Five stories in the news for Monday, May 8
———
REINFORCEMENTS DEPLOYED IN QUEBEC FLOOD FIGHT
Additional Canadian military personnel have been deployed in Quebec's vast flood zone to help exhausted residents battle the unrelenting deluge. Quebec has been devastated, with nearly 1,900 flooded homes in roughly 130 municipalities, from the Ontario border in the west, to the Gaspe peninsula — and there's still no relief in sight.
———
TORIES PLAN CONFIDENCE VOTE AGAINST SAJJAN
Harjit Sajjan returns to the hot seat today as the Conservatives renew their attacks against the defence minister's credibility. Tory defence critic James Bezan says he'll table a non-binding motion expressing a loss of confidence in Sajjan. The motion has little chance of passing, but it could still make for another long day for Sajjan who's faced heavy fire for exaggerating his role in Operation Medusa, a key battle involving Canadians in Afghanistan in 2006.
———
NEW GUIDELINES AIM TO REDUCE OPIOID USE
New guidelines for prescribing opioids encourage doctors to avoid giving the powerful narcotics as a first-line treatment to patients with chronic, non-cancer pain. The guidelines, released Monday, suggest physicians first try other medications or non-pharmaceutical therapies to prevent a host of potential harms associated with opioid use. Those harms include physical dependence or addiction, as well as the increasingly common risk of fatal overdoses.
———
CARING FOR AGING PARENTS COSTS $33 BILLION A YEAR
A new CIBC study says caring for aging parents is costing Canadians $33 billion a year in direct out-of-pocket expenses and time off work. It also says that number will only increase over the next decade, as the share of Canadians aged 65 and older grows from its current level of 17 per cent to roughly 22 per cent. The report suggests nearly two million Canadians with parents over age 65 incur care-related out-of pocket costs of $3,300 per year.
———
'COME FROM AWAY' WINS 5 OUTER CRITICS CIRCLE AWARDS
The Canadian theatrical production "Come From Away" has won five Outer Critics Circle Awards, including outstanding new Broadway musical. "Come From Away" is set in Gander, N.L., in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. The remote East Coast town saw its population double as it sheltered 6,579 passengers and crew from 38 planes diverted when U.S. air space was closed on Sept. 11, 2001. "Come From Away" tied with the Broadway revival "Hello, Dolly!" starring Bette Midler for the most overall wins.
———
The Canadian Press
