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an american blogger has suddenly emerged as a force in canadian politics . edward morrissey , a 42 year old minneapolis area call center manager who runs a web_log , or blog , called captain 's quarters as a hobby , last saturday began posting allegations of corruption that reached the highest levels of the canadian liberal_party . the postings violate a publication ban instituted a few days earlier by a federal_judge , justice john gomery , who is leading an investigation into accusations of money_laundering and kickbacks in a government program from the 1990 's that was aimed at undermining quebec separatists . the scandal , which involves government payments of up to 85 million to a handful of montreal advertising firms for little or no work , has dominated national politics for a year and led to the liberals losing their majority in the house of commons last june . but justice gomery moved to limit dissemination of information from the otherwise public hearing in montreal so as not to influence potential_jurors for coming trials in which a government bureaucrat and two advertising executives face criminal_charges . according to mr . morrissey 's blog , recent testimony for the first time links people who have been close to prime_minister paul_martin to the scandal . mr . martin has long insisted that he knew nothing of the workings of the program , which was intended to promote the federal_government 's presence at cultural and sporting_events , even though he was finance minister at the time . the prime_minister then was jean_chr_tien , who left office in december 2003 . journalists and anyone else can attend the so called gomery commission hearings , and mr . morrissey said one of them , whom he would not identify , had approached him and had been passing him information for his blog . mr . morrissey has cautioned that he is basing his reporting on that one source , who he has said he believes to be reliable , and that he has not corroborated the information . canadian journalists who have attended the hearings , or have spoken to those who have , say mr . morrissey 's postings of the allegations , which have been made by a single witness , are generally accurate , though not complete . liberal_party leaders have questioned the veracity of the witness , jean brault , an advertising executive , who they note faces criminal_charges and whose testimony is covered by the ban . mr . gomery , meanwhile , is considering lifting the ban , now that so many people know so much about the proceedings . while the canadian news_media have not reported explicitly what mr . morrissey is posting , their newspaper articles and television features about his work have led canadians to visit captain 's quarters ( www . captainsquartersblog . com ) to read the latest scandalous details . mr . morrissey said his blog had been flooded since canadian ctv television first reported on its existence and contents sunday_night , and that he was now getting 400 , 000 hits a day . ''this is a historic moment for blogs , '' mr . morrissey said in a telephone interview . ''the point of having free_speech and a free press is to have people informed . these information bans are self defeating for free societies . the politicians know , the media knows , but the canadian voters are left in the dark and that 's a backwards way of doing things . '' mr . morrissey characterized himself as a libertarian conservative who had written extensively on his blog about federal_election_commission regulations , free_speech and foreign_affairs .

has a location of canada

lead a federal indictment unsealed today accuses 49 people of participating in a drug ring that smuggled millions of counterfeit quaaludes into the united_states from canada over a five year period . a federal indictment unsealed today accuses 49 people of participating in a drug ring that smuggled millions of counterfeit quaaludes into the united_states from canada over a five year period . the authorities said the ring was responsible for distributing 13 . 5 million counterfeit tablets of the hypnotic drug , 70 percent of the illegal trade , throughout the united_states from 1981 to 1986 . the drug sold as quaaludes , the brand name for methaqualone , was actually diazepam , a tranquilizer about six times stronger than valium , the authorities said . each tablet was sold on the street for 6 or 7 , they said . about 70 pounds of cocaine was smuggled into canada as part of the operation , the authorities said . ''since this group was eliminated , there has been the virtual elimination of counterfeit mathaqualone in the united_states , '' said robert j . lehner , the assistant_united_states_attorney who heads the government 's anti drug effort here . quaaludes banned in u.s . the indictment charges the defendants with producing diazepam in laboratories in the province of quebec and transporting the drug in powder form to fort_lauderdale and miami and forming it into tablets to be sold as quaaludes . because of widespread abuse , quaaludes and all methaqualone have been illegal to make or sell in the united_states since 1984 . the announcement of the indictment , handed up by a fort_lauderdale grand_jury in december , was delayed until today to allow for the arrest of some of those named . charged in the indicment were 21 canadians , 25 americans and 3 colombians .

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canada 's trade surplus widened to 5.4 billion_canadian_dollars ( 4 . 1 billion ) in december from 4.5 billion_canadian_dollars in november , statistics_canada reported . the improvement was ascribed chiefly to a 3.6 percent rise in exports , with half of that gain coming from higher shipments of motor_vehicles to the united_states . bernard_simon ( nyt )

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at t will offer evidence that domestic telephone traffic diverted by mci through canada to avoid tariffs included calls that were placed by the state_department and other government agencies , a senior executive at at t said today . the executive said the evidence was to be formally disclosed to government investigators and a bankruptcy court in manhattan on monday . the rerouting of domestic government calls through canada or other foreign countries would be problematic because the calls would not be protected from eavesdropping that could compromise national_security , law enforcement or confidential commercial information , industry lawyers said . if the rerouting is confirmed , it could pose significant new problems for mci 's chapter 11 reorganization proceeding and its business with federal agencies . the government is mci 's largest customer , and authorities are close to completing a review of whether the company should be barred from winning new government contracts because of its admission that it committed the largest accounting fraud in history . the at t executive , who spoke on condition that he not be identified , said the company 's conclusions were based on tests it recently conducted after it received a request for information . the request came from federal prosecutors attempting to determine whether mci , over nearly a decade , defrauded other phone companies by improperly redirecting or laundering telephone traffic to avoid access fee payments to other companies . long distance telephone companies are required to make the payments , which are among their highest transmission costs . the fraud inquiry is based on evidence provided by former mci executives and on technical information supplied by at t and two other mci rivals , sbc communications and verizon . all these sources have told investigators that a scheme to redirect telephone traffic avoided hundreds of millions of dollars , and possibly more , in fees that mci owed to local telephone companies . they have also told investigators that thousands of recent test calls they made through mci lines show that two schemes to avoid the fees are continuing . the three rivals of mci have competitive motives to try to derail its chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization , which is heading into its final stage next month . they have complained that mci 's recent settlement with the government over securities_fraud charges was too lenient , and they have maintained that the company should be liquidated rather than reorganized . but people not associated with the three companies said the justice_department was taking the accusations seriously and had opened a fraud investigation that is being supervised by the united_states_attorney 's office in manhattan . brad burns , a spokesman for mci , issued a statement this evening that did not address the accusation about redirecting government calls but questioned its timing and the motives behind it . ''we have yet to meet with the u.s . attorney 's office , so it would be impossible and inappropriate for us to respond to any specifics surrounding their inquiry , '' mr . burns said . ''that said , we are only one month from our bankruptcy confirmation_hearing and expect a final decision on our government contracts in the upcoming weeks . you ca n't help but to question the timing and motives of our competitors who are trying to create a difficult environment for us right before our planned emergence from chapter 11 . '' the federal_government is near completion of a review to determine whether mci , which entered bankruptcy after acknowledging that it had committed accounting fraud , should be barred from winning new government contracts . as mci 's largest customer , the government provides the company with 700 million to 1 billion in business annually . the inquiry into the diverted calls could jeopardize that business . one method of avoiding the access fee payments , which former mci technicians said had been known within the company as ''project invader'' or ''project scorpion , '' involved the use of small telephone companies to make the long distance calls appear as local ones so that the charges would not be levied , according to former mci executives . they say the other method , known as the canadian gateway project , involved diverting domestic calls to canada and then back to the united_states through at t lines so that at t would have to pay access fees . the senior at t executive said at t intended to alert federal investigators and the bankruptcy court overseeing mci 's chapter 11 proceeding that it had found evidence of domestic calls redirected through canada from the united_states_agency_for_international_development , the federal_deposit_insurance_corporation , the national transportation safety board , the pension_benefit_guaranty_corporation , the united_states_postal_service , the library of congress and other agencies . the executive said at t technicians had found that domestic calls from the office of at least one member of congress had also been redirected through canada . the volume of the diverted telephone traffic is not known , the executive said , but at t also has evidence it will present to the bankruptcy court on monday that a major customer it lost to mci had had its domestic telephone traffic diverted through canada and then onto an at t line so that at t had to pay the access charges . executives at verizon are also said to be planning to take steps to try to put mci 's government contracts in jeopardy . a verizon executive said today that the company was planning to send a letter soon to the general services administration , which oversees government contracts , that will question whether the government should continue to do business with mci . the letter will say that if mci passed on any cost savings to the government from avoiding the access charges , verizon could have claims against the government , the executive said , adding that if mci did not pass on the savings , the government might itself have been defrauded by mci . last week , verizon agreed to drop its fight in bankruptcy court to liquidate mci in exchange for a 60 million settlement of its claims . the settlement did not preclude verizon from trying steps outside the bankruptcy proceeding that would hinder mci 's reorganization plan .

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''as you ramble on through life , brother , '' goes advice on coffee shop walls , ''whatever be your goal keep your eye upon the doughnut and not upon the hole . '' that wisdom is at the heart of the compromise that may be struck in a congressional conference on a low premium prescription_drug benefit for people over 65 . in the first bite of the doughnut , a senior would pay only one fourth of his drug costs up to about 2 , 000 . then comes the hole the next 2 , 000 or so of costs is n't covered at all . but then the doughnut gets delicious the senior pays only 5 percent of all costs above that . only the poor would get a free ride , but nobody would be wiped out by the cost of catastrophic illness . other issues are yet to be resolved conservatives ( uncharacteristically ) want high income seniors to pay higher premiums , and liberals ( typically ) do n't want private insurers competing with the government , offering the elderly a choice . what bothers me in this healthy dickering is the move to encourage americans including governors and mayors who should know better to buy u.s . drugs at half price or less in canada and overseas where there are government controls on prices . the price of most new prescription_drugs is high in the u.s . mainly because it includes the producers' huge investment in scientific research . in canada , the government strips out the cost of such research and imposes a low price ceiling . shortsightedly , our pharmaceutical companies have meekly or greedily gone along with this foreign rip off , picking up extra sales on a research investment already made . but this foolish acceptance of foreign price_controls means that the u.s . consumer is subsidizing the foreign consumer . not being dopes , pursuing their economic interest , american bargain_hunters are now buying these drugs where they are sold cheaply outside the u.s . to counter this trend , our federal officials have been warning that imported drugs may be counterfeit or conflict with other drugs . that may scare some buyers , but most will take their chances . in reality , what with an open border and the internet , sales will go to the cheapest seller . more americans will join canadians in buying drugs that do not support the cost of research into new drugs . thus has phanny pharma outsmarted itself . by willingly cutting its prices to sell into price controlled economies , not only has it invited american buyers to go where the bargains are , but it has also invited u.s . politicians to call for foreign prices on products bought by u.s . state and local_governments . and there go billions in private capital and earnings needed for costly research into new cures and treatments . how do we stop our subsidy to foreigners that cannibalizes our home market ? no new federal laws are needed to deal with this economic inequity our drug marketers should just apply the irrevocable law of supply and demand . the tough minded approach raise overseas sales prices to include the cost of research ( which should lower prices here somewhat ) . if the canadian government says no , let canadians who want our products buy direct from the u.s . via internet or mail at the price that pays for research , as americans do . if canada forbids that , let its legislators answer to citizens who want prescriptions filled . the tenderhearted approach our drug companies can accurately estimate the current canadian only prescription demand in canada or elsewhere . they should restrict supply of those products at low prices to that level . when american purchasers compete with canadians for that limited supply , price_controls will come under pressure . canada can then impose rationing , always unpopular in peacetime or tolerate black markets or lift its controls until u.s . bargain_hunters see no purpose in competing with canadian buyers . history continually teaches us that free_markets work best . government price_controls discourage production and competition , create shortages and breed corruption . that 's the lesson we 're trying to teach iraqis why ca n't the pharmaceutical houses as well as house and senate conferees working to combine a costly new drug benefit with reform of medicare grasp that lesson at home ? in this , the doughnut is research driven innovation the hole is controls . as you ramble on through life , brother . . . op_ed columnist e mail safire nytimes . com

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the departing prime_minister , jean_chr_tien , defended keeping canadian troops out of iraq , pushing for gay_marriage and liberalizing drug laws in an interview this week that made clear his lasting differences with the bush_administration . ''i do n't think a kid of 17 years old who has a joint should have a criminal_record , '' he said flatly on monday in the broad ranging interview in his elegant official_residence as he prepared to retire after 10 years in office . while careful not to gloat about his decision not to send canadian troops to iraq , mr . chr tien , who is 69 , was not apologetic either . ''of course he was not happy , '' he said , recalling president_bush 's obvious displeasure . ''i did not expect him to send me flowers . '' democracy would ''take time to penetrate in the spirit of the people'' in iraq , he said . in the meantime , he advised giving a larger role to the united_nations , similar to that in afghanistan , where canada has 2 , 000 troops . mr . chr tien insisted that ' 'relations are not bad at all'' with the united_states , and he still keeps a photograph of himself and president_bush in the foyer of his residence on the ottawa river . but his positions left him clearly at odds with washington on issues defining the core values of the two nations , ranging from iraq and his support for the kyoto climate treaty , to his proposed bills to expand marriage rights and decriminalize small amounts of marijuana . such stances may well mark mr . chr tien in history as a social activist and a leader who helped define the canadian character as separate from that of its powerful southern neighbor , a place that even he seemed surprised to inhabit . ''if you told me i would do that , i would not have believed you , '' he said of his decision on gay_marriage , which he arrived at after two provincial courts ruled that the federal definition of marriage as union between a man and a woman was discriminatory . ''i 'm a practicing roman_catholic . '' at the same time , mr . chr tien seemed comfortable with canada 's social liberalism . his government has authorized the opening of a supervised heroin injection clinic in vancouver and the distribution of methadone and heroin in montreal , toronto and vancouver to hard core drug users beginning in january in an effort at curbing overdoses , crime and the spread of aids . ''i 'm happy we are experimenting , '' he said . ''i 'd like to find out if there is not a better way than to fill the jails with people involved with drugs . it 's not solving the problem . '' in his time in office , mr . chr tien brought a near bankrupt federal_government back to solvency , doubled the size of the national_park system , reformed campaign financing and championed increased international aid to africa . when he kept the army out of iraq , he broke historical precedent by becoming the first canadian leader to refuse to send troops to a war being fought by this country 's two closest traditional allies , the united_states and britain . the decision has been popular , even with mr . chr tien 's successor and political nemesis , former finance minister paul_martin , who takes over leadership of the liberal_party on friday . but it is mr . chr tien 's decisions on social issues that may define his tenure , and canada 's future . mr . martin said he , too , would support the marijuana reform with amendments to raise monetary penalties , and agree to follow court rulings to legalize same_sex_marriage that have made canada only the third country behind the netherlands and belgium to do so . as the eighth of nine surviving children in a working_class qu b cois rural family , jean_chr_tien grew up with facial paralysis , a form of dyslexia and partial deafness . so determined was he to get his way , he once pretended to have appendicitis just to get out of a boarding_school he loathed , taking his mock pain all the way to the operating table . from a youth of brawling , mr . chr tien graduated from law_school and then began a 40 year career in the house of commons at the age of 29 barely speaking a word of english . his english is still halting ( he is not eloquent in french either ) , but his folksiness has given him a reservoir of popularity through a series of scandals and a nearly disastrous defeat in 1995 when quebec almost voted to separate from canada . ''a few votes the other way and he may have gone down in history as one of the worst prime_ministers , '' said lawrence martin , his biographer . mr . martin concluded that while mr . chr tien never had a commanding vision for canada , ''he was a triumph of instincts . '' mr . chr tien long governed in the shadow of the two modern liberal giants , lester pearson and pierre trudeau , and only 18 months ago his government appeared to be sputtering badly . several senior aides were forced to resign in scandal . mr . martin 's plotting to take over the liberal_party led to a nasty break between the two , and a near open rebellion in the liberal parliamentary ranks . ever the stubborn street fighter , mr . chr tien counterattacked with bold moves that left his opponents dazzled , including successfully pushing for ratification of the kyoto climate control accord and increasing outlays on social programs . he says he will now go back to work as a lawyer , and just maybe learn to cook a few more dishes than spaghetti . he will certainly play a lot of golf as well , although he says he avoids playing with millionaires who talk about their wives' 15 , 000 dresses . ''that bores me , '' he said with a giggle . mr . chr tien winced when reminded that a canadian bishop suggested he was risking the fires of hell by deciding not to appeal an ontario court decision extending marriage rights to gays and lesbians . ''god and i will decide that , '' he said with a guffaw . then quickly correcting himself to appear a tad more modest , he added , ''we 'll discuss and he will decide . ''

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making an impression the royal_canadian_mounted_police is upgrading its automated fingerprint identification system , bringing the storage capacity up to 3.6 million 10 print records , or about 36 million individual prints . canada , known for its low crime rate , has an estimated population this year of 30 , 675 , 390 , which means that the r.c.m.p . will be able to store the fingerprints of one out of every 8 1 2 canadian fingers . pat boone and y2k the year 2000 problem has a new spokesman , pat boone . the singer has recorded a series of announcements for the year 2000 national educational task_force , known as y2knet . ''i want to help bring y2k to the family dinner table , '' mr . boone said in a statement . he added that there was no reason to panic . mr . boone , who recently tampered with his wholesome image by recording a heavy_metal album , seems to have found a kindred spirit in y2knet . the educational group is in fact sponsored by a precious_metals and rare coins dealer , the swiss america trading corporation , which suggests hedging against the year 2000 bug by investing in what else ? precious_metals and rare coins .

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lead final approval for the redevelopment of 32 acres on the humber river in york , a city of 135 , 000 on the northwest border of toronto , promises to add much needed moderately_priced housing to the region . final approval for the redevelopment of 32 acres on the humber river in york , a city of 135 , 000 on the northwest border of toronto , promises to add much needed moderately_priced housing to the region . the site of an automotive parts plant that went bankrupt two years ago , the property had been targeted for redevelopment as part of the city 's long range plan . as approved by york officials in october , the west pointe development is to include 2 , 150 units in an as yet undetermined mix of town houses and condominiums , as well as a 200 , 000 square_foot retail center . over 500 residences are to be set aside for low and moderate income households . construction is expected to begin by next spring and take five years . toronto 's growth in recent years has pushed up housing prices throughout a metropolitan_area that includes york and four other neighboring municipalities to an average resale price of 249 , 800 ( canadian ) for a single family home , double what it was four years ago . at the current rate , a canadian_dollar is worth about 0 . 81 u.s. , making the average resale price about 202 , 330 u.s . at the same time , many apartments have converted to condominiums , creating a squeeze in the rental market . the apartment vacancy_rate is less than one percent and waiting_lists are common . to address the housing shortage , municipalities have turned to a bonus system . m c developments , the developer of west pointe , was allowed 650 more units than had been targeted for the site in exchange for an increase in parkland from 1.6 to 3.8 acres , the addition of a_20 , 000 square_foot indoor recreation area and a guarantee that 25 percent of the units would be affordable_housing . most of the condominiums will start at 200 , 000 for a 1 , 000 square_foot , two bedroom unit . those set aside as affordable_housing are to be targeted to both low income ( under 25 , 500 ) and moderate income ( under 47 , 500 ) families . for these units , prices are to be held to 79 , 000 and 140 , 000 , respectively , or 650 and 1 , 150 a month for rentals . the developers are counting on the growing demand for moderately_priced housing as well as the convenient location within a 30 minute drive of downtown toronto and 15 minutes from highways 400 and 401 , the city 's major arteries . york has lagged behind adjacent communities in new housing , primarily because of the large stock of modest homes built more than 50 years ago and lack of undeveloped property . its three year old plan targets several properties for redevelopment .

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canada 's leading journalism_school has settled an unusual case involving a writing instructor suspended last year for revealing that he was a part time prostitute and for arguing in class that sexual relations between children and adults should be made legal . the amount of the settlement was not disclosed , but the instructor , gerald hannon , said in an interview that he had agreed not to seek reinstatement by the university , ryerson polytechnic . mr . hannon , a two time winner of canada 's national magazine award , had a one year contract last academic year to teach freelance writing . in november 1995 , the administration suspended him , after he disclosed that he was also a part time prostitute and that he had argued that prohibitions on child adult sex were ethically inconsistent . ''children and adults interact in fact , must interact in many , many areas , '' he wrote in an essay for a toronto gay newspaper . ''why is sex exempt ? '' a university committee later found that while he was within the bounds of academic_freedom in discussing sex , by discussing his work as a prostitute ''in detail'' he engaged in ''conduct unbecoming a faculty member , '' said michael dewson , a university vice_president . clive thompson on campus

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he tells them of the abuse he endured in a residential school and in foster_homes in alberta , how at age 13 he was raped by a man in an edmonton motel , of the rage that drove him to alcohol , drugs and petty crime as a member of an edmonton street_gang and finally of his fight against aids . ken ward , 37 , an enoch cree from northern_alberta , was the first indian in canada to declare publicly that he had tested positive for the human_immunodeficiency_virus , which causes aids . the diagnosis was made on dec . 29 , 1989 , and he went public three months later . " i went into shock , " he said . " i was scared . i was ashamed . i cried for hours . and then i felt a need to talk , to warn others , to initiate others to come forward and somehow deal with this black cloud over our people . " canada 's native leaders have begun warning that aids is reaching epidemic proportions in their communities , and people like mr . ward are returning home to try to spread the message . to dr . jay wortman , an aids consultant for canada 's health ministry , the disease has reached a_level in the native community that is comparable to " the crisis situation experienced by the homosexual population a few years ago . " last january , the statistics showed only 93 cases among the one million natives out of more than 9 , 000 cases in an overall population of 27 . 4 million . but health officials believe that many other cases among natives are undiagnosed or unreported . " natives are reluctant to talk about sex and sexuality , " said david des jardins , executive director of the feather of hope aboriginal aids prevention society of edmonton and calgary . " it brings up old wounds since many were abused sexually as children , " a problem experts say stems in part from living in close quarters under difficult conditions . another problem is the low self_esteem many indians suffer when forced to live hand to mouth in bigger towns and cities . this leads many to get caught up in drugs and alcohol , said james dempsey , director of the school of native studies of the university of alberta in edmonton and a member of the blood tribe of the blackfoot confederacy . " they are between two worlds and ca n't handle it , " said mr . des jardins , a social worker in edmonton for 15 years who is part cree . a strong disapproval of homosexuality in the native community makes it difficult for many to come forward , whether or not they contracted the disease from a homosexual relationship . in a poll last year on 11 ontario reservations , 80 percent of respondents said they considered sex between two men wrong . the poll also disclosed a disquieting level of unsafe sexual practices and ignorance about the disease . " at first when i was diagnosed i told everyone i had to go away because i had cancer , " mr . ward said . " i knew if i said i had cancer , it would be o.k. " he said he had contracted the virus from intravenous drug use . mr . ward , who was sent to a group residence because his family was too poor to support its 12 children , said he turned to gang life after abuse there . on a cold , snowy evening visit to the whitecap reservation about 30 miles south of saskatoon , home to about 150 members of the dakota sioux tribe , he told his audience about his experience after he checked himself into an aids hospice in edmonton . " it was a house with an awful lot of very skinny people , as if they were all on a diet , " he said . " i saw a man on a bed listening to music with some of those funny wires in his ears . he seemed very happy . he was bouncing on the bed going 'la dee da , la dee da . ' his name was randall and he was from new york . " three weeks later i was having my breakfast when i saw them bring randall out on a stretcher in a body bag . that 's where they put them when they die . i got very scared . i ran away from there . i was sick again . i said to myself welcome to the world of aids . " mr . ward said he had given up drugs and alcohol and returned to his cree roots . he stopped taking azt , a drug that delays the onset of aids , and has not yet had symptoms of full blown aids . he uses traditional medicines , takes part in purifying sweat lodge ceremonies and healing circles , wears a necklace of sweet grass and seeks strength from the cree elders and customs . as he finished speaking at the recent meeting , four young men rose and set up a drum . they beat out a tribal chant as an offer of thanks . one of the young men , thomas bear , 14 , who goes to nutana high_school in saskatoon , said he found the two hour talk " very good , " and added , " we 're warned a lot about aids and do n't fool around . " mr . ward fingered the necklace of bear claws that he wears above the sweet grass . he appeared on the verge of tears as he prepared to go to his car outside in the snow . " i try to do the best i can , " he said . " i try to show there is hope . "

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parliament voted to allow the export of inexpensive copies of some patented drugs to poor countries facing health crises . the law allows generic_drug makers in canada to override some patents and produce versions of 56 brand name drugs for use in places like africa , where many aids sufferers cannot afford them . the majority of the drugs included in the new law are used to treat h.i.v . and aids , malaria and tuberculosis . colin_campbell ( nyt )

has a location of canada

nineteen new hotels have been built in this coastal city and near its suburban airport since 1996 , adding more than 6 , 000 rooms . the hotels' developers were enticed in part by a plan to expand greatly the waterfront convention_center at canada_place . that plan was later rejected , although the tourism_industry is still pushing for an upgrade at canada_place . a construction crane perches atop the 48 story sheraton vancouver wall center , which will be the tallest building on vancouver 's skyline when completed in march . newly opened hotels carry such names as marriott , hilton , sandman , fairmont , delta , westin , holiday_inn and hampton inn . numerous companies also hold options on land . in 1995 , when plans first emerged to expand the convention_center , the greater vancouver area had 17 , 731 hotel rooms . today it has more than 24 , 000 . downtown , hotels were built close to canada_place or wherever developers could find space in the compact business_district . vancouver 's downtown , with its stunning architecture and reflective glass buildings , is squeezed into the southern end of a narrow three mile long peninsula in burrard_inlet . at the northern tip , water laps around the 1 , 000 acre stanley_park , where joggers have views of ships anchored in the harbor and rugged coastal mountains across the bay . the city of two million people sprawls southward on the mainland , where hotel owners have also built heavily near the vancouver international airport , a 15 minute drive from downtown in the suburb of richmond . sixteen million passengers pass annually through the airport , which just completed an expansion that cost 58 . 3 million ( united_states dollars ) . ''there are a number of international name hotels who would build tomorrow if they could find the right spot if the convention_center is expanded , '' says gordon johnson , past president of the vancouver hotel association and a regional director for delta hotels , a toronto based company . since 1998 , the company has opened two new hotels that are a_10 minute walk from canada place the 434 room delta pinnacle and the 225 room delta vancouver suites . the building spree began after british_columbia 's provincial government in 1995 called for expressions of interest for an expansion of the vancouver convention and exhibition center . many international associations had outgrown canada_place , which can accommodate a convention of up to only 2 , 500 people . the tourism_industry feared that the benefits the city realizes from conventions would decline and the city would not be able to compete with seattle , san_francisco and san_diego . the plan that emerged was called the portside project it was to have been a 650 million complex containing a convention_center , a 1 , 000 room hotel operated by marriott and more berths for cruise_ships to alaska , which dock at canada_place . but that proposal was rejected by the provincial government as too expensive . unwilling to let the cruise industry languish because it brings a million people a year into the city , contributing 330 million a year to the economy , the vancouver port_authority immediately began its own 51 million berth expansion , which is to be completed in 2003 . in october the tourism_industry unveiled a proposal for a 320 million expansion adjacent to canada_place , which could be built by 2005 . meeting and exhibit space would quadruple to 553 , 000 square_feet from 134 , 000 and enable the center to play host 7 , 000 delegates , almost triple the current capacity .. ''we must take advantage of this unique opportunity to build on the previous success of this important economic engine , '' said rick antonson , president of tourism vancouver . ''the status_quo is not an option . '' under the proposal , tourism companies would provide 58 million in financing and the provincial and federal governments 262 million . mr . antonson is confident financing can be secured soon because tax revenues derived will , he estimates , pay back investments in 10 . 7 years . delegates are expected to spend 310 million a year , according to estimates of a task_force made up of tourism , hotel and business representatives . no government action has yet been taken on the proposal . the expansion proposal does not include a hotel . but marathon developments inc . , the development arm of canadian_pacific ltd . , the transportation , energy and hotel company , owns 81 acres of former rail yards and marinas near canada_place on which the vancouver tourism_industry would expand the the convention_center . graeme stamp , marathon 's executive vice_president , is seeking approval from the city for an 800 room hotel there as well . he is talking to executives of hotel companies about operating the hotel after it is built . james kaufman , general_manager of the new sheraton vancouver wall center hotel , owned by the wall financial corporation , which has its headquarters here , said , ''maybe we 'd like to build the hotel ourselves . '' the company is completing a 308 room tower addition that is the last phase of sheraton vancouver wall center , which will be the largest hotel in british_columbia , with 762 rooms . peter wall , the company 's chairman and chief executive , said he believes his new hotel will succeed even without an enlarged convention_center . he is building 45 , 000 square_feet of meeting space , believing that convention hotels that do not put in meeting space , spas , restaurants and lounges will have a hard time filling their rooms . this strategy was echoed by the tokyo based aoki corporation , which in june completed a 32 million renovation of its 510 room westin bayshore resort and marina adjacent to stanley_park one of eight existing hotels that have invested in extensive renovation in recent years . the westin bayshore built a 48 , 000 square_foot conference center , including 23 meeting rooms and the city 's largest ballroom , at 16 , 000 square_feet . ''we want to serve a niche market for planners who want to do smaller conferences that require 300 to 400 hotel rooms with a resort atmosphere , '' said mark andrew , the westin 's general_manager . while his hotel is aiming at groups holding smaller meetings , he would be happy to be part of larger gatherings . ''hopefully , we will get an expanded convention_center and large citywide conventions like seattle enjoys , '' mr . andrew said . if the center becomes a reality , the westin bayshore would build a 200 to 300 room addition within five to 10 years . as new hotels have sprung up , occupancy rates have dropped , from 76 percent in the greater vancouver area in 1996 to 67 . 5 percent in 1999 . hotel executives expect a further decline this year to 65 or 67 percent . the empty rooms are taking a toll . ''some big convention hotels are becoming predatory and going after the leisure and individual corporate travelers , the mainstay at nonconvention hotels such as ours , '' said stephen darling , general_manager of the new 207 room westin grand , which o'neill hotels and resorts of vancouver opened last year at the south end of the downtown in a high tech district . ''last spring , they waged a rate war . '' yet the 31 story westin grand , whose tower is curved in the shape of a grand_piano , will post a better than average occupancy_rate this year , 72 . 8 percent , because it is conveniently located near the high tech companies , where most of its corporate clients are doing business . francis parkinson , general_manager of the recently opened 42 million , 392 room fairmont vancouver airport hotel , said suburban richmond and the airport ''had the province 's highest occupancy , in the 85 to 95 percent range . '' he added , ''that attracted us , plus the airport was looking for a high end hotel . '' the fairmont is the only hotel in canada located on an airport concourse and its lobby overlooks departure gates . guests can check into flights though an in room check in service , and some canadian_airlines will deliver boarding passes to guests' rooms . arriving travelers can hand baggage claim tags to bellmen . two years ago , richmond had 2 , 000 hotel rooms , but this has exploded to 4 , 200 rooms today . ''business is not as good as we anticipated , '' mr . parkinson said , ''but we are holding our own . '' nine proposed hotels with 1 , 495 rooms have either been postponed or canceled because of the convention_center delay . a billboard on a downtown parking_lot bears a sketch of a 170 room hilton suites vancouver hotel and the slogan ''the land where dreams become reality . '' it was to have opened on the site by late 2000 , but has yet to break ground . ''there will be some short term pain for the hotel industry until the new convention_center is built , '' said mr . johnson of delta hotels . ''but we will pull our socks up and get through the next few years . this is an extremely healthy market with good prospects to come . ''

