners.