Canada column for Sunday, Dec. 17/17
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By Jim Fox
Police say the
deaths of the billionaire founder of Canadian generic drug firm Apotex and his
wife are “suspicious.”
The bodies of the
philanthropist couple Barry and Honey Sherman were found about noon on Friday
in their home in Toronto’s North York.
Barry Sherman’s net
worth was estimated at $4.77 billion, making him the 15th richest person in the
country and he had recently put the house up for sale, asking $6.9 million.
Constable David Hopkinson
said police were called in response to a “medical complaint” and autopsies this
weekend will determine the cause of death.
Barry Sherman
founded Toronto-based Apotex Inc. in 1974 and turned it into the largest Canadian-owned
pharmaceutical company, producing more than 300 generic drugs and employing
10,000 people.
The company has
manufacturing and research facilities in the Toronto area and Winnipeg, and
fills 89-million prescriptions a year, exporting to 115 countries.
Ontario Health
Minister Eric Hoskins said the Shermans were “generous philanthropists, kind
and compassionate individuals, devoted to their family, their friends, their
community, this province and this country.”
---
Men who are often
maligned for exaggerating their flu or cold symptoms might need some compassion,
says a Canadian researcher.
Dr. Kyle Sue, a
family physician and professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland, wrote in
the British Medical Journal that “man flu” is an unfairly used term.
It usually applies
to men exaggerating the effects of their illness and severity of symptoms.
“There’s actually some
evidence that suggests men actually do experience worse and longer-lasting
symptoms,” Sue said.
Research suggests
that hormones affect the severity of symptoms and “it’s not fair to write all
men off as exaggerating whenever they have a cold.”
---
News in brief:
- The Canadian
economy has made excellent progress this year but there is still important work
to be done on several longer-term issues, Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz
said. He told the Canadian Club in Toronto the economy was the fastest-growing
among the Group of Seven nations. Issues such as the threat of a cyber-attack,
high house prices, elevated household debt and the tough labour market for
young Canadians continue to be a preoccupation, he added.
- A hunting
accident has taken the life of John Hickey, mayor of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador.
Police said he was shot in the lower face while alone near the Trans-Labrador
Highway. Hickey was checking rabbit snares when his shotgun discharged but he managed
to get onto his snowmobile and reached a nearby highway to get help.
---
Facts and figures:
Canada’s dollar is
slightly higher at 77.86 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.284 in
Canadian funds before exchange fees.
The Bank of Canada’s key interest rate is steady
at 1 percent while the prime-lending rate is 3.2 percent.
Stock markets are mixed, with the Toronto
exchange index down at 16,041 points while the TSX Venture index is higher at
801 points.
The average price for gas in Canada is lower at
$1.136 a liter or $4.31 (Canadian) for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto 6/49: (Dec. 13) 12, 29, 30, 40, 45 and 48; bonus 27.
(Dec. 9) 8, 10, 11, 14, 19 and 33; bonus 30. Lotto Max (Dec. 8) 1, 17, 31, 33, 39,
46 and 49; bonus 42.
---
Regional briefs:
- Hydro One, one of
Canada’s largest electricity companies, has grounded its fleet of eight
helicopters after a crash killed four workers. Investigators are trying to determine
what caused the helicopter to crash in a rural area in Tweed, Ontario. All
aboard the chopper were killed in the mid-day crash as they were completing
work on a transmission tower. The company held candlelight vigils and allowed crews
to take a break from their jobs.
- Nova Scotia is
the first place in North America to ban unnecessary cat declawing. The Nova
Scotia Veterinary Medical Association said elective and non-therapeutic declawing
is ethically unacceptable. As well, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association
said the practise causes unnecessary and avoidable pain and is urging other
places to also ban the procedure.
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Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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