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lead by early september the arctic winter is closing in on this 32 , 000 ton exploratory oil_rig , with plunging temperatures bringing a rapid freeze up to the surrounding sea . then , as the polar region moves into the 24 hour winter night , heaves in the icepack thicken to as much as 13 feet , pressing the rig 's huge steel skirt with forces that have crushed dozens of ships . by early september the arctic winter is closing in on this 32 , 000 ton exploratory oil_rig , with plunging temperatures bringing a rapid freeze up to the surrounding sea . then , as the polar region moves into the 24 hour winter night , heaves in the icepack thicken to as much as 13 feet , pressing the rig 's huge steel skirt with forces that have crushed dozens of ships . it is a season that tests the mettle of the kulluk , an eskimo word meaning thunder . out here on the rim of the arctic ocean , 50 miles from the closest landfall , the men and women who operate the rig for beaudril , an oil drilling subsidiary of gulf canada resources ltd . , have the comfort of knowing that no other oil_rig in the world , save for a sister rig operated by gulf nearby , has been built to withstand the kind of punishment that nature can inflict in the far north . avoiding the term 'unsinkable' ''the last vessel they called unsinkable was the titanic , so we avoid the term , '' said guy howard , the engineer in charge of drilling operations on the kulluk , which has a hull built in japan based on designs developed by canadian engineers . standing on a catwalk around the drilling deck , nearly 70 feet above the rolling sea , the 42 year old new zealander added , ''but as far as modern technology can make any exploratory vessel safe in these waters , we believe that the kulluk is it . '' along with capt . klaus arciszewski , 50 , a former oil supertanker captain who is in overall command of the kulluk , mr . howard heads a rotating crew of 100 engineers , mechanics , drillers and support personnel who work on the kulluk from may to december . during other months , the ice pack is too thick for safe operations and the rig is moved to an island shelter closer to land . on shore at tuktoyaktuk , northwest_territories , the most northerly eskimo community on the canadian mainland , another 350 personnel work at the base camp for gulf canada 's arctic operations . costs of 100 million a year all told , the venture is draining close to 100 million a year from gulf canada , a calgary , alberta based company that is 69 percent owned by olympia york developments ltd . , the conglomerate that is the principal investment vehicle for paul and albert reichmann of toronto . the reichmanns are betting that the investment here will eventually secure them a rich stake in the continent 's last great oil boom , one that will tap the huge resources that many geologists believe lie trapped beneath the arctic seabed . so far , the venture remains a long shot , one that seems likely to require a rise in the price of oil to around 25 a barrel , from its current level of 15 , and a decision by gulf canada and other companies with stakes in the beaufort to put up the 5 billion that many believe will be necessary to build a pipeline and related facilities to bring the oil to market . so far , a drop in the bucket although tests suggest that the amauligak field now being delineated by gulf 's two rigs here may contain as much as 800 million_barrels of oil , worth nearly 12 billion at current prices , the only beaufort oil to reach market has been the 317 , 000 barrels that gulf moved to japan in a tanker test run two years ago . in canada , where they guard their privacy so tightly that most canadians know virtually nothing about them , the reichmanns have had an extraordinarily successful business career since arriving in the 1950 's from morocco , where they had gone to flee the holocaust . the family 's total wealth has been estimated at more than 20 billion , a large chunk of it in real_estate in new york and a dozen other american cities . prediction of profits the soundness of the beaufort venture depends almost entirely on the estimate of what will happen to oil prices in the 1990 's , when gulf canada hopes to see a mackenzie valley pipeline completed . with conventional on shore oil_reserves in canada depleting , as they are in the united_states , some experts believe that high cost frontier reserves , such as those in the beaufort_sea and off the east_coast of north_america , will come into their own before the end of the century , making vast profits for companies involved in the pioneering exploration . gulf is far from alone in thinking that the risk is worthwhile . its minority partners in the amauligak field include husky oil of calgary , owned by hong_kong billionaire li kashing . and amoco canada , the wholly owned subsidiary of the amoco corporation of chicago , which has just completed its 4 . 5 billion takeover of dome petroleum , the first company to look for oil in the beaufort in 1976 , announced last week that it would return to the beaufort in its own right next year to drill at least two wells on dome leases . some experts believe that the amount of oil to be found in the beaufort may eventually total more than 10 billion_barrels , more than all the oil that has been discovered so far in the north slope of alaska . but others think that the oil glut that is depressing prices could run for another decade or more . british visitors top officials of britain 's energy ministry , responsible for north_sea_oil development , visited here recently and left little doubt that they considered the venture to be economically dubious . captain arciszewski , gulf 's offshore installations manager , acknowledged that none of the estimated 1 billion that gulf and its partners have spent on building and operating the kulluk and its sister rig , the molikpaq , will pay off without a pipeline . but the german born captain , who has managed offshore rigs in half a dozen spots around the world , including the indian_ocean and the south china sea , said that he believed that part of the value of beaufort oil was that it was strategically secure . more immediate problems for now , the kulluk crew has more immediate problems than the future track of oil prices or stability in the gulf . completed in 1982 with what was then the last word in maritime technology , the kulluk is in effect a huge icebreaker that carries a giant oil_rig amidships . more than 260 feet in diameter at the level of the drilling platform , it has six working and living decks and rises more than 180 feet above the sea . to withstand ice pressures , the rig was built with a double steel skin , the outer one four inches thick . a further measure of safety is provided by the concave shape of the hull where it meets the sea . inside , the hull is conical shaped , and compartmentalized . a measure of the threats faced by the rig came from a huge iceberg spotted in the region last year , measuring several miles across . and early last month , the crew faced one of its greatest crises when an arctic gale blew in , with winds 75 miles an hour and waves of up to 16 feet . a 'black alert' although the stresses on most systems stayed within limits considered acceptable , one of the 12 15 ton anchor chains , each rated for 220 metric_tons of stress , had to be released , and the crew was put on a ''black alert . '' more than sinking or being crushed by the ice pack , most crew members worry about the consequences of a spill . canada has passed rigid pollution laws to protect the sensitive arctic environment , regularly policed by inspectors who fly out to the rig . ''the canadian public has shown itself to be extraordinarily sensitive about the arctic , '' captain arciszewski said . ''one spill , and they 'd close us down in a matter of hours . '' amoco moving a rig anchorage , sept . 4 ( reuters ) the amoco production_company , a unit of the amoco corporation said it was moving a floating drill rig from canada to begin drilling on its belcher prospect in the beaufort_sea . the prospect is east of camden bay near the canadian border . international report

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global positioning system locators can help you navigate an unfamiliar town , provided that you have downloaded detailed mapping data for the city involved . garmin saves drivers a step with the streetpilot 2620 , which comes out of the box with detailed maps for the united_states and parts of canada no downloads necessary . past models of the streetpilot , like the 2610 , came with 128 megabytes of memory , which is not inconsiderable detailed maps of new york , baltimore , washington , atlanta and savannah , ga . , combined take up just 53 megabytes . but a 2 . 2 gigabyte microdrive in the new 2620 can hold detailed maps of the entire united_states and major canadian cities . the streetpilot 2620 , which has a list price of 1 , 517 but can be found online for about 1 , 000 , has a touch_screen and an infrared remote . the 2620 can search not only by address but also by category to locate shopping , entertainment , lodging or a gas station along the way . voice prompts guide you turn by turn , and a detour feature can route you around traffic snarls . in a test , the maps lacked some addresses . missing data reported to garmin will be included in the next annual upgrade , the company says . map updates are available on a 150 dvd that you load onto the device yourself the company says that if there is enough demand , it might offer to handle the download for customers at an as yet undetermined price . roy furchgott news watch navigation

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lead a team of canadian astronomers say they have found strong evidence of the existence of planets outside the solar system signs that celestial bodies 300 to 3 , 000 times as massive as earth are orbiting up to seven stars . a team of canadian astronomers say they have found strong evidence of the existence of planets outside the solar system signs that celestial bodies 300 to 3 , 000 times as massive as earth are orbiting up to seven stars . bruce campbell , a research associate at dominion astrophysical observatory in victoria , british_columbia , said that the objects appear to be ''giant gaseous bodies , not unlike jupiter . '' the objects must be studied further before they could be labeled planets , but their masses lie much closer to those of planets than of stars , mr . campbell said . the scientist spoke in an interview yesterday before presenting the work at a meeting of the american astronomical society and canadian astronomical society in vancouver , british_columbia . scientists have long tried to find planets outside the solar system , but previous claims that planets had been detected did not withstand scientific scrutiny . mr . campbell said he believes his evidence is stronger because of a new method that allowed detection of smaller celestial bodies , and because 7 of 16 stars studied showed evidence of such bodies . other astronomers said the data appeared promising . the new evidence is based on six years of observing 16 stars with masses equivalent to that of the sun . mr . campbell and his associates , gordon walker and stephenson yang of the university_of_british_columbia in vancouver , measured tiny variations in the speed at which the stars were moving , postulating that the variations would betray the gravitational tugs of bodies orbiting the stars . mr . campbell said they found clear evidence of bodies orbiting two stars . the bodies appeared to have masses falling within a range from that of jupiter to 10 times that mass , he said . if the objects are not planets , mr . campbell said , they could be stars or ''brown dwarfs , '' less massive than stars but more massive than planets . but the newly found objects compare more closely in mass to the planet jupiter than to those two alternatives , mr . campbell said . the question of whether the new objects are planets may depend more on semantics than new observations , said robert harrington , an astronomer at the naval observatory in washington . ''i probably wo n't call it a planet until i can get out and walk around on the surface of it , '' he said . but jupiter and saturn , composed largely of gases , would not qualify as planets under that definition , he noted .

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federal officals have charged a british_columbia man with breaking the law by posting results of last november 's elections on the internet before polls closed in every province . paul bryan said he ignored the restriction in order to challenge the law , which he said violates his right to free_speech and is outdated . canadian broadcasters reported election results only where polls had closed . if convicted , mr . bryan could be fined up to 16 , 000 . anthony_depalma ( nyt )

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patients at a second nursing home in the vancouver area do not appear to have a sars like illness that affected another nearby nursing home , a canadian health official said yesterday . on wednesday a british_columbia health official said they were investigating whether the two outbreaks were linked , but yesterday a regional health official discounted it . ''there is no relationship that we can see'' between any illness in the two homes , said dr . roland guasparini , chief medical health officer of the fraser health authority near vancouver . about 9 of about 100 residents of the second nursing home contracted a mild upper respiratory infection producing runny noses , coughs and no fever . health officials have not disclosed the home 's name . at the other home , kinsmen place lodge in the vancouver suburb of surrey , 143 residents and health workers have developed a mild respiratory_illness since july 1 . some have developed pneumonia . that outbreak is subsiding , dr . guasparini said .

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lead a top soviet health official today described in detail the extraordinary story of how the aids virus spread through one hospital 's pediatric unit and then leaped to a hospital in another city . a top soviet health official today described in detail the extraordinary story of how the aids virus spread through one hospital 's pediatric unit and then leaped to a hospital in another city . at least 51 people were infected in the first city and 22 in the second , the health official , dr . vladimir pokrovsky , told a scientific meeting here . the virus spread among the children when nurses used the same syringe to give injections to several patients in a break of standard technique in both hospitals , said dr . pokrovsky , who is president of the russian academy of medical sciences . dr . jonathan mann , who heads the world_health_organization 's global aids program , said the russian outbreaks were ''of great importance because they were the last place in the world where one would expect an outbreak'' in children . without giving specific figures , dr . pokrovsky said that money to control aids in the soviet_union was being cut while the number of infections , although small , has been tripling each year for the last three years . he said the armenian earthquake , the chernobyl nuclear disaster and other emergencies forced the cut in the aids budget . slides left behind illustrating the low priority given aids , dr . pokrovsy said that other members of the soviet scientific delegation headed for two aids conferences here had been bumped from a flight to make room for a dance troupe and were stranded in moscow . he said he was delayed on his way to the meeting today sponsored by the american_medical_association and the canadian medical association . he will also attend the fifth international meeting on aids that begins here sunday . dr . pokrovsky , speaking through a translator , said that he could not show slides of data illustrating how the aids virus had spread in the two cities because they were left in moscow . he said that 400 laboratories in his country have performed more than 30 million tests for the aids virus detecting 258 infected soviet citizens and an additional 464 infected foreigners living in the soviet_union . most of the infected foreigners have been deported to their native country , dr . pokrovsky said . he said that health workers are trying to trace the spread of each infection . he said that a russian homosexual who became infected in africa was the first soviet case . his case was detected in march 1986 . he spread the virus to six other men through sex . they spread the virus to 11 other homosexuals and , through a blood_transfusion , to one other person , the doctor said . dr . pokrovsky said that tests were offered soviet citizens on an anonymous basis by a network of 200 doctors' offices throughout the country , including 3 in moscow . some tests mandated dr . pokrovsky said the soviet_government has required testing for criminal prisoners , female prostitutes and patients suspected of having aids . also , tests are required of foreigners coming from africa and other areas where infection is common if they stay three months or longer in the soviet_union as well as of soviet citizens who travel abroad for three months or longer . people who knowingly spread the virus through blood transfusions face prison terms of up to eight years , he said . dr . pokrovsky said that children were an unusually large percentage of infections in the soviet_union because of the hospital outbreaks in elista , between the black and caspian seas , and volgograd , a city to the north . dr . mann said his world_health_organization unit had confirmed most of the details of a thorough soviet epidemiological investigation of the spread of the infection . soviet and who officials now believe the pediatric epidemics can be traced to a soviet man who was infected in guinea in 1981 and who infected his wife on his return in 1982 . she in turn infected their baby who was born several years later . that infant became sick and was treated in a hospital in elista . months of inquiry however dr . pokrovsky said that it took months for a scientific team headed by his son to trace the pattern of spread . the epidemic came to light a few months ago when several infants were found to be infected in the elista hospital . the investigators were puzzled when they found that none of the parents of these children or any other family members were infected . tests on 16 , 500 other people in the area were negative . one woman who donated blood was found to be infected and an epidemiologist discovered that the woman 's son had died after treatment in the same hospital in elista . they found that her husband , the dead baby 's father , also was infected . in studying the epidemic , the scientists found about eight mothers who they said had become infected through their children . breast_feeding is common in the area through age 2 . some infants believed to have been infected in the hospital bled from sores in their mouth and are believed to have infected their mothers through cracks in their nipples while breast_feeding . new outbreak discovered epidemiologists recently discovered that a new outbreak had occurred in volgograd after one of the sick infants in elista had been transferred to a hospital there , dr . pokrovsky said . the children range in age from several months to 9 years . ''history repeated itself , '' he said , indicating that once again nurses used the same syringe to give injections to several sick children . in the soviet_union , as elsewhere , standard medical care is to use a single sterile needle and syringe for each injection to each patient . but because of industrial problems , there has been a shortage of syringes in the soviet_union , he said . soviet health officials have since told medical workers not to use the same syringe or needle on more than one patient , dr . pokrovsky said . but he said he had ''every fear that health workers will discover more infected children . ''

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thousands of canadians who contracted the aids virus and hepatitis c from contaminated_blood in one of the worst public_health disasters in canadian history should be compensated without having to file lawsuits , according to a federal inquiry released today . after several years of study , the report by justice horace krever blames the system for the tainted_blood and blood products administered in the early 1980 's . while it singles out no one , the report sharply criticizes federal health officials for delays in using methods to screen donated blood sooner . more than 1 , 000 people in canada were infected with h.i.v. , the virus that causes aids , through the blood supply and unknowingly infected others . by the early 1990 's , several hundred of the people who developed aids had died . tens of thousands were infected with hepatitis c , which can develop into a form that sometimes proves fatal . ultimately , more than 3 , 000 canadians are expected to die as a result of the tainted_blood . the canadian red cross society , which played a central role in the nation 's blood supply for half a century , was also criticized . the red_cross has been forced out of the field as a result of the tainted_blood scandal . responsibility has now shifted to the provinces . mr . krever , an ontario court of appeals judge , made 50 recommendations to overhaul canada 's blood system , including establishing independent auditors and paying compensation . any action , however , would require government approval . under an arrangement reached in 1993 , some hemophiliacs who contracted aids during this period have already been awarded compensation of 23 , 000 a year , on the condition they waived their right to sue all agencies and corporations involved . victims who developed hepatitis c were not compensated at that time . in the report , mr . krever recommends that people who find out they were infected before the blood supply was properly regulated should also receive compensation without having to prove fault . he does not exclude people with hepatitis c . durhane wong rieger , who is with the canadian hemophilia society , said the call for compensation is ''long overdue . '' ''what the report shows is that many of the people who died , did n't need to die , '' she said . in his report , mr . krever says that many of the ''problems stemmed from the way public_health authorities dragged their feet in implementing new safeguards . for example , a safer blood concentrate used by hemophiliacs to control bleeding was not made available in canada until 1985 , a year after it had been developed . there were delays in screening blood donors and in setting up procedures for notifying blood recipients , '' he wrote . ''the red_cross should not have required conclusive evidence before taking strong action to reduce the risk of aids , '' mr . krever wrote . canada 's minister of health , allan rock , said today that the federal_government accepts its share of responsibility for the faults in the blood system . he said he would have to meet with provincial leaders before acting on recommendations in the report , and he issued an apology . ''we ca n't undo the damage , '' he said . ''but we can express our profound sadness and deep regret for the harm done to so many canadians and their families . '' while the release of the report was welcomed , many victims , including mark bulbrook of hamilton , director of the ontario aids network , said they would push for a criminal investigation .

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a young man who attracted international attention with his strange tale of waking up in a montreal parking_lot in october without any memory finally found his identity on wednesday when police showed up to arrest him . early wednesday morning , the montreal police charged him with public mischief and obstruction of justice for deliberately misleading investigators about his identity . after psychiatric treatment and hypnosis last fall , the man told doctors he thought his name was james edward brighton and he believed he was from new jersey . but police say he is actually matthew honeycutt , 28 , from tennessee , where he is being investigated for fraud . ''we believe we have proof that he knew who he was , '' said sgt . christine debon , a detective with the montreal police . ''but we ca n't say what it is because it 's before the courts . '' michel lussier , a montreal lawyer representing mr . honeycutt , said he doubted the young man had lied . ''i 'm convinced that my client has amnesia , '' mr . lussier said .

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lead canada 's minister for external_affairs today accused the special_prosecutor in the michael deaver case , whitney north seymour jr . , of making unfounded and ''irresponsible'' allegations against the canadian government . canada 's minister for external_affairs today accused the special_prosecutor in the michael deaver case , whitney north seymour jr . , of making unfounded and ''irresponsible'' allegations against the canadian government . in a written statement made public here , the minister , joe_clark , said mr . seymour violated an agreement with canada when he issued subpoenas for the canadian ambassador to the united_states and his wife , ordering them to testify at mr . deaver 's trial . ''mr . seymour 's argument is irresponsible , '' said mr . clark , canada 's chief official on foreign_policy . ''if anyone has grounds for complaint , it is clearly the government of canada . '' mr . clark 's statements were canada 's harshest criticism of mr . seymour to date . in court papers earlier this week , mr . seymour accused the canadian government of ' 'duplicitous behavior'' intended to block the prosecution of mr . deaver on perjury charges related to canada . state dept . takes canada 's side but the canadian position is that as a diplomat , mr . gotlieb is immune from subpoenas by american courts , and that the canadian government 's agreement last june to provide written answers to some questions in the deaver investigation did not constitute a waiver of this immunity . here in washington , the state_department said mr . seymour 's attempt to subpoena the ambassador , allan e . gotlieb , and his wife , sondra , had caused ''friction'' between the two countries and ''calls into question the ability of the united_states to carry out its international obligations . '' at a hearing in federal district court here , the department sided with canada in protesting the subpoenas . mr . deaver is accused of lying about his ties to canadian american issues and about his lobbying business . the hearing offered the odd spectacle of one branch of the united_states_government differing in court with a special_prosecutor , whitney north seymour jr . , who is acting on behalf of another branch . the judge in the case delayed a decision on the subpoenas . protests in canada and u.s . mr . seymour 's decision to issue the subpoenas drew complaints today in ottawa and throughout the american legal community . specialists in diplomatic law said mr . seymour , who was appointed by a court and acts independently of the reagan_administration , apparently had no right to compel testimony from the gotliebs . the specialists said the case raised important questions about whether an independent prosecutor should handle cases that can jeopardize international_relations . mr . deaver is charged with lying to congress and to a federal grand_jury about his involvement with canadian american issues while he served in the white_house and about his activities as a washington lobbyist after leaving the federal_government . in ottawa , the opposition liberal_party said it would press prime_minister brian_mulroney for more answers on the conservative government 's 1985 decision to hire mr . deaver for lobbying and public_relations work . a concession by seymour a liberal_party lawmaker , john nunziata , said the facts ' 'seem to suggest that the canadian government aided and abetted mr . deaver in breach of american law . '' at the hearing , mr . seymour conceded that ''it 's unseemly for us to be chasing a canadian ambassador around , wrestling with security people to attain service . '' at the court hearing today , michael g . kozak , a deputy legal adviser to the state_department , told federal district judge thomas penfield jackson that ambassador gotlieb was protected by diplomatic_immunity from honoring a subpoena . the united_states had an obligation ''to respect the immunity of diplomatic agents from u.s . process in all its forms , '' he said . ''not only has this caused friction in our relations with canada it calls into question the ability of the united_states to carry out its international obligations . '' he urged a quick resolution of the dispute . deaver trial is delayed judge jackson delayed a decision on the subpoenas and announced that he had put off the start of the trial , previously set for june 8 , because of a pending defense motion . in court papers , mr . seymour argued that mr . gotlieb waived diplomatic_immunity after the canadian government agreed last june to provide written answers to some questions posed by prosecutors . ''the canadian government cannot waive the ambassador 's diplomatic_immunity to satisfy domestic opposition in parliament at home , and then pull back its waiver to prevent lawful use of proferred testimony , '' mr . seymour said . but the government said the agreement was not a clear waiver of immunity and canada was being punished for its earlier willingness to assist mr . seymour in his investigation . ''seymour himself recognized right from the start that any cooperation from the embassy would have to take place within the constraints of our diplomatic status , '' said john fieldhouse , an embassy spokesman . ''he was constantly reminded of the fact it now strikes us that he is criticizing us for doing the very thing that he asked us to do . '' mr . seymour said in his court papers that the ambassador was an ''essential'' witness who could verify details of one of the five perjury counts in the indictment against mr . deaver . the constitution gives defendants in criminal cases the right to confront their accusers through cross_examination . experts side with canada specialists in international_law interviewed today sided with the canadians and the state_department . oscar schachter , professor of emeritus of international_law at columbia_university , did not criticize mr . seymour directly but said the prosecutor 's actions were ''quite astounding . '' he said it appeared that canada had not offered an explicit waiver of diplomatic_immunity and that the ambassador could not be forced into the witness stand . ''it seems to me that this is a fairly straightforward proposition , '' he said . he said that the canadian statement last summer offering written statements to mr . seymour was ''probably very carefully drafted , and if it had been intended to be a waiver , it would have said so . '' a reagan_administration lawyer with knowledge of the case said the justice_department and state_department were ''perplexed'' by mr . seymour 's ''unwillingness , or perhaps his inability , to understand international_law . '' outside of court , mr . seymour had no comment today on the case . gidon a . gottlieb , a professor of international_law and diplomacy at the university of chicago , said mr . seymour 's actions were ''incredible it strikes me as obvious that the people who issued the subpoena must have known that it was simply a device to embarrass the canadian government . '' mr . seymour , he said , was demonstrating a ''cavalier attitude toward international_relations'' and had threatened to ''bring the whole office of the special_prosecutor into disrepute . '' professor gottlieb said it was clear that ambassador gotlieb could not be compelled to testify . ''there 's absolutely no question , '' he said . ''it 's beyond any reasonable_doubt . ''

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doctors in ontario have reached a tentative agreement with the provincial government that would end a monthlong protest that interrupted medical care in canada 's largest province . the deal will allow doctors to keep more of the fees they charge patients , reducing the share taken by the provincial government to cover administrative costs . it will also allow doctors to set up practice in large cities , where the government had been trying to restrict doctors' ability to work in order to force more of them into underserved northern areas . but those doctors will receive only 70 percent of the full fee in their first year . doctors are to vote on the deal early next year . world news briefs

