Province announces expanded availability of alcohol
“Our government is actively working to expand the sale of beer and wine to corner stores, box stores, and even more grocery stores,” said Vic Fedeli, Finance Minister, in a speech to a Toronto business audience delivered on March 28. He said the government was delivering on a campaign promise. Fedeli gave no timeline for the move but said greater competition in the sector will lower prices for consumers and expand product availability. Compared to Quebec where approximately 8,000 retail outlets sell beer, wine, cider and spirits, Ontario currently has fewer than 3,000 outlets selling alcohol. Fedeli’s first provincial budget is due on April 11.
Ontario residents in rural communities at higher risk of stroke
A recently-released paper published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes concludes that Ontario residents living in rural communities are at a greater risk of having a stroke than their counterparts in urban centres.
Researchers formed their conclusions after examining data from six million Ontario residents gathered between 2008 and 2012. The research also found that 81 percent of urban dwellers who had not suffered a stroke were screened for diabetes compared to only 71 percent of rural dwellers. The gap for cholesterol screening was even wider with 78 percent of urban residents being checked out, compared to 66 percent of those in smaller communities.
A Global News report on the study quoted Dr. Margaret Tromp, President of the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada, who noted that a factor elevating the risk for those in smaller communities is access to medical care. She noted that while 18 percent of Canada’s population live in rural environments, only 8 percent of the country’s doctors serve those areas.
While on the topic of health matters …
Cannabis edibles pose greater health risk
A recent New York Times article says new research analyzing thousands of cannabis-triggered emergency room visits in the greater Denver area found that edibles may be more potent and potentially more dangerous than pot that is smoked or vaped. The study found that edibles induced a disproportionate number of pot-related medical crises. Ingested pot takes longer to produce a high than smoked pot, making it harder to gauge the right dose to achieve the desired effect, which increases the risk of an overdose, experts say. Because of the delay in feeling the effects of edibles, users tend to consume more to speed up the process. Ingested pot also takes longer for the body to clear.
Do you feel lucky?
Further to The Current’s report on March 3, St. Francis Valley Healthcare Foundation has annoucned that Catch The Ace ticket sales will start Friday, April 12, locations to be confirmed. The first draw will be held at the Ash Grove Inn on Thursday, April 18 at 4 p.m. Readers will recall that the Deep River Hospital recently held a Catch The Ace lottery in which a lucky winner received $500,000.