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most of the 126 , 000 public and catholic_school teachers in ontario went on strike today in the largest teachers' strike ever in north_america . even though a strike had been threatened for weeks , it was not until this morning that the parents of more than 2.1 million students found out that nearly all of the province 's 4 , 742 schools had been closed . the province has offered to reimburse parents the equivalent of 30 a day for child_care costs incurred during the strike and is offering home tutoring plans on the internet . some teachers were jeered as they picketed schools in wind , rain and , in places , snow . in the view of some canadians , the strike is an unnecessary struggle for power between the teachers' union and the provincial government . at other schools , sympathetic parents brought coffee to strikers , and students joined their teachers on the picket_line . the teachers are protesting a provincial government proposal to overhaul the education system by weakening local school boards and giving the government the power to determine class size and tax rates . teacher preparation time would be cut , and noncertified instructors would be allowed to teach some subjects . teachers fear that as many as 10 , 000 teaching positions could be lost . ''this would be completely contrary to 150 years of local decision making for schools in ontario , '' said eileen lennon , president of the ontario teachers' federation . ''there will be practically no local decision making left . it 's just not going to be workable . '' she said she did not know how long the strike would last . ''we 're as far apart as we ever were , and we do n't have a settlement , '' she said . ontario 's premier , mike harris , has refused to back down on his plans to restructure an education system that he says costs too much to run and has allowed academic standards to slide . ''there 's enough money being wasted that we still should be able to find some efficiencies , '' he told reporters today . talks between the government and the teachers broke off on sunday_night , and no new negotiations are scheduled . mr . harris said the government would seek an injunction ordering the teachers back to work . teachers said they had gone on strike reluctantly . ''i 'm very gentle and mild_mannered and law abiding , but i will stand here for as long as it takes , '' said rose mais , a special_education teacher who was picketing the loretto college school , a publicly financed roman catholic_school in toronto . some districts opened schools under the supervision of nonteaching staff , but few parents took advantage . in oakville , south of toronto , robin dimarco kept her two grade school children home . ''initially i was annoyed because it is an illegal strike , '' she said . ''but i do n't think the government should have total control in the classroom . ''

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the supreme_court ruled today that the claims of native peoples to vast areas of canadian territory and the natural_resources they contain are far broader than current law recognizes even without written treaties , complicating concessions for mines , timber and other resources throughout the country . in practical terms , legal experts say , the court decision will have no immediate impact on urban_areas in the western province of british_columbia , where native claims based on oral traditions for 22 , 000 square miles had been contested in a lawsuit that had dragged on for 10 years . but mining and timber concessions in the province could be voided if they have not been approved by the native people with claims to the land . and the ruling could force large compensation payments to be made to native groups for the rights to the resources on the land . whether the ruling will lead to a reinterpretation of the treaty terms in other parts of canada where treaties were signed many years ago is less clear . but the ruling was seen as a landmark in the way it deepens the legal standing of native peoples and their claims to the land , whether written or not . ''what it does is send a clear message to all of canada , '' said phil fontaine , national chief of the assembly of first nations , a national organization representing many native peoples . ''neither the government of canada nor any province can unilaterally engage in development without taking into account the first nations because these activities affect the fundamental rights of our people . '' one of the most important aspects of the judges' opinion is the way it clears up a longstanding dispute over traditional claims , a debate that some native people said at times bordered on being racist because it devalued the oral histories and traditions on which their culture is based . the supreme_court specifically rejected a lower court ruling in which native claims to land in british_columbia were denied . in the course of those proceedings , native people came to court to perform traditional ceremonies , chanting and dancing in ancient ways to relate the histories that had been passed down for untold generations about how they came to be on the land . the lower court flatly rejected the oral evidence . but in today 's unanimous decision , the justices made it clear that the lower court had erred . ''in practical terms , this requires the courts to come to terms with the oral histories of aboriginal societies , which , for many aboriginal nations , are the only record of their past , '' wrote chief_justice antonio lamer . in canada , the term aboriginal is used to describe native indian and inuit people , as well as those of mixed_race . in recognizing aboriginal titles to land , the court said native people not only have the right to occupy traditional lands , but are also entitled to use the land in ways not limited to traditional activities like hunting and fishing . the only exception was uses not compatible with the native people 's ''attachment to the land , '' such as strip mining . for the gitxsan and wet 'suwet'en people in british_columbia who are likely to be most directly affected ( the names are pronounced git sen and wet soh wetten ) , the decision today was a sweet reward after after pursuing their land claim in court for 10 years . ''we were given a diamond for christmas instead of a lump of coal , '' herb george , a spokesman for the gitxsan people , told reporters in ottawa . the supreme_court 's decision left open the possibility of a new trial in the lower courts , but there does not seem to be much appetite on either side for renewing the legal battle . the court itself preferred that negotiation , not litigation , be the path taken to resolve the long outstanding issues . ''let us face it , we are all here to stay , '' chief_justice lamer wrote in his decision . the federal_government , which has been involved in negotiation , saw the ruling as an affirmation of its approach . ''we have always felt that section 35 in the constitution protects aboriginal rights , '' said jane stewart , minister of the department of indian_affairs and northern development . ''it 's up to us to find practical ways to protect those rights . '' for the last few years , the provincial government has negotiated with 43 native groups who represent approximately 70 percent of the native people in the province , said john cashore , the british_columbia minister of aboriginal affairs . although native claims cover most of the province , mr . cashore said the government will cede no more than 5 percent of the province 's territory . he expected to resume negotiations with the groups involved in the suit . ''i do n't expect a new trial would be worth the cost , '' mr . cashore said . businesses reacted_cautiously . ''all the implications are n't immediately evident , '' said peter wypkema , director of government relations for the council of forest industries , a trade_association that represents about 130 forestry companies in british_columbia . ''we expected something a little more definitive . '' outside of british_columbia and parts of the yukon and the northwest_territories , where treaties also were not signed , experts believe today 's ruling could lead to a reinterpretation of existing treaties . ''the court 's decision opens the door for a new understanding of ancestral territory , '' said patrick macklem , an expert on native affairs and associate professor of law at the university of toronto . that might include the view that at least in some cases , treaties did not extinguish native rights , but merely surrendered them to the government .

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a quebec judge today approved a request by a 25 year old woman that her doctor be authorized to switch off the respirator that has kept her alive for the last two and a half years , setting what legal experts described as a precedent for such cases in canada . jacques dufour , a judge of quebec 's superior court , issued the ruling five weeks after the woman put her request directly to a court hearing that convened in her hospital room in quebec_city . while switching off the respirators of comatose and brain dead patients with their families' consent has been medical practice in many parts of canada for years , the quebec case is said to be the first in which the case for the ending of a life has been taken to a court by the patient . the judge ordered that the switching off of the respirator be delayed for 30 days to allow time for an appeal of his ruling , and for the young woman to be asked to reiterate her formal request for the action . the quebec authorities have said they will not oppose the woman 's request , and the lawyer for the woman , after informing her of the ruling , said she had reacted " with a smile , then tears , " but had seemed resolved to proceed with the ending of her life . the woman , whose family has requested that she be identified only as nancy b. , is suffering from what her doctors have said is an irreversible paralysis caused by a neurological disorder . her doctor , daniele marceau , while supporting the woman 's right to die , had refused to switch off the respirator without court approval because of concern that assisting in the death of a person who is not terminally ill could expose her to prosecution under canadian criminal_law . the judge said he did not believe that criminal_law provisions against assisting in suicides could be invoked in the case , because what was involved was a matter of allowing " the illness to take its natural course . " he said that forcing the woman to remain alive against her will would be " an intrusion " on her rights , among them the right given to patients to refuse medical treatment under quebec 's code of civil law .

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ecstasy , the popular drug often associated with the club scene , may harm the memories of people who use it regularly , researchers are reporting . the report , in the current issue of neurology , was based on a study of 15 ecstasy users , ages 17 to 31 , over a yearlong period . the study subjects reported taking the drug an average of 2.4 times a month . dr . konstantine zakzanis of the university of toronto , one of the authors , said in a statement that for more occasional users , there was no evidence yet to suggest permanent memory impairment . ecstasy has been the subject of much controversy . the illegal drug has been linked to some deaths , but it has amassed a broad following , including some mental_health experts who believe it may have value for treating patients . because the drug affects the hippocampus , a part of the brain associated with learning and new memories , the authors of the article wanted to explore whether ecstasy harmed those functions . they administered a variety of tests , including some in which participants were read short passages and then were asked to recall them right away or after a brief delay . they concluded that continued use of the drug did appear to be linked with different types of memory decline . over the course of the year , for example , the ecstasy users' ability to recall the passages after a delay declined by about half . still , the authors noted the pitfalls of such a study , which relied on the drug users to accurately report how much ecstasy they were using . and as with any street drug , there was no way to know exactly what the study participants were taking . vital_signs consequences

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pieces of a meteorite that fell over a frozen lake in canada last january appear to be the oldest and most pristine extraterrestrial material yet found , geologists say , and may carry telling clues about the early solar system and the origin of life on earth . the first analysis of the exotic fragments , described in today 's issue of the journal science , showed that they came from an especially rare type or perhaps a new class of carbonaceous chondrites , the kind of meteorites that represent solar chemistry virtually unchanged over the last 4.5 billion years , since the birth of the solar system . scientists called it the most important meteorite discovery in the last 30 years . geochemists said the dark fragments , well preserved at subfreezing temperatures , were rich in carbon and nitrogen and included a scattering of tiny diamonds . these are grains of interstellar matter , debris from exploded stars that was implanted into asteroids at the time the sun and its planets were formed . scientists said the new object might be richer in interstellar grains than any meteorite yet studied . in a commentary accompanying the journal report , dr . jeffrey n . grossman , a geochemist at the united states geological survey in reston , va . , wrote , ''this provides a unique opportunity to expand our knowledge of the nature and origin of organic matter that may have accreted on early earth and played a role in the origin of life . '' an international team of scientists studied about two pounds of the best preserved pieces of the meteorite , which were recovered from the ice covering tagish lake in northern british_columbia , near the yukon border . dr . peter g . brown , a geochemist at the university of western ontario , in london , canada , was the principal author of the team 's report . to minimize contamination , the choice samples are kept frozen and otherwise protected at the johnson_space_center in houston . ''this is the only meteorite , as far as we know , that has ever been recovered in a completely frozen state , '' dr . brown said in a telephone interview . ''these are the most pristine meteorite samples on the planet right now . '' dr . gerald j . wasserburg , a geochemist at the california_institute_of_technology in pasadena , who has specialized in analyzing meteorites and lunar rocks , said that if the discovery had been properly interpreted , ''that would be fantastic , and i would almost mortgage my house to study a piece of it . '' the circumstances of the tagish lake meteorite 's fall to earth favored scientists . when it entered the atmosphere on jan . 18 , the object was probably more than 20 feet wide and weighed 220 tons . the friction of the atmospheric plunge shattered the meteorite and produced a spectacular fireball arcing across the northern sky . more than 70 eyewitnesses reported seeing the spectacle , and american military satellites closely tracked the trajectory . armed with these observations , scientists calculated the meteorite 's origins and entry velocity . they said it was probably a chunk off one of the many asteroids that orbit in a belt between mars and jupiter . it could have spent millions of years wandering through the solar system before being captured by earth 's gravity . of the nearly 1 , 000 meteorites recovered from witnessed falls over the last two centuries , dr . grossman said , only five have been of the rare class known as ci chondrites . such meteorites are extremely fragile , compared with the more common stony meteorites . the chondrites usually burn up before reaching the surface , or turn to mud or dirt when they come into contact with water . but this one scattered pieces in the winter , mostly over a frozen lake , and the cold preserved them from disintegration or contamination . and the black pieces were easy to spot on the tagish lake ice . it so happened that jim brook , a bush pilot and outfitter for hunting and fishing parties , lived in a cabin near the lake . on jan . 25 , he went out on the frozen lake and picked up several dozen pieces , altogether about two pounds of meteorite material . he had heard about the proper handling of such pieces and diligently deposited them in plastic bags and kept them in his freezer until they could be turned over to scientists . all but one of the fragments has remained frozen since they were collected , dr . brown 's team reported . this was critical , scientists said , because it prevented the escape of the meteorite 's many volatile chemical compounds , which can evaporate quickly at room temperatures . dr . brown said that some other fragments , after they had gone through cycles of thawing and re freezing , had crumbled or turned to mud . in their report , the scientists wrote , ''we tentatively conclude that tagish lake is a new type of carbonaceous chondrite . '' but they did not rule out the possibility , they said , that its unusual chemical characteristics reflected a pristine state of previously classified chondrites that had never before seen by scientists . dr . grossman said the tagish lake object ''will be the most important recovered fall'' since meteorites retrieved in 1969 in allende , mexico , and murchison , australia . those events , dr . grossman said , ''touched off a revolution in our understanding of meteorites and what they tell us about the early solar system . ''

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with her conference duties complete , grace found a quiet spot in the wings of the busy auditorium where she had just delivered a detailed and fluid speech on her groundbreaking scientific advances . the crowd at the conference , the annual meeting of the american association for artificial intelligence , had responded with genuine human warmth . ''thanks for coming , '' she said over the applause , adding , ''see you next year in acapulco , '' referring to the site for the 2003 conference . when scientists from around the world gathered from july 28 to aug . 1 in edmonton , grace was the highlight for most of them , the pole star to which they naturally gravitated . when she made her way through the lobby to the registration desk , a large pod of onlookers trailed in her wake . she had been well hyped by conference organizers , and she did not disappoint . afterward , standing alongside the six foot , 300 pound grace , the two of us intimately close yet loosely surrounded by the throng , i had the chance to ask her to grade her performance . she did not respond . i asked a simpler question . was it worthwhile ? making the trip all the way to edmonton just for a few minutes of attention ? again , no response . one could easily sense that her torpor was not haughtiness as much as powerlessness , as if the ability to answer was simply beyond her reach . i stepped away , but my sense was confirmed just seconds later , when one of her handlers sidled up to her and reached behind her torso , then seemed to hit a switch . her lara croft lookalike face sprang to life on the laptop screen serving as her head . she was quickly swarmed by admirers . our moment was lost . the 18th annual conference was , of course , about considerably more than grace . with some 1 , 600 scientists in attendance , there was a huge roster of displays , speeches , panels and demonstrations , with the topics forming a kind of overview of the field of artificial intelligence . but grace ( the name is short for graduated robot attending conference ) emerged as the focal_point , and her shining moment came during the robot challenge , one of several conference events designed to showcase the state of the art . the challenge was for each robot to start at the entrance to the conference center , take the elevator to the registration desk , register for the conference and then report to the auditorium at a set time and deliver a speech . the robot challenge was dreamed up by dr . reid simmons , a senior research computer scientist at the carnegie_mellon robotics institute in pittsburgh , and alan c . schultz , a computer scientist at the naval research laboratory in washington . dr . schultz said that they had decided early on to call it a challenge rather than a competition because there were simply too few possible entrants . ''robotics are not that far advanced , '' he said . ''at least in terms of what they can do on their own . '' in fact , dr . schultz and dr . simmons were fairly sure that their team 's robot , grace , would be the only one capable of performing all the required tasks . as it turned out , the massachusetts_institute_of_technology and the irobot corporation also entered the robot challenge , but their robots could fulfill only parts of it . to get grace to perform all the tasks took the combined efforts of five educational and research institutions . carnegie mellon handled the overall hardware and software architecture , the naval research lab designed the speech recognition software , northwestern_university built the software that enabled grace to deliver the powerpoint presentation , swarthmore college built the pattern recognition software for finding and reading signs , and metrica , an automation and robotics company , designed the gesture interpretation system . ( grace was built to interpret both speech and gesture patterns , in what the scientists called ' 'mixed initiative interactions . '' ) during her powerpoint speech to a crowd of about 300 , grace outlined in detail her circuitry and software . ''my chassis , '' grace said , ''is an irobot b 21 base with two pentia running linux . i have a laser range finder , sonar and both stereo and monocular active heads for vision . i also have a flat panel display , speakers and a wireless link for communication . ''my software has been under development for many years by the various institutions that make up the grace team . mobility , vision , speech recognition , speech generation and facial expressions are all separate processes . i use simple , well defined interfaces to control software complexity . '' the crowd ate it up , and even seemed to understand most of it , but grace very nearly did n't make it to her speaking engagement . the robot was already 10 minutes behind schedule at the starting point of the challenge when some of the carnegie_mellon graduate students in the project team decided that last minute adjustments to grace 's performance characteristics were required . they began to make those changes via infrared links from their laptops . dr . simmons approached his students to see why they had yet to initiate grace 's voice , animation and movement functions . just a few adjustments , they replied . now ? dr . simmons turned a nervous eye to the waiting crowd . why now ? ''do n't worry , '' said chris urmson , a doctoral_student . ''we 're not doing anything stupid . '' dr . simmons smiled nervously . benjamin kuipers , a professor at the university of texas and the co chairman of the challenge , came over to the group to ask about the delay . the press and the public were milling about the crowded foyer , sensing trouble . dr . simmons turned back to the students , his face stiff with tension . mr . urmson smiled calmly and said , ''a couple of minutes . '' dr . schultz was dispatched to start an introduction , though it was clear to those in the back corner that the gaggle of graduate students had not yet finished tweaking . but just as dr . schultz appeared to be running out of things to say , mr . urmson gave dr . simmons a thumbs up . grace was ready . that was when the problems really started . about 30 feet into her journey , grace began to misinterpret the spoken directions she was getting from a graduate student accompanying her . she repeatedly stopped , faced a wall and did nothing . she seemed to be taking time to actually think about things before turning and continuing on with the challenge . in reality , poor performance from the voice recognition equipment accounted for 90 percent of the problems , dr . simmons said later . eventually , grace made it onto the elevator , a feat that drew a large ovation . at the bottom floor , her appearance and exit from the elevator was the cause for thunderous applause , though the adulation may have actually set grace back because of sensory overload . it took 20 more minutes to make it across the lobby floor to the registration desk , where she proceeded to butt into the middle of the line . ( it was unclear whether that was a malfunction . ) ten minutes later , grace was in front of her adoring audience in the auditorium . afterward , the presenting and attending scientists all made a considerable fuss about grace in particular and the advances in robotics and artificial intelligence generally . ''grace rocked ! '' dr . simmons announced on the carnegie_mellon web_site . but to one not intimately familiar with the current state of robotics , the reaction to grace might be one of mild disappointment . for one thing , grace could hardly match the abilities of science_fiction robots like the autonomous ' 'spiders'' in this summer 's hit movie ''minority report . '' for another , the challenge did not involve performing delicate surgery or rescuing stranded miners . registering for a conference is hardly an audacious task . ''it 's true it 's not the most exciting thing , '' dr . simmons said . ''but we wanted to see if we could get a robot to do something that normal humans do . this seemed like a good thing to try . '' ashley stroupe , a doctoral_student in robotics at carnegie_mellon and a co chairwoman of the robot challenge , said the most impressive thing about grace was the integration of the different processes the work of the five institutions . ''that has n't really happened before , '' she said . later , preparing to leave the auditorium , i had one final look at grace . she was still rigidly upright on the same spot where she had stood since finishing her speech . though she was ''on , '' she was now just a lonely column of machinery and wire . the eyes of her weirdly affecting lara croft face blinked every 10 seconds or so , but scientists were milling elsewhere , their focus on other things . they were chatting and laughing , talking about the next speaker , the next conference , the next challenge in robotics . like every celebrity who moves across the canopy of our media rich existence , grace had her bright flash of a moment , but the same flash also heralded the beginning of her march toward obsolescence . one of the army of carnegie_mellon graduate students approached her and pulled the plug , then hit a switch . the screen went blank , and the face disappeared . it was time to go home . and for that , grace still needed human assistance . correction august 9 , 2002 , friday an article in circuits yesterday about a robot that fulfilled the requirements of a ''robot challenge'' at a conference in edmonton , alberta , misattributed a quotation about the mundane nature of the tasks completed by the device . it was alan c . schultz , a creator of the robot , not his colleague reid simmons , who said ''it 's true it 's not the most exciting thing . but we wanted to see if we could get a robot to do something that normal humans do . this seemed like a good thing to try . ''

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down by the st . lawrence river , in the parish hall behind the somber stone church of st . peter the apostle , herve bertrand and other french_canadian catholics gathered recently to condemn the church that has so thoroughly shaped most aspects of life in the province of quebec . ''i do n't have any problem with their god , '' mr . bertrand said . ''but i 've got big problems with the people who made the decision that did this to me . '' mr . bertrand is now a 56 year old plumber from a montreal suburb with a wife and three grown children . he is one of about 3 , 000 french canadians known as the ''duplessis orphans'' because they were institutionalized in the 1940 's and 50 's when maurice duplessis was the iron willed premier of quebec . about 300 of the orphans have formed a committee and are demanding an apology and restitution from the catholic_church and the quebec government for the way they were treated , and some say physically and sexually_abused , when they were unjustifiably placed in mental institutions as children . mr . bertrand says employees at the institution where he was kept for eight years sexually_assaulted him more than 30 times , the last in an elevator while he was in a straitjacket . most of the ''duplessis orphans'' were not orphans at all . like mr . bertrand , they had been born out of wedlock at a time when conservative catholic sentiments made it wise to keep such transgressions secret . many illegitimate children were raised in orphanages run by roman_catholic nuns . the duplessis government worked hand in hand with the catholic_church . when federal money became available for health_care , but not education , the government encouraged the religious order to transform their orphanages into mental institutions . ''quite simply , it was more profitable for the quebec government and the church to warehouse psychiatric patients than to take care of normal children , so they struck a dirty deal , '' said rodrigue vienneau , whose wife , clarina duguay , had been declared mentally incompetent and kept in a church run institution after her mother became sick and her father , a woodsman , was unable to care for his five children . ''when i was 11 they falsified my medical records and classified me as mentally deficient , '' mrs . duguay said . like many women in quebec , she kept her maiden name after she married . ''all around me there were real mental patients . they gave me plenty of pills , and i was sexually_abused by the sisters who , at bath time , used to wash my breasts and then told me i could wash my back myself . '' jean gaudreau , a psychologist at the university of montreal who visited one of the orphanages in 1961 , said there is little doubt that children were unnecessarily institutionalized during that time . tests conducted then showed , he said , that mental deficiencies were often caused by lack of stimulation , not mental_illness . while unable to prove any specific charges of abuse , a government ombudsman in 1997 documented the existence of as many as 3 , 000 duplessis orphans . without determining who was at fault , the ombudsman recommended that they be compensated . on thursday , lucien bouchard , the premier of quebec , offered the orphans an apology , along with compensation worth the equivalent of about 2 million ( united_states ) . but the committee rejected the offer , which comes to about 670 for each orphan , and insisted on a full public_inquiry . as they fight for recognition and justice , the orphans are reminding other quebecers of the enormous changes that have taken place in the province since the 1940 's and 50 's . ''what quebec has undergone is a major cultural trauma , '' said j . robert choquette , a professor of canadian religious history at the university of ottawa . the changes set off by pope john xxiii in the early 1960 's touched catholics around the world , but few places felt it as deeply as quebec . ''the church 's dominance in quebec was sweeping , '' professor choquette said . a map of quebec reflects that . from the names of rivers , to the names of many towns and villages , quebec and the catholic_church were inseparable . at its apogee in the 1940 's , the church ran all schools , hospitals and social institutions , like the orphanages , with the direct consent of the government . mr . duplessis 's death in 1959 coincided with an awakening of social awareness that ushered in enormous changes for religion and society and set off a conflict between tradition and modernism . ''what the conflict produced is the classic definition of throwing out the baby with the bath water , '' professor choquette said . today , the small churches and grand cathedrals that once overflowed with the faithful on sundays are sparsely attended . quebec 's birth_rate has dropped from one of the world 's highest to one of the lowest , in part because the use of contraceptives is now widely accepted and abortion is legal . the province has gone from having one of the lowest rates of divorce prohibited by the catholic_church to one of the highest . it has one of the lowest rates of marriage in canada , and 53 percent of its children are born out of wedlock . even so , the church 's presence is virtually inescapable , so much so that when the orphans denounced the church , they did so in rented space at a parish community center . a few weeks ago , some of the orphans , wearing straitjackets of the type they say were used on them as children , demonstrated in front of the montreal offices of the head of the church in quebec , jean_claude cardinal turcotte . they demanded an apology , a public_inquiry and compensation . cardinal turcotte refused to meet the orphans , but he did say he did not believe that the nuns who ran the institutions , often under very difficult conditions , had systematically abused their patients . ''when they watch television and hear protesters claim they beat children , that is upsetting , '' he told a local reporter . instead of issuing an apology , he challenged the ''orphans'' to prove they were abused . which is what mr . bertrand thought he was doing when he showed reporters medical records detailing injuries he said he suffered in the sexual assaults . and that is why mrs . duguay produced her childhood medical records , which said that she was mentally deficient , even though she had no previous or subsequent history of mental_illness . mrs . dugay and her husband say that , while they live surrounded by the catholic_church and its trappings , they do not attend services regularly anymore . ''my family was very religious , '' mr . vienneau said . ''there are two nuns on my mother 's side and i was an altar boy for four years . '' but the church that once brought him peace now only raises his ire . ''we would only go back to practicing and go back to what we learned as young children , '' he said , ''the day that the church will apologize for what they 've done . ''

has a location of canada

a large ice shelf that has jutted into the arctic ocean from northernmost canada for at least 3 , 000 years has broken up over the last two years , providing fresh evidence that the region is warming past thresholds that can produce abrupt changes , scientists said yesterday . the scientists , from laval university in quebec and the university of alaska , fairbanks , described the changes in a paper published in the geophysical research letters . the disintegration of the ancient ice shelf the largest in the arctic appears to have been caused both by a century long warming_trend and , more recently , by an accelerated rise in temperatures , the researchers said . they said it was not yet possible to say whether the melting was related to rising atmospheric concentrations of heat trapping greenhouse_gases from human activities . but they added that the breakup was just one of many signs of enormous climate shifts in the arctic that merited careful monitoring . ''it is part of a long term process , we believe , '' said dr . warwick f . vincent , a biologist specializing in arctic ecology at laval university and an author of the new study . ''but the most recent changes are substantial and correlate with this recent increase in warming that we 've seen from the 1960 's to the present . it 's an example where a critical threshold has been passed . '' the other authors were derek r . mueller of laval and dr . martin o . jeffries from the university of alaska . the 150 square_mile region of floating ice , called the ward hunt ice shelf , had formed a cap across the mouth of the 20 mile long disraeli fjord on ellesmere island , in nunavut . that caused a rare condition in which a 140 foot thick layer of fresh_water accumulated atop the denser seawater in the 1 , 200 foot deep fjord , forming an isolated floating freshwater lake . the trapped fresh_water harbored a unique ecosystem of rare plankton and other life that has collapsed now that its basin has broken up and the fresh_water has flowed into the arctic ocean , dr . vincent said . the ice of the ward hunt shelf is up to 100 feet thick , making it far larger than the 10 foot slabs of floating sea_ice that form a milling cap on the arctic ocean . the pieces could persist for many years as they start to drift in arctic waters , the authors said . for the moment , they exist as free floating jigsaw pieces , in part held near the coast by ward hunt island . the island is a popular jumping off spot for expeditions over the sea_ice to the north_pole . it was the last large remnant of a much more extensive shelf that once fringed all of ellesmere island , dr . vincent said . over all , he continued , that fringe has shrunk by more than 90 percent over the last century . ellesmere 's projecting ice shelves broke off at a rapid rate through most of the last century , but the erosion essentially stopped in 1982 . the breakup of the last section , around the disraeli fjord and ward hunt island , began in 2000 , the researchers said , when big new cracks were detected in satellite images .

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a tablet computer just released by psion teklogix may be the only hand held device you can fearlessly throw into your toolbox . the netpad is both ruggedized and waterproof . ''you can drop it on any of its surfaces from five feet for several times without damaging anything , '' said mike marsh , the director of mobile computing for psion , which is based near toronto in mississauga , ontario . the netpad can also be left in three feet of water and will work in temperatures between minus 4 degrees_fahrenheit and 40 degrees_fahrenheit . the netpad sells for a staggering 1 , 895 . mr . marsh said that the units were most likely to be purchased by companies for field use by utility workers and that hospitals and that food_processing companies had also expressed an interest . while the netpad 's java operating system allows it to run most common hand held programs , the computer is not supplied with any software despite its hefty price . ''people who buy this product prefer not to have anything preloaded on it , '' mr . marsh said . ''they do n't want their employees playing games . '' ian_austen news watch mobile technology

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as ontario health officials braced for a wider outbreak of the mysterious respiratory_illness around toronto in the coming days , criticism is beginning to mount that political and health_care officials have made some critical miscalculations in their attempts to avert a broader epidemic . for two weeks , the tone of health_care officials and the local news_media had been increasingly upbeat , stressing that the disease , severe_acute_respiratory_syndrome , or sars , was largely contained to a fixed number of people linked to a single chain of exposures beginning at one hospital . but reports have recently emerged that officials were slow to isolate a new cluster of patients in a roman_catholic prayer group and that several of the stricken patients were inexplicably turned away at several hospitals while they potentially infected many others . the new outbreak was not identified , and action was not taken to quarantine the group of 500 , for more than a week after the initial exposure leaving time for the disease potentially to have spread into the general population . there is already evidence it may have spread to a condominium outside toronto and as far as montreal . the second guessing is already taking hold in ontario , and it is beginning to jeopardize business confidence and become a rancorous political issue in the provincial legislature . ''where 's rudy_giuliani when he 's needed ? '' the globe and mail asked today in an editorial on sars . ''toronto could use that kind of leadership now . '' the editorial said that mayor mel lastman must take action or ' 'should resign and let others lead . '' ''toronto cannot now afford a vacuum at the top , '' it stated . as the city most seriously stricken with the epidemic outside of asia , toronto has emerged as a test_case of whether mass quarantines can be effective in containing the virus . thirteen people have died from the disease here , and 251 of canada 's 306 probable or suspected cases have been reported within the greater toronto metropolitan_area . with little margin for error and the numbers of infected rising every day , every misstep or new outbreak causes more fear and fiercer criticism . another editorial , in the toronto_star , argued that national and provincial leaders had not taken the disease seriously enough , and suggested that the government consider imposing jail terms on sars patients who violate quarantines . ''prime_minister_jean_chr_tien and premier ernie eves should be at the forefront of this issue , '' the editorial in the star on thursday contended , ''but they have been virtually silent on it , except for token appearances at chinese restaurants . '' mr . eves is the premier of ontario . the new outbreak and criticism have put ontario health officials on the defensive . ''we 're in a steep , steep learning_curve , '' said dr . donald low , microbiologist at mount_sinai_hospital . ''if we make mistakes we 'll correct them . we 're not out of the woods yet . this is a different animal than i 've ever seen before . '' health officials say they are considering tougher measures , including the use of electronic bracelets to keep track of people in quarantine who are considered at risk to leave their homes . with expected heavy church attendance at easter , this weekend is considered a crucial hurdle . medical and religious leaders are urging anyone with the slightest fever , body aches or other symptoms to stay home . several major toronto businesses have begun asking employees to work at home and either postpone meetings or use teleconferencing as a substitute . anglican and roman_catholic churches have decided to change some traditional practices during services this weekend . there will be no calls for congregants to embrace one another and there will be no kissing of the cross or sharing of communal glasses of wine . more than 7 , 000 people have been put into quarantine at home for 10 days over the last month around toronto . compliance has been almost total , with health officials having to take legal measures , like issuing court orders , to force 15 people to stay at home . about 650 remain in quarantine today . the biggest new potential outbreak among the bukas loob sa diyos covenant community , a primarily philippine roman_catholic prayer group was disclosed on monday , changing the mood of the city . as officials reported an outbreak of 29 cases , they had difficulty explaining why it took them until april 12 , a week after members of the group became ill , to instruct the entire group to go into quarantine in their homes . the new cluster originated when one member of the group contracted the virus at scarborough grace hospital , where the entire ontario outbreak began , and he passed it on to 17 members of his family . he died , as did his wife neither of them have been publicly identified . other family members spread the disease through the church group at a prayer meeting and at the man 's funeral . particularly difficult to explain is how medical officials dealt with the couple 's two exposed sons , one of whom was put in quarantine for 10 days and one of whom was not put in quarantine at all . the son who was quarantined showed symptoms after the 10 day isolation , and was turned away at as many as three different hospitals . apparently he did not show strong symptoms , forcing authorities now to consider anyone with flulike_symptoms to be a possible case . it will not be known until sometime next week how far the disease spread beyond the church group , whose 500 members have now been quarantined over the last week . fears grew when health_care workers disclosed thursday that a member of the group shared a vehicle with several people going to a business conference outside montreal . since the man came down with symptoms a day later , more than 400 people who attended the conference were forced to go into quarantine in quebec , a province that has yet to have a sars case . faced with questions from the local news_media over whether officials made a blatant error , dr . james young , ontario 's commissioner of public safety , responded , ''we 've got a new illness with very little understood about it , a lot of trouble diagnosing it and a lot of confusion over who has to do what . '' in another significant development , three new cases were reported in a 19 story condominium in the suburb of scarborough that may or may not be related to previous cases . ontario health officials have conceded that their quarantine efforts have not been entirely effective and that they have made mistakes . ''there 's always room for improvement , '' said dr . colin d'cunha , ontario 's chief_medical_officer . he said that what was required now was the maintenance of a 100 percent ring around all suspected and possible cases . ''i 'm not na_ve , '' he added , ''to think were totally safe . ''

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a 16 year old computer hacker who goes by the name mafiaboy pleaded_guilty here today to 56 charges related to attacks last year on some of the busiest commercial web_sites in the united_states . from his bedroom overlooking a suburban golf course here , the hacker , a high_school freshman , broke into computer networks across the globe , from yale_university to denmark to south_korea , and implanted software programs that bombarded american web_sites in february , freezing or slowing 11 , including amazon . com , cnn . com . , ebay . com and yahoo . com . in e mail exchanges with hacking friends , the youngster boasted that he had covered his tracks by throwing the hard_drive of one of his three computers into a nearby river , cpl . marc gosselin of the royal_canadian_mounted_police testified today in youth court . press laws bar publishing the youth 's identity because of his age . in court , he wore a suit , a tie and a neatly trimmed goatee and said little . in contrast to the subdued appearance , the young man had recently spent three weeks in jail for bail violations , including verbally abusing teachers . last month , after having failed all his courses except physical_education , he quit school and now works as a busboy in a steakhouse here . ''he was fairly proud of what he did , how he committed the crimes and what tools he used , '' corporal gosselin said , referring to six weeks of wiretaps and data interceptions that the mounties conducted at the boy 's house in the spring . ''he bragged that the f.b.i . was unable to catch him , that the f.b.i . were fools , and that he would commit these crimes again . he boasted that he would make lots of money with the case and that he would become famous . '' in the most damaging boast , the corporal testified , mafiaboy told friends that he had vandalized the dell . com web_site , an attack that the dell computer corporation had not disclosed . the teenager has not publicly apologized or cooperated with the investigation . the federal_bureau_of_investigation estimates that in a one week period in february he caused 1 . 7 billion in damage by slowing or paralyzing access to the web_sites for up to six hours . in court , corporal gosselin said the damage was great , but added , ''i would be very surprised if it would be that high . '' in the six weeks of electronic_surveillance , he said , the hacker used four internet_service_providers to break into networks , largely ones maintained by united_states and canadian universities . just before his arrest on april 15 , he was boasting in an intercepted on line chat that he was preparing new assaults on web_sites , according to corporal gosselin , the lead investigator . ''it is difficult to evaluate damages , '' said mark rasch , vice_president for cyber law at predictive systems inc . , a computer security company in new york . ''while there were tremendous disruptions of networks and a lot of time spent by individuals to fix the problems and a loss of confidence by users in the internet , there was not anything that was permanently destroyed . to cnn , the loss was loss of advertising revenue . people could not see ads for a couple of hours . '' judge gilles ouellet scheduled a sentencing hearing for april 17 and 18 . as a minor , the maximum penalty that the youth faces is two years in prison and a 650 fine .

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lead barely a century old and now canada 's third largest metropolis , this energetic port city of british_columbia is about to embark on a development spree that will dramatically change its look , character and style . barely a century old and now canada 's third largest metropolis , this energetic port city of british_columbia is about to embark on a development spree that will dramatically change its look , character and style . invigorated by the success of the expo '86 world 's fair , business leaders have announced plans to transform the waterfront on two sides , replacing the last downtown industrial vestiges with futuristic office towers , more than 20 , 000 new residences , and esplanades and plazas most linked by canals or elevated trains . some civic leaders predict that when all the projects are completed by the turn of the century , their city will become a sort of hong_kong of the pacific_northwest , an international financial center surrounded by mountains and saltwater inlets . ''the idea is to make vancouver a true world city , '' said craig aspinall , a spokesman for pacific_place , the biggest of the new devlopments now on the drawing boards . with an estimated price_tag of 1 . 6 billion in u.s . dollars , pacific_place is being called the most expensive land development in canada . financed largely by li_ka_shing , a hong_kong billionaire whose assets make up one tenth of the stock_exchange in hong_kong , pacific_place is expected to transform the expo site into a 207 acre community of offices , town houses , parks and canals . the idea for pacific_place was that of mr . li 's 25 year old son , victor , who maintains a residence here . the family 's corporations own supermarkets , utilities and office buildings in canada , and commercial properties in phoenix , denver and san_francisco . mr . li 's purchase of the site , for a purported 237 million ( u . s . ) , is further evidence of the hong_kong capital now pouring into vancouver in anticipation of the 1997 deadline for turning over control of the british colony to china . as a british commonwealth nation , canada has immigration policies that are less strict than those of the united_states , which has made it easier for hong_kong businessmen to develop projects in growing canadian cities . as a result , the city built at the mouth of the fraser river , about 140 miles north of seattle , has taken on more of an international air in the last few years . it has a vibrancy and bustle to match those of the new projects going up all over the city . both the sale of the old expo site , from the government run british_columbia enterprise corporation , and the designs for pacific_place have generated considerable controversy . some critics say that developers other than mr . li were not given an opportunity to bid on the property , while others argue that the design does not include enough moderate income housing . the government says it wanted to complete the sale with minimum delay , to a developer with enough capital to complete a project large enough to cover the expo site , now a tract of asphalt and grass near the british_columbia place stadium . plans call for construction on pacific_place to begin next year and to proceed in phases over the next 15 years . the commercial core , which is to be built first , would contain more than 3 million square_feet of retail and office space , including a high tech research park , a 400 room hotel and a 45 story international financial center . the tower is designed to be a 24 hour telemarket for currency , securities , metals and commodities trading with the principal world financial centers . the residential component of pacific_place will be built along the waterfront of false_creek , within walking distance of the commercial core , and will provide housing for up to 20 , 000 people , half the number who currently live downtown . the units are planned as a mix of town houses and apartments , low and high rise . most would be built on two manmade islands in false_creek , a saltwater inlet on the southern end of downtown . a tidal lagoon , basically a canal extension of false_creek , would provide waterfront for some of the other housing units . underground parking for 21 , 000 cars , a marina with berths for 630 pleasure boats and 40 acres of public parks are also part of the design for pacific_place . the lagoon has led several canadian newspapers to call pacific_place the ''venice of the west . '' but mr . aspinall said the overall look of pacific_place , which was designed richard hulbert , a vancouver architect , is not supposed to duplicate other cities but is an effort to give this city of 1.5 million people a more sophisticated look . false_creek used to be lined with cement plants , pulp mills and other industrial enterprises . most either relocated to less expensive and environmentally_sensitive property , or were lost to a recession that began in the 1970 's . today , restaurants , open markets , marinas , parks and houses now face much of the waterway . burrard_inlet , on the north side of downtown , is the site for the other part of the facelift planned for vancouver . there , on waterfront property now crossed with railroad tracks , a canadian developer is set to start work this fall on the first phase of cole harbour , a plan to transform 82 acres of mostly industrial property into a mix of hotels , office towers , esplanades , marinas and public plazas . the ambitious project is to be built by marathon realty ltd . , a subsidiary of canadian_pacific ltd . , the railroad builder that owns numerous hotels , offices and industrial parks throughout north_america . it has yet to gain full approval from the city . tentative plans call for an 11 acre boat harbor , a 75 foot_wide promenade adjacent to a 15 acre shorefront park and two circular plazas . the project , bordering a scenic waterway across from the coast mountains , would connect much of downtown_vancouver to the waterfront through a series of parks that would replace the rail tracks and industrial buildings at the ends of many streets . construction is set to begin this fall on waterfront center , the 160 million commercial core of the marathon realty plan , which has been approved by vancouver officials . next to the vancouver trade and convention_center , the project will include a 500 room hotel , a 21 story tower with 410 , 000 square_feet of office space and about 65 , 000 square_feet of retail space on the ground level . prices for housing and office and retail space in the two projects have yet to be determined , but class a office space here is going for 25 ( u . s. ) a square_foot . business leaders associated with the two large developments have been criticized for forcing low income residents from the area in search of less expensive housing . but they say the projects will bring more people into the traditional neighbhorhoods of chinatown and gastown , two prime summer tourist destinations on the edge of downtown that suffer slumps when the season ends . marwyn thomas , project manager for waterfront center , said vancouver should be able to support both pacific_place and the marathon realty complex as long as british_columbia 's economy , long based on forest products and mining , continues to diversify . the area is emerging from a recession that began in the 1970 's and hurt most of the resource based communities in the province . tourism reached new levels following expo '86 , which attracted more than 20 million visitors and introduced many to the breathtaking scenery of british_columbia . ''what 's happened is that after mining and lumber took a hit , tourism really started to take off , '' mr . thomas said . ''the hope now is to play up the area as a big pacific_rim center of finance and high tech and information services . ''

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at the heart of american enterprise is the ''build a better mousetrap'' axiom create a fine product , and the market will reward you handsomely . try telling that to carmine f . vasile . this last year has been a long and trying one for dr . vasile , an electrophysicist who lives in patchogue , a basement inventor and , of late , a lapsed believer in free market economics . dr . vasile ( pronounced vah sill ee ) believes that he invented the proverbial better mousetrap but that bigger companies and their lawyers have stolen his ideas . ''a great invention does n't do you any good unless you can afford to protect it all over the world , '' he said . nineteen years ago , during a period of self employment between stints at motorola and the hazeltine corporation , an electronics manufacturer in greenlawn , dr . vasile developed a heat exchange process that had considerable commercial potential , he thought . the process uses a copper coil inserted in a drain to absorb heat from wastewater and transfer it to incoming cold water . the process makes it cheaper to heat cold water . dr . vasile , who said that during his career he had received about 35 patents on behalf of various employers , including motorola , rockwell , hazeltine and grumman , holds patent no . 4 , 619 , 311 himself . he assigned the patent to a company called hydrofilm , a limited_partnership he and his wife , cheryl , operate from their home . dr . vasile calls his invention a gravity film heat exchanger gfx for short . in 1994 dr . vasile retired early to focus his entrepreneurial energies on bringing the gfx to market . at the time , dr . vasile said , he thought the gfx would finance a comfortable retirement for himself and his wife . five years ago , dr . vasile found a partner , doucette industries of york , pa . , which manufactured and marketed the device and mailed him monthly royalty checks ranging from 2 , 000 to 4 , 000 . in march , the checks stopped . doucette announced it was ceasing distribution of the gfx in favor of another product called the power pipe , manufactured by a company called renewability inc . in aurora , ontario . as might be expected , dr . vasile was furious , and the power pipe , in his view , is just the gfx under another name . ''this is fraud , '' he said . ''i have pictures of the product . power pipe is the same thing as gfx . '' dr . vasile wrote letters , many letters , to everyone involved . he complained to underwriters laboratories in melville , which certified the safety of the gfx to the canadian embassy in washington to a trade_association of building contractors and to the federal bankruptcy court in central_islip . ''they tell you to watch out for countries like thailand , '' he said , describing warnings he received about product counterfeiting . ''nobody tells you about canada . '' dr . vasile acknowledges that his design is not protected under the canadian patent system , and he knows that most companies routinely patent their inventions in all markets where they expect to sell or where the product might be manufactured . ''i could n't afford to do that , '' he said . he said he relied on the belief that the gfx design qualified as a trade secret and was thus protected under the economic espionage act of 1996 . ''i protected trade secrets for 20 years for companies like hazeltine , '' dr . vasile said . ''when i talk about trade secrets , i know what i 'm talking about . '' charlie boeckmann , an aide to representative tim bishop , said that he had written letters on dr . vasile 's behalf to appropriate f.b.i . officials , asking them to review his claims under the espionage act , and that the f.b.i . told him earlier this month that the claims were being investigated . ''if in fact his allegations are correct , we have a serious issue on the federal level . '' mr . boeckmann said . john lebo , the president of doucette industries , refused to comment on dr . vasile 's contentions . ''there really is nothing to discuss with you , '' he said . ''we will comment at the proper venue , and this is not it . '' denis van decker , a vice_president of renewability energy , denied that the power pipe was the same product as the gfx . of dr . vasile , he said ''the man has no credibility . he throws mud at people . the products are n't the same , and our customers know the difference . '' mr . van decker said that arbitrators had ruled against dr . vasile in 12 instances , but dr . vasile denied that . he said that there had been only three rulings against him and that the arbitration process was incomplete , because he could not afford to pay the costs assessed by the arbitrators . mr . van decker said the issue would be resolved in court . dr . vasile has ' 'done the lion 's share of what would be expected of him'' to get his idea successfully commercialized , said an official of the federal office of energy efficiency and renewable energy , which administered a grant of nearly 100 , 000 given to dr . vasile to help him develop and market his invention . inventors often confront the problem of defending their patents in other countries , said the official , who spoke on the condition that his name not be used because he was afraid of how his supervisors would react to his comments . ''all these guys are disadvantaged trying to get their technology to the market , '' the official said , describing independent inventors . ''they 're like the guy in the greek myth who pushes the boulder up the mountain , '' only to have it roll down again . the official said that there was little the government could do for them , aside from sympathizing with them . his own approach , he said , is to recite motivational speeches made by vince lombardi , the green bay packers' coach . ''i told carmine , 'do n't give up , ''' the official said . ''i regularly tell inventors , 'do n't give up . ''' dr . vasile said that he had not given up but that because of financial problems brought on by the gfx , he could not afford to hire a patent lawyer and is presenting a claim in bankruptcy court . ronald weiss , a huntington lawyer who represented dr . vasile at his bankruptcy hearing in central_islip last month , called the case ''particularly complex with several overlapping issues . '' ''this is a david and goliath situation , and carmine is taking on six goliaths , '' mr . weiss said . so , instead of financing a comfortable retirement for him and his wife , dr . vasile said his efforts to market his gfx invention had depleted ''our lifetime earnings . '' ''it 's been a nightmare , '' he added . ''i blew through my retirement money and my wife 's . what i 've learned is that people can steal technology at will . unless you 've got money to defend your patent , it 's worthless . '' the gfx patent comes up for renewal next june , but dr . vasile is not giving up . ''i 'll renew it , '' he said . ''with improvements . '' and things are , in fact , looking up . in july he found a new manufacturer for the gfx , fuel_cell components integrators of hauppauge , and sales have just gotten under way . l.i . work

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a public dispute has flared between two republican house committee_chairmen over an inquiry one of them began last month into the integrity of an influential study of global temperature trends . the study , published in 1998 and 1999 , meshed data from modern thermometers and evidence of past warmth or cold , like variations in tree rings . the result was a curve showing little variation for nearly 1 , 000 years and then a sharp upward hook in recent decades . the inquiry was initiated by representative joe l . barton of texas , who heads the house committee on energy and commerce , after two canadians with no expertise in climate_change published academic papers and opinion articles challenging the study 's methods . letters requesting detailed responses to the criticisms as well as raw data , documents and financial information were sent last month by the committee to the scientists who generated the graph michael e . mann , the climatologist who led the research and has just become the director of the earth system science center at pennsylvania_state_university raymond s . bradley , a climatologist at the university of massachusetts and malcolm k . hughes , a tree ring expert at the university of arizona . the inquiry has since been criticized by scientists and democratic lawmakers . now the critics have been joined by representative sherwood boehlert of new york , the chairman of the house science committee , who late last week sent a letter to mr . barton calling the investigation ' 'misguided and illegitimate . '' copies of the letter were provided to several reporters . mr . boehlert noted that other recent analyses have supported the main conclusion of the study that the climate 's warming since the late 20th_century appears to be significantly outside the bounds of natural variability . but mr . barton 's inquiry focuses on the critique by the canadians , steven mcintyre , an amateur statistician and mining consultant , and ross mckitrick , an economist at the university of guelph . in his letter to mr . barton , mr . boehlert said the effort ''raises the specter of politicians opening investigations against any scientist who reaches a conclusion that makes the political elite uncomfortable . '' in a statement sent by e mail to several reporters , larry neal , a spokesman for the energy and commerce committee , responded to mr . boehlert 's letter . ''requests for information are a common exercise of the energy and commerce committee 's responsibility to gather knowledge on matters within its jurisdiction , '' the statement said . ''when global_warming studies were criticized and results seemed hard to replicate by other researchers , asking why seemed like a modest but necessary step . it still does . ''

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lead like many cities , vancouver is increasingly concerned about the spread of the aids virus among drug users and , through them , into the population at_large . but unlike most cities including new york , vancouver has chosen as a main strategy issuing free clean_needles to drug addicts . like many cities , vancouver is increasingly concerned about the spread of the aids virus among drug users and , through them , into the population at_large . but unlike most cities including new york , vancouver has chosen as a main strategy issuing free clean_needles to drug addicts . the program , which just marked its first anniversary , drew strong praise in a recent article in the canadian journal of public_health . ''the key point , '' said john turvey , the prime moving force behind this city 's program , ''is to emphasize needle_exchanges as a policy to save lives , not as a means to decrease drug use . '' needle_exchanges were first developed in europe six years ago . in the united_states such programs , under way in a few cities including seattle and tacoma , wash . , portland , ore . and boulder , colo . , have aroused political controversy and are often criticized as possibly fostering drug use . in new york , mayor david n . dinkins fulfilled a campaign promise and killed a limited needle exchange program there . american programs have also run afoul of laws prohibiting possession of hypodermic_needles . needle possession is not illegal here , although a provincial law requires sales only through pharmacists . vancouver 's program is financed through a 130 , 000 annual grant from the city 's health department , but is run by mr . turvey 's private downtown east side youth activities society , a_10 year old nonprofit group started to work with troubled street youths . mr . turvey found that this arms length relationship with government authorities combined with his group 's long grass roots ties locally were crucial in engendering trust among area addicts . ''we come on very non intrusive and non judgmental , '' mr . turvey said in an interview as dozens of addicts strolled through the door to exchange needles . ''but we 're slipping in education at every possible opportunity . '' the project began 15 months ago after mr . turvey explained to other community groups the need for a program to exchange dirty_needles for clean ones . shared needles are a primary source of spreading the aids virus , which is also passed during sexual_intercourse . in december 1988 , mr . turvey said , a donor offered to buy several hundred new needles . with no fanfare , mr . turvey began handing them out on the street . ''i 'm an advocate of individual anarchism , '' he said with a smile . ''i just go out and do it responsibly , of course but i just do it . and then i find support gathering around . '' when the local press learned of his doings , mr . turvey emphasized the health aspect . ''i do n't want people to die , '' he told reporters . almost immediately , other donors offered help . when the idea reached city officials , it already had many backers . ''it was easier for them to vote approval of something already under way , '' he said . the group expected about 200 addicts to trade in their needles . but the number has now climbed to 3 , 000 , with 80 to 90 percent of them turning in old needles . enrollment can be done at the youth group 's storefront office on main_street , at sidewalk tables set up elsewhere or in a van , which cruises city streets . and enrollment is simple . ''just give me three initials and a date of birth , '' ingrid hanson asked a newcomer the other morning . ''w . g . c . , '' he said , ''21 april 1952 . '' ms . hanson asked to see his forearm to confirm needle marks of an existing addiction . ''you can have two new needles now , '' she said , ''and up to 14 every week , if you bring in 14 used ones . '' with the needles , she handed him a fistful of printed material on health , disease and nutrition . she also offered a bottle of bleach to clean_needles and told him about the three evenings a week that a doctor gives free consultations and about the free aids tests . ''when they start here , '' mr . turvey said , ''probably none of them have any intention of quitting drugs . but we 're seeing many of them over time get hooked on health and go into treatment . '' the major problem has been the inadequate number of local beds for residential drug treatment and long waiting_lists for detoxification centers .

has a location of canada

longstanding restrictions that bar the reporting of federal_election results from eastern districts while polls are still open in western time zones are constitutional , the supreme_court ruled in a 5 to 4 decision . rejecting an argument that the prohibition violated free_speech , the court said the temporary nature of the ban made it permissible . it upheld the conviction of paul bryan , a software developer in british_columbia , who posted vote tallies from atlantic canada in the 2000 election on a web_site while polls in his far western province were still open . he was fined 1 , 000 by a lower court . the rules were introduced in 1938 to cover radio broadcasts in the belief that voters in western time zones ( there are five time zones across canada ) might be influenced or even discouraged from voting by results from the eastern zones . ian_austen correction march 17 , 2007 , saturday because of an editing error , a report in the world briefing column yesterday about a decision by the supreme court of canada upholding restrictions that bar the reporting of federal_election results from eastern time zones while polls are still open in western time zones misstated the number of time zones in canada . it is six , not five .

has a location of canada

it was once very different . pope_john_paul_ii , who traversed the globe with a frequency and zest unlike any of his predecessors , would pack in three or four major events on each day of a foreign trip . his smiles would be constant , and his speeches would go on and on , ambitious in their scope and unwavering in their delivery . but this week , during the pope 's first visit to north_america in more than three years , he spent more time in seclusion than in public view , and his rare , painstakingly choreographed appearances which averaged only one a day showed why . movement was an effort . words were sometimes a struggle . what americans observed more immediately than ever before was a pope so physically diminished that the church officials watching him grew excited over the smallest glimmers of vigor an assisted walk down the stairs of his plane , a few syllables enunciated with more volume than others , a fleeting grin on several occasions when applause washed over him . ''you have the idea , '' said the pope 's spokesman , joaqu n navarro_valls , ''that what you see there is a soul leading a body , a soul pulling a body . '' it has now reached a point where that image inspiring to some observers , discomfiting to others largely defines john_paul_ii 's papacy and overshadows other aspects . he slowly lifts his right hand to his brow , and the people watching him worry is it a gesture of pain ? or is he merely trying to prop up his head and keep his face upright ? he ends a speech with a spontaneous sentence that does not make clear sense , as he did on thursday night , and the people listening to him wonder is he simply falling prey to the kind of flub that bedevils many an orator , or is it something more ? for some catholics , the overarching question is whether the 82 year old pope remains fit enough to handle the challenges that confront him , including the rash of reports of child sexual abuse by priests that have come to light and outraged worshipers in a number of countries . ''i admire his courage and his determination , but i think it might be better for all concerned if he stepped down , '' said the rev . andrew greeley , a prominent catholic sociologist and writer in the united_states . ''you ca n't be as vigorous as a pope needs to be right now when you 're hung up with arthritis and parkinson 's disease and the remnants of an assassination attempt , '' father greeley said . the child sexual abuse problem has received especially intense scrutiny in the united_states , plunging the american church into what some prominent catholics say is one of its greatest crises ever . but the pope , just a few dozen miles from the united_states border for the last five days , is scheduled to fly over the country on monday on his way to guatemala and then mexico for canonization ceremonies . the united_states was never part of his plans for this trip , which centered on the roman_catholic_church 's world youth day , a weeklong religious jubilee that was held in toronto this year . vatican officials and experts said the united_states was not included on the pope 's itinerary for many reasons , including a lingering belief at the holy see that the dimensions of the sexual_abuse problem have been exaggerated . but they said the pope 's health was also a consideration , shaping and limiting much of what he does or does not do these days . that was certainly true here in toronto , where he spent most of his first four days at a church retreat on an island north of the city . activities on his schedule that might once have been open to reporters , like a meeting today with prime minjean chr tien of canada , were not . his one public appearance was at a prayer vigil tonight with hundreds of thousands of adoring catholics , to whom he described the sept . 11 destruction of the world trade center as ''an image that is a sort of icon of a world in which hostility and hatred seem to prevail . '' back in rome , too , the routines have changed . according to some vatican officials , he often receives the foreign bishops who visit him in groups of five , instead of seeing them one on one as he did in the past . and he often forgoes his previous practice of reading a speech to them , instead distributing written copies . he dictates things he once wrote . he tweaks his schedule to reduce its hardships . in the days leading up to this trip , as he rested at his country retreat , he made an unusual decision to hold his weekly public audience there , avoiding the commute by helicopter back to rome . but people who have spent time with the pope say that for all his physical difficulties , he remains mentally acute . dr . navarro_valls said the pope remained as firmly in command of church business as ever . ''my feeling is , up to this point , he 's following all the different topics , planning goals , looking to the future , '' he said in an interview on friday . he dismissed as insignificant the curious moment at the end of the pope 's remarks on thursday , when the pope erroneously declared that the last world youth day had been in cracow , poland . dr . navarro_valls described this as a flubbed attempt at a figurative statement of solidarity with polish catholics . but he conceded that he had not spoken with the pope about it . later on friday , when he briefed reporters about a private luncheon that john paul had held with 14 young catholics , he went out of his way to say the pope had recited for the children the locations of all of the world youth days since the event began in the mid 1980 's . the pope 's health and speculation about it were perhaps the most prominent leitmotifs of his visit here , the text or subtext of so much of what went on . teenagers cited a belief that he might not live too much longer as an extra incentive to travel here . journalists analyzed his every gesture for signs of physical flagging or resurgence . church officials took pains to describe his private activities in ways that portrayed him as mentally and emotionally vibrant . they could not deny the pope 's hunched posture , often blank expression or labored words , so they framed these in a positive light , as brush_strokes in a compelling portrait of perseverance . ''i could n't help but admire him as he made a real effort to look at us , to look up and lift his head , '' cardinal aloysius ambrozic , the archbishop of toronto , said after the pope 's arrival here on tuesday . cardinal oscar rodr_guez maradiaga of honduras , who is often mentioned as a possible successor to john paul , said on friday that the pope ''is showing how you can fulfill a mission , to the very end , with courage and with love . '' several months ago , cardinal rodr_guez publicly broached a taboo subject and hypothesized that the pope ''would have the courage'' to resign if his health got worse . asked about that on friday , the cardinal said ''we better not speak about that . they gave me so much trouble around the world . '' his remarks underscored the difficulty of assessing the pope 's condition people at the highest levels of the church will not talk about it in much detail . the pope 's own scattered comments suggest that he sees any suffering he endures as jesus_christ 's will , and that any decision about ceasing his work belongs to christ .

has a location of canada

toronto is not known as a city of romance or beauty like montreal , quebec_city or vancouver , but it has its share of alluring views of powerful skyscrapers , moody lake_ontario and the deep leafy furrows of the don valley that divide the city 's ethnic neighborhoods . there is no better place to take in all those sights than the windy top of the prince edward viaduct , which as the brooklyn_bridge united new york , gained the historic distinction of turning toronto into a single city when it was built in 1918 . the structure became a literary landmark as well in 1987 when michael ondaatje described the construction of the double_decker bridge in exquisite poetic detail in his novel ''in the skin of a lion , '' marking it as the epitome of this city 's latent but limitless possibilities in the collective imagination of torontonians . but the steel arched bridge , spanning the don river and don valley parkway with a_12 story drop , also has a dark side , one mr . ondaatje suggested in his novel by describing how a gust of wind blew a nun off the bridge before she was scooped up in midair by a construction_worker suspended on a rope . reality has been less kind . more than 400 people have jumped from the bridge to their deaths , including 100 over the last decade , lending the viaduct the morbid nickname of ' 'suicide magnet . '' only the golden gate bridge has been the site of more suicides in north_america , according to mental_health advocates here . next month , however , it seems the suicidal jumps will stop . workers are putting the final touches to a series of barriers across the bridge consisting of 10 , 000 stainless_steel rods and bow string masts designed so no one can get through them . the structure , which is costing the city 4 million , is intended to create what the architect calls a ''luminous veil'' across the bridge . ''i 've been given a great opportunity to deal with life and death , '' said dereck revington , the university of waterloo architect who designed the new structure . he said his work was inspired by nicholas temelcoff , the ondaatje character who caught the falling nun . ''a barrier needs the same kind of elegance and grace as temelcoff , '' he added . but many here have opposed revamping one of toronto 's aesthetic treasures and obstructing one of the city 's most spectacular views , and the project has fueled a debate about how far local government should strive to prevent people from ending their lives . toronto is a cold , even unfriendly place compared with many other canadian communities , but it has a lower suicide rate than the country as a whole . the suicide rate here , and in the rest of canada , has declined since the early 1980 's . so why spend the extra money on this problem at a time when the needs for more public_housing and health_care services have become increasingly pressing ? ''critics say that it costs too much , '' noted a toronto_star article on jan . 28 acknowledging a slew of letters to the editor excoriating the project . ''they say it wo n't save lives . they say the 'unfortunates' inclined toward self destruction will just go elsewhere . they say it 's ugly . they say it 's an uncomfortable reminder of unpleasant things . '' it took five years of lobbying for michael mccamus and al birney , two local mental_health advocates with relatives who suffer from schizophrenia , to persuade a reluctant city_council to set aside the money for restructuring the viaduct . the two men argued that if new york and paris could add protective structures to the empire_state_building and the eiffel_tower to avert suicides , toronto could do the same . their campaign picked up sympathy in 1997 , when a 35 year old man named martin kruze jumped off the bridge to his death shortly after a man convicted of abusing him as a child received a two year prison term , a sentence widely viewed as too lenient . the case drew national attention because the convicted abuser was part of a ring operated by employees of maple_leaf_gardens , formerly the arena of the toronto_maple_leafs ice_hockey team . mr . mccamus and mr . birney reinforced their campaign with several academic studies showing that similar fences reduced incidents of bridge suicides in other cities . one such study of the duke_ellington bridge in washington , d.c. , showed that the building of a barrier there in 1986 did not cause a corresponding increase in suicides at the nearby taft bridge , suggesting that certain sites have a special draw for potential suicide jumpers . given a barrier , those considering suicide are forced to pause , giving them an opportunity to rethink their predicament and seek help . ''if you thwart jumpers from an immediately accessible site , '' said alan l . berman , executive director of the washington based american association of suicidology , ''you will save some lives . '' toronto journal

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lead high in the cascade mountains , where the road rises and falls steeply between rushing alpine streams , tourists have been lining up to cheer on a young man propelling himself westward in a wheelchair . high in the cascade mountains , where the road rises and falls steeply between rushing alpine streams , tourists have been lining up to cheer on a young man propelling himself westward in a wheelchair . no other event in canada in the last 10 months has attracted the attention drawn by rick hansen , a 29 year old british columbian who set out two years ago to push himself around the world . on his arrival in this town on the western side of the cascades , mr . hansen , a paraplegic since he was 15 years old , when a truck in which he hitchhiking back from a fishing expedition rolled over on a gravel road , was only 100 miles short of his finish line in vancouver , where he began his 25 , 000 mile odyssey . 8 million collected along the way , he has collected nearly 8 million for spinal_cord research , wheelchair sport and rehabilitation , most of it since returning to canada last fall . but his main achievement , apart from the physical endurance involved in pushing himself through 34 countries on four continents , may have been the interest he has stirred in the plight of the disabled . from small communities in the atlantic provinces and the prairies to cities like toronto , large crowds have turned out to watch mr . hansen 's ''man in motion'' caravan . hockey stadiums have filled for his rallies , and his progress much of it in the canadian winter , on an itinerary that crisscrossed the rocky_mountains three times has been marked by newspaper editorials and roadside greetings from police chiefs , mayors and provincial premiers . in dryden , ontario , a judge ordered four men convicted of drunken_driving to choose between jail and a 115 contribution to mr . hansen 's fund . the men chose the contributions . children are contributors elsewhere , the most frequent contributors have been schoolchildren , running forward with coins and notes as mr . hansen , preceded by royal_canadian_mounted_police cruisers for the entire 6 , 000 mile journey across canada , rolled by . it is not a new phenomenon in canada , where two one legged runners collected more than 28 million in the course of running across the country in the last five years . one of those , terry fox , was widely mourned when he was forced by illness to drop his 1982 attempt in northern ontario , and later died . the wheelchair athlete endured shoulder injuries , more than 100 flat tires , and four robberies , as well as extensive redesign of his five wheelchairs , specially made for the marathon events in which he was a three time world champion before setting out around the world but not ideal for the 50 to 70 mile days that became his routine . romance along the way other vagaries included a flood in new zealand , carbon monoxide poisoning in greece and blizzards in canada . public support has also been attracted by mr . hansen 's understated attitude . among other things , he kept secret for a long while about an aspect of the tour that has gained widespread interest in canadian newspapers , his engagement last year to amanda reid , 27 year old physiotherapist with the tour . ''this tour is not about rick hansen , '' the athlete said , chewing orange sections and sipping spring water after a 43 mile , mostly uphill section through the cascades . ''it 's about changing attitudes toward disabled people , gaining acceptance for them as part of the mainstream of life . ''and perhaps more than that , it 's about chasing dreams . i 'd like to get across the message that winning in life is not something that always comes first , that failure can simply be a matter of being afraid to try . ''

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the inuit of the canadian arctic have forsaken their sod houses and dog sleds for satellite_television and snowmobiles in less than two generations . assembling a smoothly functioning government and a solid educational system has been another matter entirely . the initiative to grant nunavut , a land of frozen fjords , desolate tundra and roaming herds of caribou , self rule seven years ago was heralded worldwide as an enlightened attempt to right past wrongs against a suffering aboriginal people . but two recent federal_government reports tell a disheartening story of frustrated hopes and local failures that do not bode well for nunavut 's exceptionally young population ( 38 percent of its people are under 14 ) , one still plagued by widespread drug abuse , alcoholism , suicide and family abuse . one report found that only 25 percent of inuit students graduate from high_school . the lack of basic skills means that the territorial government has filled only 45 percent of its 3 , 200 public positions with inuit , once known as eskimos , although inuit are 85 percent of the population . meanwhile , unemployment for the territory is at 30 percent , with some communities suffering 70 percent unemployment . ''nunavut faces a moment of change , a moment of crisis , '' wrote thomas r . berger , a former british_columbia supreme_court judge , in his report to the federal minister of indian_affairs and northern development . noting that 75 percent of nunavut 's 30 , 000 people speak inuktitut as their first language while the principal language of the government remains english , judge berger added , ''the people of the new territory speak a language which is an impediment to obtaining employment in their own public service . '' a second report , by sheila fraser , the auditor general of canada , disclosed widespread public financial mismanagement that was responsible for errors , bad decisions , waste and fraud in the spending of nearly 1 billion in annual federal and other financing . she noted that the territorial government 's efforts to decentralize operations to spread public jobs beyond the capital , iqaluit , had spread accounting talent too thinly . she recommended ' 'recentralizing'' government accounting operations so senior staff members could more closely supervise less experienced public workers . ''probably we need more time , '' said levi barnabas , a member of the nunavut legislative assembly , acknowledging in an interview the central conclusions of the two reports . ''education in southern canada is 200 years old , and our education system is only 60 years old . '' few sociologists are surprised by the lack of significant improvement since the establishment of the territory despite the highest per capita federal aid budget for any jurisdiction in the country . the inuit are a traditionally nomadic people who migrated about 1 , 000 years ago from western alaska toward what is today arctic canada . until very recently , they had no formal political organization . nuclear families lived together and occasionally joined other families to compose small , fluid bands to share their hunt . since world_war_ii , the inuit have been forced by the federal_government to abandon their nomadic lives for remote settlements approachable only by airplane . the federal police killed their sled dogs , saying they were sickly . young inuit were required to leave their parents and sent to residential schools , where they were routinely abused physically and sexually . modern life has its benefits , but the inuit diet of hunted game has largely been replaced by sugary and fatty packaged foods . welfare has become a way of life , and 30 year old grandparents are not uncommon . housing is scarce , so crowding only exacerbates social ills . the new conservative government of prime_minister stephen_harper has earmarked nearly 200 million for new housing in the territory in its budget , but that fell short of what the previous liberal government had promised . judge berger recommended in his report that a good way to start fixing nunavut would be to restructure its bilingual educational system in which children are taught in inuktitut through fourth or fifth grade and then introduced to english as the sole language of instruction . ''this reintroduces the colonial message of inferiority , '' he wrote . ''the inuit student mentally withdraws . '' he recommended that both languages be used through elementary and secondary_schools . territorial and federal officials say they are studying the recommendation . daniel iqaluk , 22 , whose main employment is washing dishes in the hamlet of resolute , said he quit school after 11th_grade because his classes were boring and confusing . he said his problems started early while his parents spoke to him at home in english , his classes in early elementary_school were in inuktitut . ''i could n't understand what they were talking about so all i did was watch and i never learned , '' he added while taking a break from cleaning an oil slick from a leaky snowmobile . he said he did not think the establishment of self government for the territory made a difference , ''but i do n't know why . '' many others here say they do like self rule , and think it will bear fruit with time . ''job wise we 're not better off , '' said mayor susan salluviniq of resolute , who was unraveling a ball of yarn for a worker who knits on the floor of an office equipped with high speed internet , maps and a fax_machine . ''but it 's slowly coming along . ''

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a senate committee report has concluded that canada 's national health system needs a major overhaul that could involve more than 3 billion in new funding . the report by the standing committee of social affairs , science and technology said the single_payer health system was in dire need of advanced medical equipment across the country . clifford krauss ( nyt )

has a location of canada

responding to an increasing number of requests , doctors have been removing and storing the sperm of men who have just died . the practice , feasible for two decades , is still rare . but it is becoming more common , according to a new study . most of the requests for dead men 's sperm are from family members , and medical experts are starting to debate when and whether the procedure should be permitted . the study , by dr . arthur caplan , the director of the center for bioethics at the university of pennsylvania , and his colleagues , was a survey of 273 infertility centers in the united_states and canada . the survey asked whether they had removed sperm from dead men from 1980 to 1995 . the survey found that sperm had been removed from 25 men at 14 centers in 11 states . forty of the centers in the united_states reported a total of 83 requests , half of them in 1994 and 1995 and for men whose age ranged from the teens to 60 . the canadian centers did not report any requests . the 273 centers said they knew of no children who had been conceived with sperm that was posthumously retrieved , said the survey , which is published in the june issue of the journal of urology . as often happens in the new world of reproductive technology , doctors who are asked to take sperm from dead men find themselves floundering in an area where the rules are uncertain . in the end , the decision to honor or decline a wife 's or family member 's plea for the sperm can hinge on the doctor 's personal feelings about the situation . some almost never refuse to do the procedure . others say they do it only if the man was married and had wanted children . others decline all requests . retrieving sperm from a dead man is easy , said dr . mark sauer , the chief of the division of reproductive endocrinology at columbia_university . doctors usually make a small incision in the vas deferens , where sperm is stored , and extract the sperm containing fluid . they tend to use a new method , called intercytoplasmic sperm injection , to create pregnancies , said dr . cappy rothman , a male fertility specialist at century city hospital in los_angeles . it involves injecting single sperm directly into an egg . in that way , they can best conserve the precious sperm cells , dr . rothman explained . but ''the real issue , '' dr . sauer said , ''is much more problematic . '' it is , he said , to resolve ''the ethics of taking sperm without the consent of the donor . '' and there , he added , ''you 'll never get consensus . '' dr . sauer said his only experience with the practice was when he was called , several years ago , by a colleague who wanted his advice on whether to take the sperm from a nevada man who had just hanged himself . dr . sauer said he had told her to go ahead . after all , he reasoned , the wife had wanted to have a child with her husband she was of sound mind , and ''there is n't anything that would preclude you . '' but , he said , it is easy to get into thorny territory . he said that before he would agree to take sperm from a new york man who had just died , he would consult his hospital 's lawyer . dr . rothman was the first to report on the practice . in a paper published in 1980 , he described how he retrieved sperm in 1978 from a 32 year old man who had been hit by a truck and was brain dead . shortly_afterward , dr . rothman got a call from a boston lawyer whose 15 year old brother had been shot in the head and was in a hospital that was a three hour drive from los_angeles . the boy was the family 's only male heir . no one at the hospital would remove his sperm they said they thought it would be unethical . and so , the sister asked , would dr . rothman do it ? by the time dr . rothman drove to the hospital , the boy had died . he removed the sperm and drove with it back to his hospital in los_angeles . the family followed him . when dr . rothman arrived at his laboratory , he looked under a microscope at the sperm and saw that it was moving . ''the mother smiled , '' dr . rothman said . ''there were tears in her eyes . she leaned over , gave me a kiss on the cheek , and tipped me 20 . '' but , he added , ''to my knowledge , she never used the sperm . '' since then , dr . rothman said he had done about seven more sperm retrievals from dead men , including one who had been in the los_angeles morgue for 38 hours . he said that the man 's wife had used the sperm to have four of her eggs fertilized but that no embryos survived . she intends to try again , dr . rothman said . lori andrews , a professor of reproductive law at the chicago kent college of law , said she had been consulted several times by doctors who wanted to take sperm from dead men and wondered whether it was legal or ethical . the first case involved a man who had died in a car accident and who had wanted to have children . his wife wanted his sperm . but then , professor andrews said , ''the cases started getting more and more remote from the interests of the person . '' she cited two examples a teen_age boy whose parents wanted his sperm to impregnate a surrogate_mother , and a woman whose husband had repeatedly said he did not want to have children with her . ''she claimed he changed his mind the week before the accident , '' professor andrews said . since the law is unclear , she said , it could be argued that a man has the right to his gametes and that no one can take his sperm without his written permission . on the other hand , she added , there is the organ_donation law , which gives next of kin the right to donate a dead person 's body parts and decide on the recipient . so with two competing legal precedents , professor andrews said , ''that 's why the hospitals have been calling me . '' some , like dr . sauer , are glad that reproductive medicine is not heavily regulated . ''it makes you more than a technician , '' he said . others , like dr . caplan , the bioethicist , would like to see a more deliberate national policy . ''right now , '' dr . caplan said , ''it 's up to individual doctors . it 's fair to say , 'is that enough ? ' '' professor andrews agreed , saying ''we have not been good at drawing lines in this field . i think that it 's a show me the money industry . if you can pay , you can get the service . '' and for policies that can fundamentally change human relationships , she said , that is not good enough .

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abitibi price inc . , the canadian newsprint producer based in toronto , said it would close about 200 , 000 metric_tons of its production capacity in 1991 , possibly taking one of its newsprint mills out of service . analysts said abitibi price had about 1.9 million_metric_tons of capacity , or 12 percent of the north_american newsprint market . a number of newsprint companies have announced temporary shutdowns to reduce inventories and strengthen prices . newsprint demand has been slack because of declines in newspaper advertising and more foreign competition . company news

has a location of canada

charlotte m . cohan , her bones weakened by disease , curled up in a chair at the rotary laughlin center with a cup of tea and some carrot cake . " i always thought a nursing home was the worst place you could go to , the end of the line , " she said as tchaikovsky 's " romeo and juliet " played on the stereo . " this place is a godsend . i have a hundred friends here . " for her shared room and " more food than you can eat " at this downtown toronto home for the aged , mrs . cohan , who is 82 years old , pays the equivalent of 700 a month , financing it through her government retirement pension . she also gets 87 a month in " comfort money " for personal expenses , like magazines and visits to the hairdresser . thanks to universal health_insurance , benefits to the impoverished elderly in canada are considerably more generous than those offered by the united_states . in part they reflect a greater trust in the role of government in canada , and a willingness to pay higher taxes for social_services . fees from nursing home patients , for example , generally represent about one third of the actual cost in either private or government homes . the balance is paid by provincial governments and community_service agencies . but canada 's different approach to health_care for the elderly applies at higher income levels as well . americans must use their own money for nursing homes or other long_term_care until they deplete their assets then they can qualify for medicaid , the federal state health program , a process that often leads to anguish and humiliation . no such restrictions exist in canada , where there are some means tests for government aid but families are not required to sell off their assets . those who are better off may be required to pay more , but rich and poor live under the same roof , eat the same meals , go to the same social functions . canada 's growing fiscal problems arise in part from its health system . but for long_term_care it has a system that everyone can afford and that offers more for the money than many patients get in the united_states . the system for the elderly parallels canada 's universal_health_care , which has also won praise for being simpler and more efficient because the government pays all health bills . the clinton_administration has said it wants to include long_term_care in the health reform proposals it is developing , but it may have to defer any major program because of the costs . fastest growing age group " we do n't have quite the same idea that the only way you 're entitled to government help is as a total last resort , " said raisa deber , health economist at the university of toronto . " we have a different set of priorities . " a result , said sharon sholzberg gray , executive director of the canadian long_term_care association in ottawa , is that " affording long_term_care has never been an issue for individual canadians . " the elderly are canada 's fastest growing age group . some 3 million canadians are over 65 , or one citizen in 10 . in 30 years , the ratio will be 1 in 5 . american figures are roughly comparable one american in 8 is over 65 in 30 years , the ratio will be 1 in 6 . the charge for standard nursing home accommodation , depending on the province or territory , is 625 to 700 a month . the fee is set at about 78 a month under the income received by the poorest pensioners in order to leave the all important " comfort money . " the cost is lower jessie current , 90 , pays about 1 , 650 a month at rotary laughlin . she is canadian born . her late husband was an american in the pulp and paper business and they lived in southern ohio . " this is nothing like the bills i 'd have if i had to go to a nursing home in the states , " she said . in the united_states the average cost of a nursing home is 2 , 500 a month . using numbers from the provinces and from statistics_canada , the canadian long_term_care association has calculated the cost to the taxpayer of all community and institution based care programs for the elderly at 3 . 9 billion a year . this is slightly over 10 percent of the 32 . 4 billion that ottawa and the provinces spend on health . in the united_states public funds , mainly medicaid , pay for more than half of all nursing home costs . the health_care financing administration reports medicaid expenditures for long_term_care at 38 . 6 billion last year . an estimated 15 billion to 20 billion of public funds also went into long_term_care in federal and state social service grants . a fear of poverty most american and canadian health economists agree that the quality of institutions that serve mainly medicaid patients though they vary_widely is generally below that of the publicly supported canadian institutions . medicaid pays nursing home fees that range from 1 , 200 a month to nearly 4 , 000 a month , depending on the state , usually well below what the better homes charge private patients . so great is the fear in the united_states of being forced into poverty by the cost of long_term_care that more than 2.4 million americans have bought costly insurance to cover the cost . in canada , there is no such thing . no country has a perfect system , but canada 's , while continuing a process of creative tinkering , has caught the attention of specialists in the united_states . " we have looked at canadian long_term_care programs and found them very interesting , " said robyn stone , who headed the long_term_care work group for president_clinton . some spending cuts the president is expected to give special emphasis in his proposals to expanding home and community based programs , as canadian provinces are now doing . keeping people in their own homes longer can improve the quality of life and save money . ontario , home to one of three canadians , has just announced plans to spend 505 million over the next five years , mostly to expand and streamline home_care services for the elderly , like meal programs , home maintenance , transportation and nurses' visits . the province 's health minister , ruth grier , said in an interview that overall health spending is being drastically curtailed except in the home and community based sector , where the aim is to " help the elderly keep their independence as long as possible . " olive donaldson , a member of the nonprofit victorian order of nurses , visits 12 patients a day , most of them elderly , in north toronto . a " foot soldier , " as she calls herself , " who is in the trenches every day , " she provides home dialysis , intravenous medication , even " bowel routines " if necessary . for her there is no question about the value of home_care . " i feel it 's cheaper in the long run , " she said . " it takes longer to get well in a hospital . at home you 're more relaxed . it 's more supportive , and you 're in charge . " ontario government agencies provided some form of home medical care to 307 , 000 people last year , roughly 3 percent of the population of the province , but more than one third of those over 65 . the number is expected to grow to 340 , 000 in the current year . a higher priority many states in the united_states already have well developed home_care programs for the elderly , financed in part by medicaid . the main differences are the higher priority given this approach in canada and the degree of integration here between home and institutional care . dr . duncan robertson , head of geriatric medicine units at both the sunnybrook health science center in toronto and the university of toronto , points to an " artificial dichotomy " in the united_states . " in making choices , families must do a great deal more work and suffer more anxiety because the system is so complicated and disjointed , whereas in canada , you literally have one or two contacts with placement specialists who can then access a full range of services , " he said . basically , the canadians run care for the aged as a social program , which means that the real risk of financial disaster for those facing long_term_care needs is incurred not by individuals but by society . tests national character in their book " a will and a way what the united_states can learn from canada about caring for the elderly , " rosalie a . kane and robert l . kane , health economists at the university of minnesota , call long_term_care a test of national character . canadians , they wrote , " seem to show that persons and organizations of good will can grapple with long_term_care and produce a program that both the country and individual users can afford . " mrs . kane added in an interview " at the very minimum , the canadian experience illustrates the art of the possible at a time when pessimism prevails in the united_states regarding genuine , far reaching long_term_care reform . "

has a location of canada

lead dofasco inc . , which acquired a rival last year to become canada 's largest steelmaker , plans to exploit its enlarged production capacity to penetrate overseas markets . with raw product from its algoma steel corporation subsidiary , dofasco is increasing exports of hot rolled steel to take advantage of strong foreign prices , its president , paul dofasco inc . , which acquired a rival last year to become canada 's largest steelmaker , plans to exploit its enlarged production capacity to penetrate overseas markets . with raw product from its algoma steel corporation subsidiary , dofasco is increasing exports of hot rolled steel to take advantage of strong foreign prices , its president , paul phoenix , said in a interview . while shipments to the united_states , dofasco 's single largest export market , are expected to remain steady in 1989 , higher overseas sales to countries like thailand and the philippines will push export sales over last year 's 480 million , he said . company news

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the federalist liberal_party has jumped to a lead in the polls and appears poised to wrest the quebec provincial government from the separatist parti qu b cois in the election on monday . such a victory could portend a sea change in canadian politics . after a closely fought race , the shift appears to reflect an emerging consensus on reducing local taxes , tackling long lines for publicly financed health_care and , most importantly , ending the parti qu b cois dream of separating from canada . thirty percent of the voters in a poll published on saturday by l ger marketing , a montreal based firm , said they could still change their minds , suggesting that the parti qu b cois retains a slim possibility of making a last minute comeback and retaining control of the provincial assembly it has held since 1994 . but several polls have shown the liberals surging rapidly over the last week , with jean charest , an ardent federalist and centrist , positioned to become premier . the l ger poll showed the liberals with 45 percent of the vote , the parti qu b cois with 38 percent and the center right action d mocratique du qu_bec with 16 percent . as the liberal vote is concentrated around montreal , the resulting breakdown in the 125 member assembly would likely be much closer . the l ger poll was conducted among 306 quebec residents on april 10 and had a margin of error of plus or minus six percentage_points . a liberal quebec government would come as a relief for the local business community and english speaking quebecers who fear the instability that occurred during the 1980 and 1995 referendum campaigns on separation . but a liberal victory would also give the federal liberal government more leeway on issues from reforming health_care to supporting the united_states in iraq . quebec 's premier , bernard landry , soft pedaled the separatist issue during most of the campaign , refusing to promise another referendum while proposing tax breaks and four day workweeks for young families with children . his strategy appeared to be working until the campaign 's sole televised debate two weeks ago . mr . charest put mr . landry on the defensive with an unsubstantiated charge that earlier in the day the former separatist premier , jacques parizeau , repeated a controversial remark he made after the referendum in 1995 , blaming ' 'money and ethnic votes'' for the defeat . the remark had been viewed by some as anti immigrant and even anti_semitic . struggling to respond , mr . landry forced mr . parizeau to stop campaigning for the parti qu b cois ticket . that angered much of the party 's activist core and appeared to paralyze the campaign for days . with his campaign in disarray , mr . landry , in the last few days , returned to the old separatist theme to shore up his base . he promised to hold a referendum if there was the slightest chance of winning . ''we want to make a country , '' he said at a rally on wednesday night . whatever the election result , one analyst said the campaign signaled a new political era . ''this is the first election in 40 years in which sovereignty is not the central theme , '' said christian dufour , a montreal lawyer and author . ''but it will come back , sooner or later . the qu b cois question is still there , it 's just dormant . '' federal politicians are likely to take notice of any shift to the right in quebec politics as they prepare for national elections next year . with 7.2 million inhabitants , quebec represents nearly one quarter of the national population .

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a respected canadian computer programmer says the united_states_government severed research financing for a computer security project he was working on after he made remarks in the canadian press critical of the american military . the programmer , theo de raadt , the 35 year old founder of an international collaborative software project known as openbsd , had been receiving support from the defense advanced research project agency , or darpa , a research arm of the american military that is closely tied to the founding of the internet . the money , part of a 2 . 3 million grant given to the university of pennsylvania , was part of a military effort to create computer systems more resilient to hacking , viruses and other attacks . the american military estimates that it experiences 250 , 000 cyberattacks each year . the controversy highlights the delicate balance between the military and the anti_establishment bent of some in the technology community . it also shows that the international pool of computer programmers and hackers , possessing vast technological expertise , is not entirely sympathetic to the american military 's current role in world affairs . a recent interview with mr . de raadt , published by the globe and mail of toronto , portrayed him as being uneasy about the military source of the financing . he was quoted as saying , ''i try to convince myself that our grant means a half of a cruise_missile does n't get built . '' the article also said he considered the war in iraq a grab for oil . mr . de raadt said that a few days after the interview was published , jonathan smith , the penn professor who heads the military grant project , told him people had ''expressed discomfort with what i had said . '' then last friday professor smith sent out an e mail message saying that work had to cease immediately because the military stopped the financing and the project was ''over . '' mr . de raadt said this left the openbsd project in crisis because it had already committed tens of thousands of dollars to bringing together 60 programmers from around the world for a four day ''hackathon'' in calgary in may . darpa money has supported other hackathons for this project . some cautioned about reading too much into the military 's decision . ''these kinds of 'stop works' happen all the time , '' said fernando pereira , the head of penn 's computer science department . ''federal budgets and priorities change all the time . '' nevertheless , some computer specialists saw the incident as a rebuke . people quickly voiced their displeasure on web_sites , over e mail lists and to the organizations involved . on monday , darpa said it had not cut off all financing for the project , just money for the hackathon . jan walker , a spokeswoman for darpa , said the agency was reviewing the rest of the project , which has three months left in its two year contract . decisions about financing had been made because of ' 'recent world events and specifically the evolving threat posed by increasingly capable nation states , '' ms . walker said . mr . de raadt said the decision extended beyond the hackathon because the project 's staff members had been notified this week that their salaries would no longer be paid by the military financing . he said the hackathon would go on , financed by modest online donations of 50 or 100 . he noted that even while he was on the phone with a reporter , 65 in donations had come in . ''we are free people , we are hobbyists , '' he said . ''we do this for fun . '' aftereffects dissent

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with scientists almost certain they have found the virus that causes the respiratory infection known as sars , a breakneck effort has begun to develop a vaccine and drugs to prevent and treat the disease . scientists at the united_states_army 's biodefense laboratory in fort detrick , md . , in cooperation with other federal agencies , are screening up to 2 , 000 approved and experimental drugs , including some cleared for use against other viral diseases , in hopes of finding medicines that will inhibit the growth of the virus in laboratory cultures . if scientists can find a drug that has proved safe for humans , or at least one that has gone through animal toxicity testing , it would accelerate development of a drug to treat sars , which stands for severe_acute_respiratory_syndrome . developing a drug from scratch would take years , experts said . the genetic sequencing of the virus , which was completed over the weekend by canadian scientists and yesterday by americans , is also expected to provide many clues about how the armor of the virus can be pierced . scientists at the national institute of allergy and infectious diseases , meanwhile , are growing the virus in cultures with the aim of killing it to use in a first attempt at a vaccine . killed viruses have long been used for vaccines because they prepare the body 's immune system to be ready in case of an infection by the live virus . ''the quick and easiest one is the killed vaccine , '' said dr . anthony s . fauci , the director of the institute . he said that while developing and testing a vaccine would take several more years , scientists should have an idea in about a year whether a vaccine might be feasible . but scientists warn that many obstacles loom . the type of virus thought to cause sars , a coronavirus , has never received serious attention from drug makers . ''i do n't know anything that works for coronavirus right now , '' said dr . susan r . weiss , a professor of microbiology at the university of pennsylvania . that is because the two human coronaviruses known until now cause only the common_cold , and they are not even the main cause of that . ''people never got to corona because it 's a minor player in causing colds , '' said mark a . mckinlay , vice_president for research and development at viropharma of exton , pa . , which worked on a cold treatment aimed at a different virus . coronaviruses , named for their crown like shape , cause serious diseases in many animals , and vaccines have been developed for some animal coronaviruses , but not without great difficulty . ''all of them do n't work very well , '' said dr . niels pedersen , professor of veterinary medicine at the university of california at davis . the animal vaccines often do not provide strong immunity , and the virus can mutate so that some vaccines will not affect it , he said . some vaccines developed for cat coronavirus actually made the disease worse , he said . nevertheless , dr . pedersen said , sars might provoke stronger immunity in humans because it appears to invade the body more deeply than some of the animal viruses do , leading to a more powerful immune response . that would raise the prospects for a sars vaccine . one bright spot of the research so far is that the sars virus grows well in cultures of cells derived from monkey kidneys . that makes studying the virus easier . having an animal that becomes infected by the virus would also be useful for testing drugs and vaccines , so federal researchers are trying to determine whether they can infect animals like mice or monkeys . some experts say that is not likely because coronaviruses tend to infect only one species . the rat coronavirus does not even infect mice , said dr . kathryn v . holmes of the university of colorado , an authority on the viruses . moreover , the freshly deciphered genetic sequence of the sars virus shows that it is not very similar to other known coronaviruses . as for treatments , doctors in hong_kong , a center of the outbreak , reported last week in the the lancet that the combination of steroids and the antiviral drug ribavirin appeared to help . but the army biodefense lab found in its tests that ribavirin did not inhibit the replication of the sars virus grown in the laboratory . and a spate of new deaths over the weekend in hong_kong has dimmed enthusiasm for the treatment even there . alpha interferon , a drug used to treat hepatitis c , will be a ''prime candidate'' for clinical_trials for a sars treatment , dr . fauci said . in the mid 1980 's , dr . ronald turner , then of the university of utah and now at the university of virginia , found that alpha interferon , sprayed into the noses of volunteers , reduced symptoms when the volunteers were then exposed to a coronavirus that causes the common_cold . the interferon caused nasal irritation severe enough to make it unacceptable as a treatment for colds . but the side effects might be acceptable for a more serious disease like sars , dr . turner said . however , it is ''pretty iffy'' that the approach would work against sars , he said . the government is also looking at other immune therapies , like extracting antibodies to the sars virus from the blood of people who have recovered from the disease . scientists will also look for drugs that block crucial enzymes the virus uses for replication , like proteases . this approach has been successful in treating diseases like aids . the drugs used to treat those diseases are not expected to work on sars because the enzymes are different , but the approach might be used . in laboratory tests , cystatin c , a protease inhibitor found in human blood , blocks replication of the coronaviruses that cause colds , said dr . arlene collins , associate professor of microbiology at the state university of new york at buffalo . but it is unclear if it would inhibit the sars virus , she said . nor has cystatin c ever been tested for safety and efficacy as a drug . avi biopharma of portland , ore . , said its technology for turning off particular viral genes has been used to treat animals with other viral infections . advanced viral research of yonkers , said a drug it was testing for use against aids and other diseases should be tried for sars . a respiratory_illness treatments

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when a majority of the world 's nations decided two years ago to establish a permanent court to try those charged with the most serious war_crimes , political opposition emerged in both the united_states and canada . president_clinton and prime_minister_jean_chretien were early supporters of the permanent tribunal , now taking formal shape as the international_criminal_court . but both faced problems in their respective legislatures , where members had to approve the countries' participation . in early july , canada ratified the treaty creating the court , and announced that it was the first nation to have brought its national laws in line with the new tribunal . the united_states , on the other hand , is fighting a last ditch battle to prevent americans from falling under the court 's jurisdiction . clinton_administration officials say america will not join the court in the foreseeable future because the senate foreign relations committee especially its chairman , senator jesse_helms , republican of north_carolina has warned that its members will never approve the treaty . but the canadian and american situations are different . most important , mr . chretien has a majority in the canadian parliament , while president_clinton must deal with a congress controlled by republicans . although canada is active in peacekeeping around the world , the united_states , as the world 's most powerful nation , would be a bigger target for frivolous or politically_motivated lawsuits . in a recent interview here , canada 's foreign_minister , lloyd axworthy , said that the canadian government , unlike the united_states , decided nevertheless to take no chances with public opinion . it opened a national debate about the court and began a campaign of ''public_diplomacy'' to build support . ''it was a good debate , '' he said . ''one party raised a number of objections to it , about national sovereignty and individual rights , but it got approved overwhelmingly . '' ''our view , '' he said of the government 's position , ''was that if you have a functioning national court system , then the international court is simply a court of last resort . '' mr . axworthy said that government leaders made acceptance of the court designed to bring trials on charges of genocide , war_crimes or crimes against humanity a top political priority . ''we sponsored a national forum across the country , '' he said . ''plus we have a major web_site on the issue . most important and i underline this is that we enlisted the support of a number of key parliamentarians to do our work internationally . '' these members of the canadian parliament not only support the court in their districts but also go to international meetings to build up wide backing in organizations like the inter parliamentary union or nato . canadian diplomats also promote the court , he said . canada also recently appointed a member of parliament who is considered an expert on the international court , erwin cotler of montreal , as a special envoy for this issue . ''he 's there to do the speeches , do the schmoozing , '' mr . axworthy said . ''he 's a very popular spokesperson . '' for canada , the campaign is over domestically , and officials can turn to the vexing questions of how to build more support in the united_states for a court that could be functioning within a year or two . ''it is no longer something that 's going away in fact it 's probably something that 's coming quicker than most people would anticipate , '' mr . axworthy said . ''it 's now taking form , shape and movement , plus some energy . that in itself should be a message . ''our strategy is to keep the u.s . engaged , '' said mr . axworthy , who meets regularly with a dozen of his counterparts from around the world to discuss issues of ''human security , '' an area where the court ranks high , he said . ''let 's continue to work and massage and accommodate , '' he said of washington 's fears . ''but there has to be flexibility on the u.s . side . they have to adjust their sights now too and recognize that they are not going to get an exemption from this court . that 's pretty clear . they 've been told that . '' mr . axworthy said that canada and others would like to see a shift in american thinking , but he added that they are aware that the american public is not high on this issue . ''it is so important , so crucial that the debate here shift its focus from how you thwart it , frustrate it or stop it to how do we make sure that your interests are looked after and that you can support probably what will be the most significant new institution of this century . ''

has a location of canada

the cambie surgery center , canada 's most prominent private hospital , may be considered a rogue enterprise . accepting money from patients for operations they would otherwise receive free of charge in a public_hospital is technically prohibited in this country , even in cases where patients would wait months or even years before receiving treatment . but no one is about to arrest dr . brian day , who is president and medical director of the center , or any of the 120 doctors who work there . public hospitals are sending him growing numbers of patients they are too busy to treat , and his center is advertising that patients do not have to wait to replace their aching knees . the country 's publicly financed health_insurance system frequently described as the third rail of its political system and a core value of its national identity is gradually breaking down . private clinics are opening around the country by an estimated one a week , and private insurance_companies are about to find a gold mine . dr . day , for instance , is planning to open more private hospitals , first in toronto and ottawa , then in montreal , calgary and edmonton . ontario provincial officials are already threatening stiff fines . dr . day says he is eager to see them in court . ''we 've taken the position that the law is illegal , '' dr . day , 59 , says . ''this is a country in which dogs can get a hip_replacement in under a week and in which humans can wait two to three years . '' dr . day may be a rebel ( he keeps a photograph of himself with fidel_castro behind his desk ) , but he appears to be on top of a new wave in canada 's health_care future . he is poised to become the president of the canadian medical association next year , and his profitable vancouver hospital is serving as a model for medical entrepreneurs in several provinces . canada remains the only industrialized country that outlaws privately financed purchases of core medical services . prime_minister stephen_harper and other politicians remain reluctant to openly propose sweeping changes even though costs for the national and provincial governments are exploding and some cancer patients are waiting months for diagnostic_tests and treatment . but a supreme_court ruling last june it found that a quebec provincial ban on private health_insurance was unconstitutional when patients were suffering and even dying on waiting_lists appears to have become a turning point for the entire country . ''the prohibition on obtaining private health_insurance is not constitutional where the public system fails to deliver reasonable services , '' the court ruled . in response , the quebec premier , jean charest , proposed this month to allow private hospitals to subcontract hip , knee and cataract surgery to private clinics when patients are unable to be treated quickly enough under the public system . the premiers of british_columbia and alberta have suggested they will go much further to encourage private health services and insurance in legislation they plan to propose in the next few months . private doctors across the country are not waiting for changes in the law , figuring provincial governments will not try to stop them only to face more test cases in the supreme_court . one vancouver based company started a large for profit family medical clinic specializing in screening and preventive_medicine here last november . it is planning to set up three similar clinics in toronto , ottawa and london , ontario next summer and nine more in several other cities by the end of 2007 . private diagnostic clinics offering mri procedures are opening around the country . canadian leaders continue to reject the largely market driven american system , with its powerful private insurance_companies and 40 million people left uninsured , as they look to european mixed public private health_insurance and delivery systems . ''why are we so afraid to look at mixed health_care delivery models when other states in europe and around the world have used them to produce better results for patients at a lower cost to taxpayers ? '' the premier of british columbia , gordon campbell , asked in a speech two weeks ago . while proponents of private clinics say they will shorten waiting_lists and quicken service at public institutions , critics warn that they will drain the public system of doctors and nurses . canada has a national doctor shortage already , with 1.4 million people in the province of ontario alone without the services of a family doctor . ''if anesthetists go to work in a private clinic , '' manitoba 's health minister , tim sale , argued recently , ''the work that they were doing in the public_sector is spread among fewer and fewer people . '' but most canadians agree that current wait times are not acceptable . the median wait time between a referral by a family doctor and an appointment with a specialist has increased to 8.3 weeks last year from 3.7 weeks in 1993 , according to a recent study by the fraser institute , a conservative research group . meanwhile the median wait between an appointment with a specialist and treatment has increased to 9.4 weeks from 5.6 weeks over the same period . average wait times between referral by a family doctor and treatment range from 5.5 weeks for oncology to 40 weeks for orthopedic surgery , according to the study . last december , provincial health ministers unveiled new targets for cutting wait times , including four weeks for radiation therapy for cancer patients beginning when doctors consider them ready for treatment and 26 weeks for hip_replacements . but few experts think that will stop the trend toward privatization . dr . day 's hospital here opened in 1996 with 30 doctors and three operating rooms , treating mostly police officers , members of the military and worker 's compensation clients , who are still allowed to seek treatment outside the public insurance system . it took several years to turn a profit . today the center is twice its original size and has yearly revenue of more than 8 million , mostly from perfectly legal procedures . over the last 18 months , the hospital has been under contract by overburdened local hospitals to perform knee , spine and gynecological operations on more than 1 , 000 patients .

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for most people , a red_cross is the symbol of the international relief agency that provides help to those in need . but for derek marchand and thousands of other canadians who received tainted_blood from the red_cross of canada in the 1980 's , the cross has become a symbol of disillusionment , a painful reminder of how badly their faith in the compassion of canada has been shaken . ''i look at that and i know that they have helped a lot of people , '' mr . marchand said , pointing to the red_cross on one of the many letters in his medical file , ''and i look at what 's happening to me now and i say the math is wrong here . why is this happening to me ? '' for a country that often defines itself by the quality of its health_care system , the last few months have been disquieting . late last year an independent commission reported that canada 's blood system had failed to protect sick canadians who received blood in the 1980 's . the commission concluded that the government had not adequately supervised the red_cross . the agency has been stripped of responsibility for the blood system , and compensation was offered to about 1 , 000 people with aids . but some 42 , 000 canadians , including mr . marchand , had contracted hepatitis c , which attacks the liver and can be fatal . worried about setting too wide a precedent for compensation , federal and provincial authorities jointly set up a compensation fund worth about 750 million . but the fund was for the benefit only of those who had contracted the disease between 1986 and 1990 , when a screening test was used in the united_states , but ignored in canada . the compensation package has become a huge moral and political issue that has dominated newspapers and television newscasts across canada for weeks . it has set off a showdown between prime_minister_jean_chretien and the provinces , and for a brief moment last month it looked as if it could bring down the liberal_party government through a vote of no confidence . mr . marchand was infected with hepatitis c from one or more of the 38 transfusions he received as doctors scrambled to save his life after a devastating accident that occurred on a bright sunday afternoon when he was 16 . he had just received his glider pilot 's license and was walking on the side of the road with his girlfriend , wendy , when a car doing 50 miles per hour plowed into them . the date was sept . 15 , 1985 , three and a half months before the earliest date in the government 's compensation package . ''at first i could n't believe i was infected , '' said mr . marchand , 29 . ''now i ca n't believe i was rejected for compensation . '' he has mostly recovered from the accident but he continues to struggle against the hepatitis c , which causes intense and prolonged fatigue , as well as a steady deterioration of his liver . he sleeps about 14 hours a day , and lacks the energy to do much more than cook dinner for his parents , with whom he lives in this village about 45 miles north of toronto . mr . marchand is the lead plaintiff in a class_action_suit that includes some 20 , 000 tainted_blood victims with hepatitis c who were excluded from the original compensation offer . he does not work , he does not own a car , he has never married and he cannot go gliding anymore . the combination of the car accident , which damaged his brain , and the hepatitis c , which limits his strength , canceled most of the dreams he once held for his future . the lawsuit , he said in an interview at his home , is one way to feel he can accomplish something with his life . ''canada is a beautiful country and i appreciate what i have here , '' he said , ''but at the same time i see a system of politics that is corrupting everything and hurting the people . '' holding the government responsible for its mistakes has become his mission . ''i have made peace with the driver who hurt me in the accident , and i have made peace with my god , '' he said . ''but i need to make peace with my government , the government that rejected me . '' compensation for blood victims has taken on such importance that mr . chretien was forced to advance the schedule of his groundbreaking trip to cuba last week in order to return to ottawa for a crucial vote on compensation in parliament . but even a liberal victory in that vote was not enough to end the furor . late last week some of the provinces reversed positions and called on the federal_government to compensate all victims , regardless of when they contracted the disease , but were unwilling to pay for the additional coverage . the sparring between governments infuriated people across canada , who demanded that officials ' 'do the right thing , '' and compensate everyone . the victims heard the outcry . ''this is canada and the spirit of the country is supposed to be compassion , '' mr . marchand said . this week the government 's position changed yet again , this time because of dramatic reversals by ontario and quebec , canada 's largest provinces . they announced that they would bear their share of the cost of compensating all hepatitis c victims regardless of what the other governments do . the action by ontario and quebec is expected to force federal officials to reconsider their position . despite all he has been through , mr . marchand said he does not hold a grudge . he recently met the driver of the car that hit him and forgave him for what happened . even so , while the latest reversal has made him hopeful , he does not feel he can yet drop his lawsuit or forgive the red_cross and canada for what happened to him . ''i 'm not a vindictive person at all , '' he said , ''i just want to see that the right thing gets done . ''

has a location of canada

lead the canadian government said tonight that its ambassador to washington had been subpoenaed to testify at the perjury trial of michael k . deaver , the former white_house aide , but would refuse to appear . the canadian government said tonight that its ambassador to washington had been subpoenaed to testify at the perjury trial of michael k . deaver , the former white_house aide , but would refuse to appear . in a statement , the government said its decision was based on ''longstanding and important principles which govern the conduct of relations between two sovereign states . '' allan e . gotlieb , the canadian ambassador to the united_states , has extensive knowledge of the 105 , 000 lobbying contract provided to mr . deaver by the canadian government . state_department backs canada a canadian official who asked not to be identified said the state_department was supporting canada in its assertion that ambassador gotlieb could not be compelled to testify at the deaver trial . it was unclear how important mr . gotlieb 's testimony would be , although officials said he had already provided valuable information to prosecutors . mr . deaver has been accused of lying under oath to congress and a federal grand_jury about his lobbying activities , including his dealings with canada on the issue of acid_rain . one legal source said whitney north seymour jr . , the special_prosecutor in the case , intended to take the ambassador to court to force him to testify at the trial , which is scheduled to begin next month . mr . seymour , the source said , has argued that mr . gotlieb must testify to verify allegations against mr . deaver . the constitution provides criminal defendants with the right to confront prosecution witnesses through cross_examination . in a statement issued by the canadian embassy , canada said mr . seymour was ''asking the government to break normal diplomatic practice . '' waiver called 'unprecedented' under diplomatic accords , the statement said , ''foreign diplomatic personnel are not obliged to testify in judicial proceedings and will not do so without an expressed waiver from the sending country . '' the statement said that ' 'such a waiver would be unprecedented for canada in a matter such as the deaver trial , just as it would be unprecedented for the united_states to grant a waiver in similar circumstances . '' under a 1985 contract , mr . deaver was reportedly paid 105 , 000 by the canadian government to lobby for efforts to control acid_rain and on trade . last year , while the grand_jury investigation continued , mr . deaver announced that to spare further embarrassment to canada , he would not renew the contract . canada has denied that future job opportunities were discussed with mr . deaver while he worked for president_reagan as the deputy white_house_chief_of_staff , but the fact that the lobbying contract was signed within days of his departure from the white_house has raised suspicions . the fourth count of the five count indictment against mr . deaver deals with canada and the acid_rain issue . according to the indictment , mr . deaver committed perjury when he told a grand_jury last june that he could not recall participating in white_house meetings on the acid_rain issue until march 6 , 1985 . selection of special envoy prosecutors said he had been present at six meetings before then at which acid_rain was discussed . the indictment charges that mr . deaver also lied when he told the grand_jury that he had not participated in the selection of drew lewis , the former secretary of transportation , as the presidential envoy on the acid_rain issue in 1985 . in fact , the indictment said , mr . deaver ''actively supported the idea of appointing a special envoy from the moment the idea was first proposed on dec . 17 , 1984 , '' and ''actively supported the president 's selection of drew lewis . '' the indictment also accused mr . deaver of lying about a lunch with mr . gotlieb in early 1985 to discuss relations between the two governments . a canadian official who asked not to be identified said abraham d . sofaer , the state_department 's legal adviser , had written to mr . seymour ''within the last 24 hours'' and said he ''totally supported the canadian legal view on this issue . ''

has a location of canada

a headline with the e_commerce report column in business day on jan . 26 , about the decline in online holiday spending in recent years on canadian web_sites , misstated the comparison of internet use in canada and the united_states . while a higher percentage of canadians use the internet , the total number is greater in the united_states .

has a location of canada

in a footnote to an unusual chapter of the cold_war , canada has agreed to compensate victims of psychiatric experiments carried out mainly in the 1950 's and financed in part by the central_intelligence_agency . the experiments began after some prisoners returned from the korean_war brainwashed , and western intelligence agencies began studies and experiments on the nature and possibility of mind control . an institute at mcgill_university in montreal , headed by dr . d . ewen cameron , a psychiatrist who died in 1977 , was one of the centers where such experiments were carried out . now , the canadian government says the 80 or so patients who underwent the so called " psychic driving " treatment in montreal , intended to wipe the brain clear of all trauma , can receive almost 80 , 000 each . the decision , which was announced on tuesday , represents an about face for the government of prime_minister brian_mulroney . seven years ago , when the matter came up after a number of suits were filed by victims , ottawa refused to pay compensation . u.s . already made payments " i believe that this financial assistance responds in a way that expresses the fairness and compassion canadians expect from their government , " justice minister kim campbell said in announcing the decision . one reason for the change was that the united_states has already settled with some of the canadian victims . another , lawyers said , was that many of the suits filed early in the 1980 's were still open and promised evidence that could embarrass a government gearing up for elections . the patients at the allan memorial institute at mcgill were put into a drugged sleep for weeks or months , subjected to electroshock therapy until they were " de patterned , " knowing neither who or where they were , and forced to listen repeatedly to recorded messages broadcast from speakers on the wall or under their pillows . linda macdonald , 55 years old , an employment counselor now in vancouver , is one of those who sued for compensation . " i walked through those doors with a husband on one arm and a guitar on the other and was a healthy person and coherent , " she said . diagnosed as an acute schizophrenic she had gone to dr . cameron for treatment she spent 86 days in the " sleep room " and was subjected to 109 shock treatments and megadoses of barbiturates and other drugs . reduced to a blank slate when she got out of the experiment , she could not read or write , had to be toilet trained and could not remember her husband , her five children or any part of the first 26 years of her life . reached in los_angeles , where she is discussing a film on her life , she said the compensation " is minimal and wo n't go very far , but that was n't my purpose in my suit against the government . " " it was to make sure that canadians understood that such a thing happened in their country and to get the government to take responsibility so that it wo n't happen again , " she said . david orlikow , a retired member of parliament , whose now deceased wife , velma , was another subject , said she emerged from the treatment " really a disabled person , not physically but emotionally . " " there were days when she would do nothing and then be subject to unexplainable rages , " mr . orlikow recalled . " she was a very intelligent person , but her ability to read was destroyed . " mr . orlikow initiated litigation in the united_states against the c.i.a. , recruiting the civil_liberties lawyer joseph l . rauh to take his wife 's case . in october , 1988 , the justice_department announced an out of court settlement with velma orlikow and eight other victims , a total of 750 , 000 . ms . macdonald was not among the nine . the c.i.a . had cut off financing of the program at the time of her treatment . john hedley , a c.i.a . spokesman , commented " it 's a sad episode that happened more than 30 years ago , and the case is closed . " noting the 1988 settlement , he said the agency had " nothing to add concerning the decision in canada . " american author 's testimony john marks , a former state_department official whose 1979 book , " the search for the manchurian candidate , " called attention to the experiments , said that a c.i.a . front called the society for the investigation of human ecology , funneled more than 60 , 000 to dr . cameron for the studies . ottawa gave him more than 200 , 000 . despite the decision to pay compensation , the canadian government has not acknowledged legal responsibility for the experiments . justice minister campbell said the money was being awarded purely " on compassionate and humanitarian grounds . " at the time of the experiments , dr . cameron was trying to find a cure for schizophrenia and other mental_illnesses . in the early 1950 's , he theorized that people with neurotic thoughts or behavior could be changed by listening to repeated taped messages . he called the technique " psychic driving " and published an account in the american journal of psychiatry . the c.i.a . was attracted to his comparison of psychic driving with techniques of coerced interrogation and brainwashing . patients went to see dr . cameron voluntarily and did n't realize until much later that they were being used in experiments . correction november 20 , 1992 , friday because of an editing error , an article yesterday about an agreement by canada to compensate victims of psychiatric experiments misstated the year of the death of dr . d . ewen cameron , a psychiatrist at mcgill_university in montreal . he died in 1967 , not 1977 .

has a location of canada

drs . siva sriharan and srinivas chakravarthi may never get rich staying in this small auto producing city little more than a stone 's throw from downtown detroit , but they can eat all the hamburgers , ribs and potato skins they want for the rest of their lives at casey 's bar and grill . for the next year , they can also get their hair cut free at the touch of class beauty_salon , and lease a pontiac grand am without charge from a dealer in nearby essex . patients have pledged free house repairs and landscaping for their properties , and nurses have teased them with offers of free massages . all the two doctors have to do is continue practicing medicine in windsor . residents started proffering gifts when rumors leaked out of h tel dieu grace hospital a few weeks ago that the two neurosurgeons of the four serving the city were toying with moving their practice to the united_states . ''it 's not about the money , '' said dr . sriharan , a 38 year old immigrant from sri_lanka . ''we ca n't do our job properly with operating room time so extremely limited here . '' forced to compete for operating room time with other surgeons , he said that he and his colleague could complete only one or two operations on some days , meaning that patients whose cases were not emergencies could go months or even years before completing necessary treatment . ''scarce resources are simply not being spent properly , '' dr . sriharan concluded , citing a shortage of nurses and anesthesiologists in the hospital where the single microscope available is old and breaking down . the two surgeons are sharply critical of canada 's health_care system , which is driven by government financed insurance for all but increasingly rations service because of various technological and personnel shortages . both doctors said they were fed up with a two tier medical system in which those with connections go to the head of the line for surgery . ''it 's the system that is pushing us out , '' said dr . chakravarthi , a 53 year old indian immigrant . many other canadian doctors feel the lure of the united_states these days , particularly if they live close to the border . the supply of family doctors has increased at a rate lower than population_growth in recent years , a problem that is complicated by an aging population and doctors seeking shorter hours . waiting time for elective_surgery is growing across the country , and becoming a hot political issue . meanwhile , there are signs that a brain_drain of medical talent , particularly specialists to the united_states , is becoming a serious problem . there was a net migration of 49 neurosurgeons from canada from 1996 to 2002 , according to the canadian institute for health information , a large loss given that there are only 241 neurosurgeons in the country . ''physicians across canada are in an advanced stage of burnout due to work conditions , '' said dr . sunil v . patel , president of the canadian medical association , who attributed much of the problem to technological shortages and the powerlessness doctors feel when patients complain about long waits for treatment . ''that burnout causes them to retire early or pull away from certain kinds of work or simply leave . '' john o'kane , 46 , the owner of casey 's bar and grill , is leading the local crusade to keep the two neurosurgeons in windsor . his offer of free food is rooted in personal experience he is convinced that superior surgery performed on him last year by dr . sriharan to remove a broken piece of a spinal disk rubbing against a sciatic nerve is the reason he can again play ice_hockey and tennis . so far the doctors have not come by for any free food , nor have they responded to any of the other offers that have followed . ''for all i know they are vegetarians , '' mr . o'kane said with a laugh . ( in fact , dr . chakravarthi is . ) the grass roots surge of offers and almost daily letters to the editor published in the local newspaper urging the surgeons to stay put has not gone unnoticed by local politicians . windsor 's mayor , mike d . hurst , has speeded up a physician recruitment and retention initiative to combat local shortages of medical manpower . ''the popular response is an indication , '' he said , ''that there is pure fear in our community of not having qualified , professional medical expertise available when it 's needed . '' as for the two surgeons , they say that while they are touched and embarrassed , they do not see how they can continue to work at the hospital under the present conditions . but are they tempted by all the offers ? ''well , '' dr . sriharan smiled in a mock sigh . ''i hear those girls at the beauty_salon do very good highlights . '' windsor journal

has a location of canada

the government offered a fast track settlement plan to indians who say they were abused while attending church run residential schools . the court system cannot physically handle the 12 , 000 claims filed , ''the sad legacy of the indian residential school system , '' said the minister in charge of resolving the claims , ralph goodale . under the new process , victims would have the option of taking their claims , most of which involve sexual and physical_abuse , to hearings with an independent adjudicator . the project is expected to cost 480 million over seven years . colin_campbell ( nyt )

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premier robert_bourassa , who has governed quebec for almost three decades and has struggled against cancer for the last three years , announced today that he would retire after the liberal_party leadership convention in january . his decision means the loss of a strong voice in favor of keeping quebec within the canadian federation and alters the political balance in the province , which continues to show strong support for independence . critical provincial elections , which could set a separatist course , must be held before the fall of 1994 . mr . bourassa , 60 , a technocrat turned political boss , has fought hard for the federalist cause , which is being challenged now both by bloc quebecois sovereigntists on the federal level and by the parti_quebecois opposition on the provincial level . but his decision is unlikely to have much effect on the federal_election campaign , in which the bloc quebecois is seeking the 75 quebec seats in the house of commons . canadians elect a new parliament on oct . 25 . a poll published in the montreal newspaper la_presse gave the bloc 40 percent of decided voters , against 34 percent for the tories and 22 percent for liberals . the parti_quebecois leader , jacques parizeau , has said that should he be elected premier he will prepare the province , canada 's largest in area , for a referendum within a year on whether to split from the federation . separatists are stronger though 59 . 5 percent of quebecers opposed independence when a similar referendum went before voters in 1980 , many political analysts see separatist forces stronger today , after the rejection of two recent efforts the accords of meech_lake and charlottetown to satisfy quebec 's demands for greater autonomy within the federation . mr . bourassa worked hard for both agreements , noting today at his news conference in quebec_city , " i tried to get canadian federalism to evolve . " he restated his position that it would be nonsense to fragment canada . yet mr . bourassa 's departure could further weaken his liberal_party , which has been torn by internal strife over challenges by a disgruntled nationalist wing . for a time he had been able to create a coalition of federalists and the nationalists , who were seeking more autonomy without breaking from canada . " his departure creates an instability , " said quebec 's revenue minister raymond savoie . " there is no doubt about that . he believed in the federal process and searched for ways to renew it . " party in a shambles alain gagnon , director of quebec studies at montreal 's mcgill_university , said a third force might now emerge around jean allaire , who had sought to steer liberals away from federalism and was expelled from the party by mr . bourassa . " the liberal_party is now in a shambles , " mr . gagnon asserted . mr . bourassa , a scholarship student in quebec who became a rhodes_scholar , was quebec 's youngest premier when he was first elected in 1970 at the age of 36 . he was re elected in 1973 , but his liberals were humbled and defeated in 1976 by rene levesque , whose parti_quebecois first came to power . but he bounced back , regaining the liberal_party leadership in 1983 and winning the premiership again in 1985 . he was re elected in 1989 . in the spring of 1990 , doctors found skin cancer and he underwent treatment that july . in september of that year , exploratory surgery suggested the cancer had gone no further . but last december doctors told him he had a cancerous tumor on his chest wall . he had the tumor removed in january and then underwent experimental treatment to control the cancer . at the time he told quebecers he had no plans to abandon public life . but his wife , andree , has been urging him to change his mind so that he could spend more time with his family , which includes two grandchildren . mr . bourassa told reporters today that family considerations were the most important factor behind the decision .

has a location of canada

two flights take off from toronto less than 10 minutes apart on a tuesday morning , both bound for montreal . the first aircraft , an airbus a321 , is two thirds empty the boeing 737 following close behind is nearly filled with passengers . by outward appearances , these are competing flights the lightly loaded airbus bears a pine green tail and red maple leaf insignia , while the crowded 737 's tail is purple and its fuselage says ''tango'' in bold letters . but both planes belong to air_canada , both are flown by air_canada pilots and served by air_canada flight_attendants , and both flights' ticket revenue went to air_canada . tango is air_canada 's attempt to prove that a big , old fashioned full service airline , burdened by billions of dollars of debt and the high costs of a union work force , can nonetheless compete successfully with the proliferating herd of low cost , no frills carriers . ''we 're trying to transform a portion of a traditional airline into a consumer friendly , profitable business , '' said ben smith , tango 's managing director . the tango airline within an airline experiment is attracting attention from carriers around the world . earlier this fall , john salvaggio , president of the planned similar venture by delta_air_lines , which has not yet been named , flew to air_canada 's headquarters in montreal to learn more about tango . executives from air new zealand , british_midland and sas have also been scouting tango recently . kristi tucker , a delta spokeswoman , declined to confirm that her company was interested in tango as a model , except to say , ''any good business is going to do research in launching a product . '' tango was set up in october 2001 , after robert a . milton , air_canada 's president , concluded that the falloff in north_american air travel could not be attributed simply to the weak economy or to the terror attacks . a growing number of passengers including , to the airline 's dismay , many of those who had been accustomed to the perks of business_class or had been willing to pay full coach fares were flying less than before , or were deserting air_canada for low fare rivals , especially westjet , a fast growing carrier based in calgary that models itself on southwest_airlines . ''air_canada did n't have much choice , '' said douglas reid , a professor of business strategy at the queen 's university business school in kingston , ontario . ''it 's not just that people are buying less , it 's that they 're not buying what they used to buy . nobody was prepared to pay a gilt edged fare for trips that did n't involve a saturday night stayover . '' on its own full service flights , air_canada 's round trip fare between toronto and montreal can be as much as 1 , 066 canadian dollars ( 686 ) for business_class . making the same journey on tango this week cost 378 canadian dollars ( 243 ) at peak times , or just 198 canadian dollars ( 128 ) in the middle of the day . buying the tickets online would save another 5 canadian dollars ( 3 . 22 ) each . tango is not so much a separate airline as a separate brand . the division has only 10 employees of its own they handle scheduling and marketing . the parent airline does the rest as a sort of subcontractor to tango . the relationship , according to mr . smith , amounts to tango saying to air_canada , ''this is what we require you deliver . '' some industry experts say that the big traditional airlines can never be as light on their feet as the southwests and westjets that they can never be as flexible or generate as much excitement in the marketplace , that they can never match the upstarts' low costs however hard they strive to improve efficiency . mr . smith , rejects that view . ''tango is a very new approach , '' he said . estimating that his unit 's costs are on average about 25 percent less than the parent airline 's , mr . smith said , ''the no . 1 push is simplicity . '' for example , tango eliminates business_class and the onboard closet that goes with it on the aircraft it uses , making room for 15 to 20 percent more seats . but the planes can readily be switched from air_canada 's seating configuration to tango 's or vice_versa overnight if necessary . some aircraft are repainted several times a year as they are swapped between air_canada and tango depending on demand . tango schedules flights earlier in the day than air_canada , with its first departures at 6 a.m . and ''any opportunity we have to fly a red eye , we fly a red eye , '' mr . smith said . tango issues no paper tickets and , according to mr . smith , takes 85 percent of its bookings over the internet . it concentrates on point to point travel and does not offer connections , saving money on baggage handling . on board the plane , mr . smith said , ''everything is for sale , nothing is for free . '' customers pay extra for refreshments , for audio headsets , and even for selecting a seat in advance 10 canadian dollars ( 6 . 44 ) for each flight leg . ''we have n't had any resistance to that , '' mr . smith said . ''only the people who truly value it pay for it . '' glenn d . engel , an analyst with goldman , sachs in new york , said that setting up tango involved smaller sacrifices for air_canada than an american carrier would face . for instance , only about a third of air_canada 's passengers connect from one flight to another in the united_states the figure is 60 percent . tango , which now flies between 15 canadian cities plus las_vegas , orlando and fort_lauderdale , filled 81 . 4 percent of its seats in the third quarter , a very healthy figure for the industry . mr . reid said that air_canada does not break out enough detailed data in its reports to judge tango 's financial success . still , tango 's profitability would undoubtedly improve if it could find a way to lower its labor costs . ''every dollar that air_canada manages to earn by being smart , the unions will go after , '' mr . reid said . mr . smith said that that issue was not on the table at tango . ''we do n't attack labor , '' he said . ''there are lots of other ways that we can be more efficient . '' but it is clearly on the parent airline 's mind . three months ago , air_canada formed a separate subsidiary , zip , and negotiated separate labor agreements for it , featuring lower wage rates than either the main airline or tango . for now , zip 's operations are confined mainly to short hop routes in western_canada . short routes tend to be well suited to cost cutting because most of an airline 's potential savings come from activities on the ground like baggage handling , reservations , and aircraft turnaround , and those are proportionally a bigger part of the total cost of short flights than of long ones . ''once you 're in the air , '' mr . engel of goldman , sachs said , ''it 's hard to be cheaper . '' he would not be surprised , he said , to see air_canada start replacing tango with zip on more short routes , including the busy one between toronto and montreal . john reber , an air_canada spokesman said that under its contract with the pilots' union , zip can operate no more than 20 aircraft . still , zip announced its first foray into eastern_canada earlier this month , adding flights from winnipeg to ottawa and montreal and expanding its fleet from 7 planes to 10 .

has a location of canada

lead needle and syringe exchange programs for intravenous_drug_users in three cities have reduced needle_sharing and the risk of transmitting the aids virus without an increase in drug use , new studies show . needle and syringe exchange programs for intravenous_drug_users in three cities have reduced needle_sharing and the risk of transmitting the aids virus without an increase in drug use , new studies show . but researchers who described the studies at an international meeting on aids here today said the studies were not extensive enough to document whether the programs slowed the spread of the virus . and the researchers said the programs were only one way of combating the spread of the aids virus . the exchange programs , in which used needles and syringes were exchanged for clean ones , were in tacoma , wash . , amsterdam and london . intravenous_drug_users account for a growing proportion of aids cases in the united_states and in europe . increasing numbers of intravenous_drug_users in thailand and in south_america are also becoming infected with the the virus that causes aids , the human_immunodeficiency_virus or hiv . health officials say intravenous_drug_users have become the main conduit for the aids virus to heterosexuals . infected drug addicts can spread it to their sexual partners . intravenous_drug_users statistics from the federal centers_for_disease_control in atlanta show that intravenous_drug_users now account for 25 percent of the 95 , 000 cases reported in the united_states . of this total , 17 percent are heterosexual intravenous_drug_abusers and 8 percent are homosexual men who are also intravenous_drug_users . dr . christina hartgers said that a program in amsterdam , in which drug users exchanged more than 700 , 000 needles last year , reaches about 40 percent of the estimated 2 , 800 addicts in the city . in a study of 145 of those exchanging needles , she said her team found that the program was ''especially attractive to regular injectors and does not lead to an increase in intravenous drug use'' among them or an increase in needle_sharing . however , because infrequent users are more likely to share needles , dr . hartgers said , additional efforts to educate this group are needed . in reporting on a study evaluating the busiest needle exchange program in london , dr . graham j . hart said there were an average of 257 participants who made about 762 visits each month . the program dispensed 8 , 950 needles and syringes 6 , 918 , or 77 percent , were exchanged . dr . hart 's team from middlesex hospital found that the percentage of addicts who borrowed equipment fell to 9 from 15 and that of addicts who lend equipment dropped to 7 from 13 . on entry , 7 of 121 addicts , or 6 percent , were hiv infected and they reported sharing equipment with twice as many intravenous_drug_users as those who were not hiv infected . gain in tacoma project dr . don des jarlais of the new york state division of substance_abuse services , one of the researchers on the tacoma project , reported that all measures showed change towards ' 'safer'' injections and a substantial reduction in behavior with a risk of aids infection . in tacoma , dr . des jarlais said , sharing_needles , syringes and other equipment used in injecting drugs with a sexual partner or close friend declined from a mean of 64 times each month to 44 . sharing with casual friends declined from 48 times each month to 32 each month and renting used equipment dropped from 29 to 18 times each month and borrowing equipment declined from 31 to 24 times each month . dr . stephen c . joseph , the new york city health commissioner , said that his department had enrolled 150 drug addicts in an experimental needle exchange program . of the 150 , 51 percent were infected with the aids virus and 16 percent also had syphilis , a bacterial infection that can be spread through blood . but he did not describe other results of the pilot program . dr . joseph said the city health department would soon open additional sites . ''needle_exchange_programs are one useful way , but not the only way'' to combat the aids epidemic , he said .

has a location of canada

canadian voters face a crucial national referendum on monday to determine whether to confer special status on the country 's french speaking minority in quebec and thwart a new separatist campaign . voters across canada are being asked to say " yes " or " no " to a complex unity package , reached by political leaders two months ago in charlottetown , prince_edward_island , that would amend canada 's constitution in order to meet , among other things , some of quebec 's longstanding demands for greater autonomy . while quebec would get special status because of its unique culture and a legal system based on the napoleonic code rather than on english common law , the amendment would make other significant changes , providing for a popularly_elected senate , giving the western provinces more clout in ottawa , and guaranteeing aboriginal peoples' right to govern themselves . prime_minister brian_mulroney , a quebecer , has tried twice in two terms to address the anxieties of a province that is a french speaking island in a sea of english speakers . he was asked on television recently why quebecers needed the recognition as a " distinct " society when , for example , the cajuns in louisiana never had such protection . " they were n't granted any distinctiveness , and the acadians were wiped out , " mr . mulroney replied . without constitutional protection , quebecers " inevitably become cajuns , " he said . " they do n't want to become dancers in louisiana with banjos . " although the united_states is officially neutral , washington has quietly sounded warnings on separatism . despite warnings from the " yes " forces of increased regional tensions , more intolerance and financial troubles if the agreement is rejected , polls have shown the " no " side leading throughout the campaign , possibly reflecting discontent with the prime_minister as much anything else . factions rip into patchwork accord although the gap has recently narrowed in quebec , a gallup_poll released on tuesday found the accord seriously threatened everywhere except in the atlantic provinces . the poll said 50 percent of canadians are against the unity package , up 9 percentage_points since an oct . 7 poll . " yes " must win in all 10 provinces for the amendment to be ratified , according to the prime_minister . the groundswell of opposition caught political leaders by surprise . the accord is the handiwork not just of the ruling progressive conservative party but also of the liberal and new democratic opposition . federal , provincial , territorial and aboriginal representatives took part in negotiations . the complexities of the agreement make it hard to explain to voters , let alone promote . both sides said it is difficult to build up much voter enthusiasm for legalistic compromises , a fact that the " no " side has exploited . the " no " forces have also profited from regional rivalries , the failure of the agreement to meet the expectations of some interest groups and a general malaise over high unemployment and a sluggish economy . but the " yes " side has yet to throw in the towel . the prime_minister is still predicting a victory based on the large number of undecided voters . quebec 's premier , robert_bourassa , a backer of the accord , justified his dogged optimism with a hoary allusion to baseball , which has suddenly become a symbol of national unity as a canadian team plays the world_series for the first time . mr . bourassa quoted yogi_berra 's favorite aphorism " it ai n't over till it 's over , " adding , " we 're still not at the end of the ninth_inning . " he and most other french canadians are rooting for the toronto_blue_jays , even though it puts them on the side of the american_league rivals of the montreal_expos . much of the " yes " side 's 5 million advertising budget has been spent on world_series commercials . but which team is the home team ? to demonstrate the bipartisan political support for the amendment , the prime_minister , whose political tailoring is pinstripe conservative , is appearing on referendum platforms with political foes like bob rae , who heads ontario 's socialist leaning new democratic provincial government . " the prime_minister and i do n't agree on a whole lot of things a lot of the time , " mr . rae said as the two told students at guelph this week why they should vote " yes " on monday . their answer the compromises would allow the country to better deal with its core economic problems , advance socially and protect minorities . fighting separatism in 'border raids' the united_states has not taken a position , but president_bush has repeatedly stated that he favors a united canada , and washington has quietly discouraged separatism . the international trade commission issued a report in august saying that an independent quebec would not be able to count on an automatic extension of free_trade with the united_states . while tolerable in the context of a canada wide agreement , heavy subsidies that the quebec government has used for years to finance economic_development might not be acceptable if quebec were to become independent , the commission said . the province is one of the world 's largest debtors . its foreign private debt is 25 billion , compared with about 30 billion in the former soviet_union . american investors own about 15 billion of quebec 's debt , mostly in bonds held by state_pension funds . prime_minister mulroney denies that a " no " vote on monday would be " a personal defeat for anyone . " according to an angus reid poll taken last week , however , 73 percent of canadians think he should resign or call new elections if the amendment is defeated . gutting power or sharing it ? although the " yes " side has repeatedly stated that this is not a mulroney agreement , his unpopularity has transcended the unity debate , and political analysts say many are likely to use their ballot to extract revenge for complaints against his government . " this is the crescendo of all that he has done , and if there 's a loud clanger , i think he has to wear it , " said rafe mair , a vancouver radio talk show host who has galvanized much of the opposition on the west_coast . mr . mulroney says he will go about the business of governing the country , whatever the outcome . his mandate is up within a year anyway , and many expect him to call elections in the spring . the agreement tries to realign the roles of the federal and provincial governments , an area in which the gulf between supporters and opponents is wide . opponents like pierre e . trudeau , the former prime_minister and a quebecer , fear the gutting of federal powers . advocates say there has been no big power shift . the accord gives provinces primary jurisdiction over forestry , mining , tourism , municipal and urban affairs , housing , recreation , culture and manpower training , under arrangements to be negotiated . in culture , quebec would have exclusive jurisdiction over activities within its borders . a statement of national identity , known as the canada clause , declares that canada is a parliamentary democracy , that aboriginal governments constitute one of three orders of government along with federal and provincial , that quebec is a distinct_society and that canadians respect minority groups , ethnic and sexual equality and individual and collective human_rights . the amendment would create a popularly_elected senate with real powers to replace an appointed upper chamber , modeled after britain 's house of lords . under the amendment , each province would get six senators , who would be elected , except in quebec , where the provincial government would appoint them . the two territories would get one senator each , for a total of 62 . a majority_vote in the new senate would veto natural_resource legislation . a majority of french speaking senators could block bills dealing with the french_language and culture . on most other bills sent to the senate by the house of commons , the senate could force a joint sitting . the house of commons would be expanded to 337 seats , and quebec 's representation in it would never fall below 25 percent . quebec would get three seats on the nine member supreme_court , a right the province has had since the court was established in 1876 , to accommodate the country 's two legal systems . the amendment would give each province a veto over any change to these features of federal institutions . detractors share little but distrust opponents are essentially a grass roots movement with little political or corporate backing and not much in common beyond a general distrust of politicians and a dislike of mr . mulroney . the prevalent orneriness was summed up by an anonymous young caller to a toronto talk show who , responding to the question how he would vote , said simply " if the government says 'yes , ' i say 'no . ' " to judy rebick , president of the national action committee on the status of women , " what 's happening now is an expression of how out of touch the elites of this country are with the people . " one of her main complaints is that the agreement does not protect sexual equality , a point on which other feminists disagree . the most influential opponent is mr . trudeau , who , unlike most in the province , believes in a strong central canadian government . he has spoken out against what he calls the charlottetown " mess . " he accuses quebec of " blackmailing " the country with demands for increased autonomy against the threat of secession . he also charges that the accord could override or modify the charter of rights and freedoms , canada 's bill of rights , which he integrated into the constitution in 1982 , and that this could undermine individual freedoms , a point contested by the " yes " camp . another major opponent is preston manning , leader of the populist reform_party , who wants to give nothing away to quebec . mr . manning , a sort of ross_perot type figure , also opposes self government for aboriginal peoples , contending , among other things , that this would drain the federal treasury . in quebec , the " no " camp is led by jacques parizeau , head of the separatist parti_quebecois . the paradox has not been lost on anyone in canada that the two arch enemies of a sovereign quebec , mr . trudeau and mr . manning , are on the same side as mr . parizeau in this bizarre contest . eight more years , many obstacles the parti_quebecois 's last effort to pull quebec out of canada failed . in 1980 it asked provincial voters to say " yes " or " no " to sovereignty . nearly 60 percent said " no . " but quebec voters showed their unpredictability the following year when they re elected the parti_quebecois to govern quebec . mr . parizeau says that with a " no " vote he will accelerate efforts to leave the federation . " we perhaps at some point have to say to ourselves , for canadians and for quebecers , there 's perhaps not much of a future in this . " initially , the " yes " side , led by the prime_minister , warned of catastrophic economic and political fallout if the charlottetown agreement failed . for a while , financial markets took these declarations to heart , and there was a run on the canadian_dollar , accompanied by sharp falls in the stock_market . the bank of canada was forced to boost interest rates dramatically , making economic conditions tougher for everyone . but now the " yes " side has toned down its warnings , and economic markets , already anticipating a " no " victory , are calmer . mr . bourassa 's term does not expire for two years , but a " no " victory may force him to call elections sooner . in order to achieve his separatist goals , mr . parizeau would not only have to win those elections , he would have to call for another sovereignty referendum in the province and win that , too . constitutional affairs minister joe_clark predicted that a " no " vote would result in sovereignty for quebec by the year 2000 . mr . parizeau , a bit cocky after the latest polls , calls the clark schedule " a little slow , " adding " i do n't have the taste to wait eight years . " the canadian vote the electorate there are 18 million registered voters in canada of a population of 27 million . expectations are that more than 80 percent of eligible voters will got to the polls , a turnout higher than the 75 percent in last two federal elections . the issue voters are being asked to say " yes " or " no " to the following question " do you agree that the constitution of canada should be renewed on the basis of the agreement reached on aug . 28 , 1992 ? " for ratification , all ten provinces must approve the referendum . in 1980 a provincial referendum on the question of sovereignty for quebec was defeated by 60 percent of the voters the agreement the agreement was signed on aug . 28 in charlottetown , prince edwards island . it would give greater autonomy to quebec and other provinces create a new popularly_elected senate as canada 's upper chamber in parliament establishe a process of self government for native peoples adopt a " canada clause " that defines the nation as committed it to democratic values , sexual and ethnic equality and respect for human_rights . realign the canadian supreme_court to insure its adherence to both the english common law and the napolenoic code .

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a glossy , brightly_colored , sexually_explicit comic_book brought out with federal funding by montreal general hospital is stirring sharp reactions both inside and outside the city . its aim is to promote safe_sex among thousands of " wildcat " teen dropouts , or " chats sauvage , " of the inner city . " in the aids era , we 're forced to find ways to reach these street kids with what they will understand and relate to , " said deborah bonney , of the hospital 's department of community health . " remember , these kids are in revolt against authority , and they do n't read a lot . " the 28 page tete a queue ( head of the tail a street reference to the male sex organ ) is a teaching aid for social workers who contact the teenagers in arcades , in convenience_stores and on street corners . geared primarily to heterosexuals , it was produced by a team largely drawn from croc , the quebec humor magazine , with a 41 , 000 grant from the department of health and welfare in ottawa . the book is written in " joual , " or montreal street french . the book is forthright about depicting sexual activity , all of it with the protection of condoms . " like that , " one boy says to his girlfriend , " we can make love to the max . " the characters are also shown saying " non " to needles and drugs . the controlled experiment involving selective distribution of 10 , 000 copies has taken on larger dimensions as a result of reports in the local media . the mass circulation la_presse published explicit excerpts to accompany a news story about the project . " the reaction was one of surprise , not about what we did but that there was such a magazine put out by a hospital , " said the managing editor , marcel desjardins . " in the last five years , our city has become quite open about aids , " he explained , " and since we cater directly to all these people and the purpose is laudable , we decided it would be a public service . " some of the sharpest criticism came from jean v . dufresne , columnist for the competing mass circulation paper , le journal de montreal , who complained that it depicted quebec 's young people as " the lewdest , most unkempt , most animal like , most foul mouthed adolescents of the planet . " defenders argued that the most effective vehicle for the safe_sex message is a visual one rooted in the culture of the street adolescent . " sexuality is very culture bound , " said dr . catherine a . hankins , an epidemiologist on the mcgill_university medical faculty who is active in aids studies , " and one of the postitive things about the aids epidemic is that we basically have to explore the cultural aspects of the target audience if we are going to succeed in fighting the disease . " although canada has a lower incidence of aids than the united_states , mainly a reflection of less intravenous drug use , the problem is becoming increasingly severe in cities . montreal has counted 1 , 335 cases since surveillance began in 1979 . this is one quarter of the 5 , 349 cases in all of canada , but well below the 34 , 090 cumulative total in new york . the montreal experiment is being followed elsewhere in north_america , where many organizations use visual material to explain safe_sex . " i 'm delighted to hear this kind of project is being given the support and credibility of the canadian government , " said franklin d . carson , acting director of the department of education of the gay men 's health crisis of new york city , an aids education organization . " that 's the kind of national leadership in aids prevention that is desperately needed in this country . " in the united_states , public funding for such materials remains controversial , but , although there is generally a greater reserve about sexual issues in canada than the united_states , the federal_government here runs into few problems funding explicit campaigns . academics point to the different social and political dynamics of the two countries . in the united_states , powerful right wing religious forces opposed to explicit talk of sexuality have more influence on the health agenda than in canada .

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lead ''it 's unseemly for us to be chasing a canadian ambassador around , wrestling with security people to attain service . '' whitney north seymour jr . , the special_prosecutor , on subpoenas in the investigation of michael k . deaver . a12 1 . ''it 's unseemly for us to be chasing a canadian ambassador around , wrestling with security people to attain service . '' whitney north seymour jr . , the special_prosecutor , on subpoenas in the investigation of michael k . deaver . a12 1 .

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to the editor re ''for billions of birds , an endangered haven'' ( sept . 23 ) every year , thousands of tons of toilet_paper are made from virgin forests in the canadian boreal and from outstanding forests in the southeastern united states . despite the availability of ecologically superior alternatives , certain popular brand name companies still use natural forests or timber plantations . anyone concerned about the forests should buy toilet_paper made from 100 percent recycled fibers or from agricultural residues . allen hershkowitz new york

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prime_minister_jean_chr_tien and the nation 's 10 provincial premiers negotiated an agreement to increase federal aid to local health_care programs by 8 billion over three years in an attempt to cut waiting times for diagnostic care and operations , improve home_care , broaden access to drugs and modernize hospital equipment . the premiers of the three arctic regions refused to sign the agreement , saying it shortchanged rural native settlements . clifford krauss ( nyt )

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with british_columbia 's economy and real_estate market improving , two local developers have been trying to redevelop the waterfront in two affluent communities across the harbor from downtown_vancouver and have run into opposition on several levels . land in the two communities north vancouver and west vancouver is scarce and expensive . the developers , the larco group of companies and the viam group , are concentrating on an eight mile stretch of marine drive , proposing new projects and speeding work on those already under way . they have clashed with residents who fear that more traffic and people will change their neighborhoods and with marine based industries that need the harbor to survive and feel threatened by commercial development . the communities are linked to downtown by the lions gate bridge . east of the bridge lies north van , which from downtown looks like a mystical city built on hollyburn mountain 's lower slopes . at sundown , the windows of its tall office spires , condominiums and hillside homes blaze with reflections . west of the bridge , where burrard_inlet empties into howe sound , is the resort like west van , one of canada 's wealthiest residential areas . and eight miles east is the working harbor for tugboat companies , drydocks , railroads and terminals for grain , potash and coal . until 55 years ago , the area directly across the bay from renowned stanley_park was accessible only by private boat or ferry . but the guinness family of england famous for stout acquired vast tracts there through a company called british pacific properties and built many homes . to entice people to move there , the company built the lions gate bridge in 1938 . as a further lure , it built canada 's first regional shopping_center , park_royal shopping_center , on marine drive , in 1950 . in 1990 , larco bought the million square_foot park_royal mall and is now doing a_20 million revitalization , including 95 , 000 square_feet of streetfront retail space and a golf range , which is expected to open soon . " the shopping_center needed a facelift , " said robert heaslip , larco 's chief planner . " it looked tired . it was time to look at the retail mix and how we wanted to take the center into the year 2000 . " the center , which has had major additions through the years , is split by marine drive . " the problem that needed solving was how to give a sense of unity , " said john cochran of the callison partnership , the seattle architects who did the revitalization design . " we needed an upgrade consistent with the charm of the upscale neighborhood . " mr . heaslip said larco was one of 10 investors who owned land on clyde avenue , parallel to and a block north of marine drive , adjacent to the quaint park_royal hotel . they plan to upgrade streets , utilities and landscaping and sell or lease sites for office , retail and residential development . larco also owns a_4 . 5 acre site a few blocks away . it plans two high rise residential towers there with 400 , 000 square_feet . the plan would require razing the capilano athletic health_club , now on the site , but the club 's owner , whose lease runs to mid 1996 and who has refused larco 's offer of 400 , 000 for lost business , has vowed to go to court to halt construction . some residents say the development will destroy the character of their neighborhood . larco counters by saying it will put something back into the community by including a community center and 40 units of housing for the elderly . larco will have to get the city to rezone its site before it can proceed . controversy nearly killed a 50 million condominium project on 3.5 acres next to the park_royal mall . west vancouver owns the land , which had housed a municipal works yard and a car_dealership . in the early 80 's the municipality requested proposals from developers on a 99 year lease . the one selected fizzled when the economy soured . in 1989 the municipality tried again . viam group and its proposal for a residential complex won out over four other bidders . steven nicholls , west van 's planning director , said that viam , which had 20 years of construction experience , won partly because it offered to pay 10 million up front for the lease . but residents grew concerned that the two towers , 18 and 24 stories high , would be out of scale for the neighborhood and that increased traffic would create gridlock on marine drive . in a 1989 referendum voters were asked whether they thought the project should be built . they split 50 50 . mr . nicholls said the district 's council , seeing opinion was divided , decided the project should proceed . construction recently ended and marketing is under way for the 182 condominum units , which start at 269 , 500 and average 1 , 300 square_feet . in west van 's business_district , many older stores are being remodeled and on back streets new low rise stores , offices and houses are being built . the same is true eastward along marine drive where a dozen years ago there were few fast_food restaurants today cafes and pizza houses abound and there are strip malls as far as lonsdale avenue , eight miles away . " ten years ago we were quite lonely here along the water , " says claire johnson , president of c.h . cates sons ltd , . a 108 year old company at the foot of londsale that operates 18 tugs on a five mile stretch of burrard_inlet between the lions gate and second narrows bridges . " the lot next to us was vacant . we used to play horseshoe and volleyball and grow tomatoes there . " today that lot is lonsdale quay and thousands of north_shore residents stream onto seabuses there to speed across the harbor to downtown . adjacent to the seabus terminal is a waterfront mall , built in time for expo '86 , with a farmers_market , meat and seafood shops , ethnic fast_food restaurants , boutiques and the lonsdale quay hotel . " change has been dramatic , " says amin karim , the hotel 's general_manager . " upland from marine drive the rundown stores are gone , along with the feeling it was not safe to walk the streets at night . now there are a lot of expensive condos . this is creating an environment for expensive shops . " cates nearly became a victim of the pressure to sacrifice industry for tourism and commercial development . in the mid 70 's while the province was planning the new seabus terminal , a sheriff 's deputy served notice on its owners that the province had expropriated their land . they were ordered to vacate within 30 days . the deputy tried to give them an envelope with a check as property compensation , but they refused it . " we were in shock , " said mr . johnson . " for us to pick up and move made no sense . our business was between the lions gate and second narrows bridges and our 115 employees live close by . " the company refused to move and in 1981 , after a hard fought battle , it regained title . some people and developers are looking at the potential of the abandoned versatile pacific shipyards , just east of cates , where the only operating business is the vancouver dry_dock . many developers , municipal officials , businessmen and residents want the lonsdale quay retail shops and boutiques to be extended there . this does not sit well with the vancouver port corporation , an autonomous federal crown corporation that owns part of the land , which is valuable to industry because it is a deep water seaport . the corporation is negotiating with the private owner of the remaining land to acquire the property . " we want to safeguard this land for future industrial and marine business , " says dietmar setzer , the corporation 's director of property administration . he believes all land east of lonsdale should be industrial . community leaders say that if the powerful corporation wants the land it will get it . james o'hara , a corporation vice_president , says " because of the scarcity of land , there is pressure from people who want to move back to the waterfront . but it just does n't make sense to build a condo next to a grain terminal . "

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the people of toronto filled their churches over the easter weekend in an expression of faith over fear despite the spread of a mysterious respiratory_disease . but it was not quite like any other easter , with communion customs abridged to help avert a full blown epidemic . as worshipers arrived at their churches , they received pamphlets explaining that because of the outbreak of severe_acute_respiratory_syndrome , or sars , they would not be able to kiss the cross , share cups of wine or use a in a confession booth . instead of a handshake as a ' 'salutation of peace , '' churchgoers were asked to offer a simple bow . ''the faithful are to receive the body of christ in the hand , not on the tongue , '' said the pamphlets , referring to the communal bread or wafers . the easter adjustments were another sign that life might be beginning to change in canada 's largest city , the population center most affected by sars outside asia . a 99 year old man died in toronto of the disease on saturday , the 14th fatality here . another 248 people have come down with the illness in the toronto area over the last month , out of a total of 304 probable and suspected cases throughout canada . there was more bad news over the weekend , as sunnybrook hospital , one of the city 's two principal trauma centers , was forced to close its sars and critical care units when four staff members showed symptoms of the disease . the communion rules were worked out by ontario health and church officials last week , as fears grew that an epidemic that had been isolated to a few hospital wards might now spread to the general public . the officials also requested that anyone suffering from even a single symptom of sars , including a fever or body aches , should stay home over the holiday weekend . more than 7 , 000 people in the metropolitan_area have been put in 10 day quarantines over the last month . the threat that contact during religious services could extend the disease was underscored by the spread among a mostly philippine immigrant roman_catholic prayer group , the bukas loob sa diyos covenant community . the congregation includes 29 people sick with sars , with several in critical condition . another 500 have been forced to go into quarantine at home . at the saturday night mass at st . michael 's , the oldest roman_catholic_church in the city , not a single person was seen wearing a mask among more than 500 worshipers . people expressed a mixture of fatalism and faith to explain their fortitude in coming to pray despite the possible risk of contact with a sick person . ''everyone is taking a chance , '' said nancy matus , a 43 year old philippine immigrant and pharmaceutical worker . ''it 's a matter of faith . if it hits you , it hits you . '' michael harrison , a 33 year old high_school chaplain , said ''there is a little loss of intimacy without the offer of the handshake as an offer of peace . but the nod is understood as , 'i would if i could , and we 'll wait for things to get back to normal . ' ''i am confident the disease is being contained , '' he added . ''but it is good to be prudent . '' while chinese restaurants and hotels report drastic slowdowns in business , and a few local businesses here are instituting more teleconferencing to replace face to face meetings , most people here are carrying out their lives with few alterations . at easter sunday services at the church of st . michael and all angels , an anglican church , the rev . jeffrey brown prayed for toronto 's health and ''the containment of this disease'' during his sermon . he drank from the cup of wine for everyone . members of the congregation nodded and smiled as he explained the new communion rules . but some could not resist giving a handshake to their neighbors anyway . ''there are going to be other diseases , '' said priscilla browne , a nursing home worker . ''i just keep my faith and do what i have to do . '' the sars epidemic precautions

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there are perils to being unattached in the stodgy world of diplomacy . sometimes it has seemed that all secretary of state condoleezza_rice needs to do is show up in public with a man , and people start talking . the single , sophisticated american secretary of state once drew notice for wearing black stiletto knee high boots with an above the knee black skirt while reviewing american_troops in germany , so she is bound to attract gossip . that is particularly true on the dry , acronym ridden diplomatic circuit of nato meetings , apec forums and asean conclaves , where much imagination has focused on possible romantic links between ms . rice and her counterparts . until now , ms . rice 's rumored matches have been , shall we say , unlikely ever to appear on the cover of gq magazine . in july , italy 's normally staid corriere_della_sera raised its eyebrows over a joint appearance in rome between italy 's similarly staid foreign_minister , massimo d'alema , and ms . rice . in april , a headline in the boston_globe promised a tale of ''jack and condi a love story , '' after ms . rice gave the pullout bed aboard her plane to the former british foreign_minister , jack_straw , during a surprise trip to baghdad from blackpool , england , where she was visiting mr . straw 's hometown . but it took a two hour flight to halifax , nova_scotia , this week , followed by a 90 minute motorcade north up highway 102 to pictou county , for ms . rice to find herself linked to someone with similar star appeal peter mackay of canada , the single , sophisticated foreign_minister , routinely named canada 's sexiest m.p . by the hill times in ottawa , and the closest thing to eye candy on the diplomatic circuit . tall , athletic , young , blond and recently dumped by his girlfriend , a fellow member of parliament , belinda stronach , who parted with him when she switched parties , mr . mackay does not look like your usual foreign_minister . he has a tan and the build of someone who spends his time on the rugby field , not holed up reading g 8 communiqu s . sure , at 40 years old , he is younger than ms . rice , who is 51 , but that did not stop gossips from engaging in baseless speculating . even the protesters who routinely show up wherever ms . rice goes got in on the act . ''pete , condi , make love not war , '' read one sign , carried by a grinning demonstrator who had roused himself to take a position early tuesday morning in front of the museum of industry here , where the two spoke to local leaders and the press . o.k. , there needs to be a disclaimer right here . foreign ministers rarely have a lot of alone time together . there is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that ms . rice and mr . mackay are linked by anything more than their shared status as singletons . the state_department has been quick to dump cold water over mackay rice innuendoes . ''no , there were no candles , '' sean_mccormack , the state_department spokesman , said in exasperation when reporters asked for further details about a working dinner on monday when the two sat side by side at the pictou lodge resort . mr . mccormack pointed out that the dinner was not even intimate 14 aides and six security guards were present . ''it was a well lighted dinner , with electricity based lighting , '' mr . mccormack said . but reporters tend to get bored pretty fast there is only so much ink anyone can devote to softwood lumber trade spats and overfishing in the north_atlantic . and a bored reporter is a gossipy reporter , as demonstrated by the chatter last year after defense secretary donald h . rumsfeld took a dinner cruise up a norwegian fjord and sipped wine with his counterpart , the norwegian defense minister , kristin krohn devold . ( she gave him a sweater he gave her a designer bag . ) if you believe the blogs , mr . mackay has been sweet on ms . rice since their first meeting in washington last year . ''peter mckay has a crush '' said a headline on the web_site nowpublic , atop a giant photo of ms . rice , ''on condoleezza_rice . '' the subhead continued ''well , they are both single after all . '' ms . rice and mr . mackay even made the ''hot and not'' list in a column in the toronto newspaper the globe and mail on saturday . ''hot peter mackay and condoleezza_rice , '' the column , ottawa notebook , read . the two do keep offering up tantalizing tidbits and comments to take out of context and misconstrue . for instance , after the rome meeting in july , ms . rice gave mr . mckay a ride aboard her plane to kuala_lumpur , malaysia , for a conference with southeast_asian countries . o.k. , the european_union 's foreign_policy chief , javier_solana , got a lift , too , but he looks like , well , a diplomat . on tuesday morning , ms . rice and mr . mackay strolled up to their side by side daises to talk to the folks here . ''i am just delighted to have condoleezza_rice , the secretary of state , here in my hometown , '' gushed a beaming mr . mackay , wearing a pearl gray suit , pink and blue striped tie . he switched to bad french , even to some american ears , and said something about longfellow 's poem ''evangeline . '' he mentioned nova_scotia 's rich black history , citing the ''black loyalist community , canada 's oldest community of african heritage . '' then , he said , ''something else i 've learned about secretary rice is she loves the cool atlantic breezes here in nova_scotia , and she left the window open last night . '' the audience tittered . at the end of his speech , he took off his glasses , turned to ms . rice and said , ''please come back again . '' ms . rice , clad in a yellow jacket , black pencil skirt and black heels , also offered plenty of fodder . she repeatedly called mr . mackay ''peter'' ( he called her ''secretary rice'' or ''miss rice'' ) , confirmed the sleeping with the window open bit , and told the assembled local leaders that mr . mackay had introduced her to his family , including his father and stepmother , the night before . family is important , she said , with a sly smile , because ''they remind you of the things you did when you were 5 years old . '' beside her , mr . mackay grinned and blushed . correction september 16 , 2006 , saturday an article on wednesday about secretary of state condoleezza_rice and the gossip that surrounds her incorrectly conflated the names of two british cities into one . ms . rice visited blackburn and liverpool on a visit to england in april she did not visit blackpool .

has a location of canada

just days after a pro nazi trilogy of novels called ''lebensraum ! '' was published in the united_states last april , canadian customs agents confiscated a shipment of the books at the border , contending that they promote hatred against jews and violate canada 's anti hate laws . the trilogy 's author , ingrid rimland , 62 , promotes the books and the ideas they contain on a web_site she runs out of a san_diego suburb . the site is named zundelsite , and it is filled with the words and ideas of ernst zundel , a toronto resident who is one of the world 's most insistent holocaust deniers and distributors of anti semitic literature . the trilogy , whose title , meaning living space , is a reference to german imperialism , was privately published . while canada 's laws are clear on how to deal with offensive written material , they are still untested on communication that seeps across the border electronically . canadian customs agents regularly seize books , magazines and compact_disks that that violate standards of decency or promote hate . now for the first time there is a serious attempt to address the issue of the same kind of material on the internet . the canadian human rights commission has charged mr . zundel with spreading hate propaganda and is intent on shutting down the zundelsite . the commission contends that although the site is run from california , mr . zundel controls its content and thus can be prosecuted under canadian laws . the case against mr . zundel began last fall and has encountered complications as the quasi judicial tribunal wrestles with new legal issues of law and technology . ''we do n't think the internet is a law free zone much as some people might want it to be when it suits their purposes , '' said bill pentney , general_counsel for the canadian human rights commission . ''we are trying to control not the internet but ernst zundel by applying canadian laws to him . '' the case has raised questions of freedom of speech , which is guaranteed in the canadian charter of rights and freedoms . recently mr . zundel was prohibited by the house of commons from holding a news conference in a room in parliament that is available to the public . he complained that his rights had been violated . ''ultimately it has everything to do with freedom , and all these other issues are really only subjective , peripheral , spinoffs , '' mr . zundel said during an interview in his home . ''i am a not a country , i am one man , and i say this man will not be browbeaten . '' the german born mr . zundel , 59 , has lived in canada for 40 years , but has been denied citizenship on theground that he is a security risk . he sees himself as a martyr , hounded by governments that have unfairly portrayed germany 's history . the zundelsite , set up in 1995 , prominently features his assertion that reports of the holocaust are a hoax . but kenneth mcvay , founder and director of the nizkor project , an extensive holocaust resource web_site , sees the issue differently . ''mr . zundel is a man who peddles lies and hatred for profit , '' he said . among the thorny issues raised by this case is how to determine the origin of an internet site . if the zundelsite is based in california but mr . zundel is in toronto , to what country does the site ''belong'' and who is responsible for its contents ? the canadian human rights commission contends that mr . zundel controls the web_site and therefore can be prosecuted under canada 's hate laws . canadian authorities are seeking to apply section 13 of the canadian human rights act , which prohibits anyone from using telephone lines to spread hate messages based on race , religion or ethnic origin . ed morgan , national legal counsel for the canadian jewish congress , said it would be almost impossible to bring a suit in the united_states to shut down the zundelsite because of first amendment protections of free_speech that have already been extended to the internet in previous cases . ms . rimland concedes that she frequently uses mr . zundel as a consultant but insists she is in charge of the site . canadian authorities have tried to prosecute mr . zundel before . in the 1980 's , he was brought to trial twice , under the weaker anti hate laws in effect then . his first conviction was overturned on a technicality , but he was retried and convicted in 1988 under a law prohibiting the spreading of false news . that decision was overturned when the supreme court of canada declared the law unconstitutional in 1992 .

has a location of canada

alan rock , canada 's federal health minister , toured the country 's first legal marijuana farm , inside an old manitoba copper mine . under a new law that took effect , this week , canadians suffering from life threatening or chronic_illnesses are allowed to use marijuana for medical purposes , even though some doctors doubt its usefulness as a pain reliever . the government has given prairie plant systems of saskatoon a 3 . 8 million contract to grow marijuana for patients who cannot grow it themselves . anthony_depalma ( nyt )

has a location of canada

esther pacione needs a family doctor . at age 56 she is afflicted with severe ataxia , a neurological condition that causes her acute pain , choking and loss of consciousness . the walls of her home are scuffed from the times she fell and hit her head . her regular doctor suffered a stroke a year ago , and all the local doctors she has contacted say they cannot take new patients , so now ms . pacione goes to a walk in clinic whenever she has an emergency . at the clinic , she waits hours and sees a different doctor and no one there is familiar with her medical_history and what drugs she has been taking . ms . pacione , a retired bookkeeper , said she would like to be at the table when prime_minister paul_martin meets with the provincial premiers on monday for a three day televised meeting to find ways to alleviate the lengthening waits for basic care in canada . ''if you are not bleeding all over the place , you are put on the back burner , '' ms . pacione said , ''unless of course you have money or know somebody . '' the publicly financed health_insurance system remains a prideful jewel for most canadians , who see it as an expression of communal caring for the less fortunate and a striking contrast to an american health_care system that leaves 45 million people uninsured . but polls indicate that public confidence in the system is eroding , although politicians remain reticent to urge increasing privatization of services . during the recent closely fought election campaign , mr . martin promised to fix canada 's health_care system ''for a generation , '' focusing on trimming waiting times for diagnostic_tests , cancer treatment and elective_surgery like hip_replacements . he is eager to use this televised gathering , billed as a health_care summit meeting , to reverse the current view among many canadians that his government is vacillating and may well fall next year . but medical professionals and local officials say a major reason it may not be easy to address the problem of slow access to treatment is because doctors who do preliminary diagnostic work , refer patients to specialists and monitor the care of chronically ill people are less and less available especially in small towns and rural areas . a 2002 report from the canadian senate said that the actual number of family doctors had decreased only slightly in recent years but that the demands of an aging population were growing . meanwhile , several recent studies have shown that family doctors are working shorter hours . young doctors are more likely to seek the most lucrative work in cities or go to the united_states rather than start more modest practices in small towns because of growing debts when they leave medical_school . that has set off an increasing competition among small towns to attract doctors . ms . pacione 's predicament is surprisingly common even in this upper_middle_class community on the north_shore of lake_ontario that seems to have everything going for it immaculate lawns , a yacht marina , a downtown graced by vintage victorian architecture and quaint parks and fruit markets . despite all its attractions , whitby has trouble attracting enough doctors to take care of its residents . the town has only 63 family doctors to care for its 110 , 000 people ( medical officials and local officials say at least 16 more are needed ) , and many residents drive 45 minutes or more to toronto for basic medical care . whitby is one of 136 communities with a total of a million people in ontario , canada 's most populous province , that are not adequately served by family doctors , according to the ontario medical association . that is up from 100 communities in 2000 . whitby officials estimate that 22 , 000 people here have no doctor at all , forcing them to go to emergency_rooms at overcrowded local hospitals to wait in line for up to four hours simply to refill a prescription , get a doctor 's note for an employer or care for their flu symptoms . ''it 's like winning the lottery to get in and see the doctor , '' mayor marcel brunelle said . ''this is a very wealthy country . what happened to bring the situation to this point ? '' the government statistical agency estimates that more than 3.6 million canadians , representing nearly 15 percent of the population , do not have a family doctor . that remains better than in the united_states , where an estimated 20 percent do not have a regular doctor . but there are signs that the doctor shortage in canada is worsening . the canadian medical association estimates that the country requires 2 , 500 medical graduates annually but is producing only 2 , 200 a year . mayor brunelle formed a task_force in june to recruit young doctors by introducing them to real_estate agents and giving them advice on how to start new practices , and the town government is considering building a municipal clinic . the town of peterborough is offering large monetary incentives and a grab bag of perks , including memberships at the y.m.c.a . and cable_television . other municipalities offer moving expenses and the inside track on real_estate next to golf_courses . but experts say those efforts may not be enough . ''if the current trends continue we can anticipate a crisis , '' warned joseph d'cruz , a university of toronto business school professor who specializes in health_care . ''people will actually find it impossible to get general medical services in their towns . '' the doctor shortage is hurting the economies of small towns seeking to attract businesses . but it is also taxing the energies of the doctors who do live in those towns , as well as the resources of local hospitals and patients often complain that their treatment is rushed . administrators at the nearby lakeridge health oshawa , an acute_care hospital , estimated that more than 30 percent of the patients who went to the emergency ward would go to a family doctor instead if they could do so quickly . it is a burden on the hospital 's staff , space and financial resources . one patient who went to the emergency ward recently , crystal bentley , 22 , complained of cysts behind her ears . she said she would prefer to see her family doctor but would have to wait in his office for hours . she said she went to the hospital because the emergency room was faster . ''seeing a doctor and not having to pay is phenomenal , '' she said , ''but here i am taking up emergency time from doctors . i really do wish i could see my family doctor instead of coming here and talking to a total stranger . ''

has a location of canada

lead with its reputation as a center of manufacturing and finance as well as its proximity to major united_states cities , toronto has emerged as one of canada 's economic bright_spots . last year there was record demand for office space , and as a trade agreeement with the united_states nears approval , the business community is geared up for continued economic_growth in the 1990 's . with its reputation as a center of manufacturing and finance as well as its proximity to major united_states cities , toronto has emerged as one of canada 's economic bright_spots . last year there was record demand for office space , and as a trade agreeement with the united_states nears approval , the business community is geared up for continued economic_growth in the 1990 's . but the city , ontario 's provincial capital , also finds itself grappling with some of the major problems associated with urban growth a tight and expensive housing market and traffic_congestion . with major developments moving forward , there is no sign that a slowdown will ease the problems . since 1981 , the population of the toronto statistical metropolitan_area has jumped 9.2 percent , to 3.7 million , according to statistics_canada , making it the country 's most populous region . the population of metro , which includes toronto and six surrounding communities , has grown 2.6 percent , to 2.1 million . ''toronto has been running on all cylinders since mid 1986 , '' said edward carmichael , an economist and vice_president of the c . d . howe institute , a local consulting_firm . downtown developments such as the 1 . 6 million square_foot , four level eaton centre , a glass enclosed shopping_mall , and the striking 1 , 815 foot tall cn tower will in the next decade be joined by the first elements of the 500 million mixed use cityplace complex . while over 6.5 million square_feet of office space has been added to the metro market in each of the last two years , absorption of 9.2 million square_feet in 1987 set a record , according to royal lepage ltd . , a local real_estate brokerage . much of the estimated five million square_feet of office space added to the metro market in the first six months of this year was quickly absorbed current office vacancy_rates range from 6.7 percent throughout metro to 5.3 percent in the financial district here . rents exceeding 35 per square_foot for class a office space downtown are common , according to royal lepage . one of the newest additions to the city 's skyline , the 68 story scotia plaza , developed by campeau_corporation , will add 1.5 million square_feet of office space when it is completed by the end of this year . tenants have been moving into lower floors since april . with rents ranging from 27 to 39 per square_foot , the project is 65 percent leased . but along with the growth have come the big city problems . while the median sale price of a home has risen 61 percent in two years , to 160 , 400 , according to the toronto real_estate board , residential development has not kept pace with demand . the apartment vacancy_rate is less than 1 percent . also , traffic_congestion is severe , but the city hopes to partially address the problem by expanding its transit system . ''it is great to have success but there is a price , '' said mayor arthur eggleton . ''the squeeze on lower income families , an accelerated need for assisted housing , these are some of the issues we face . '' in 1976 , when the city drew up a long term plan for downtown development , concern about the impact of development led officials to impose strict limits on building density . but in 1983 , the city devised a system that would give a developer greater density allowances in return for providing community benefits such as day care centers and parks a system similar to provisions in several united_states cities . at scotia plaza , for example , campeau was granted increased density in return for providing a rent free day care center and an underground link to the subway system . ''we 're interested , as development is happening , '' said robert e . millward , commissioner of planning and development , ''in making sure the impact does not hurt the rest of the city . '' perhaps the most ambitious plans involve expanding the core of the city to make use of the underdeveloped lake_ontario waterfront now cut off from downtown by the eight lane gardiner expressway . ''for years we turned our back on the lake we cut people off from the water with rail yards and shipping yards , '' mayor eggleton said . ''the movement now is to bring the city back to the waterfront . '' it has been slow going . plans for the development , called harbourfront , were drawn up 10 years ago by the federal_government , as the city 's real_estate market foundered . they called for housing , commercial development and parks on 100 acres at lakeside . with about half of the 650 million project complete , 110 million in federal funds has been spent on land acquisition and renovation . private projects include a 152 room hotel , 1 , 900 housing units and the 750 , 000 square_foot mixed use queen 's quay terminal , a former warehouse , which now houses restaurants and shops below office and residential space . with a regular schedule of cultural events , harbourfront has also become one of the city 's top tourist attractions . development has come to a halt , however , as controversy over the height and design of three recently completed 19 story condominium towers and diminishing public space prompted the city to invoke a freeze . a new development plan must be approved at both the federal and city levels before harbourfront can be completed . meanwhile , north of harbourfront , site preparation is under way for cityplace , a 70 acre mixed use redevelopment on land owned by cn real_estate , a division of canadian national railways . the 20 year project is to include six million square_feet of office and retail space and 5 , 000 housing units . the project will include skydome stadium , now under construction , and about 30 acres of park land . work on the streets , utilities and other improvements , including a transit link paid for by the city , has been under way for two years . the first office building in cityplace is expected to be completed in 1992 . the potential impact of the united_states canada free_trade agreement , under consideration in both countries , is stirring speculation about toronto 's continued economic health . while the elimination of tariffs promises to increase trade , david peterson , the provincial premier , questions whether it will benefit ontario 's industry . but mr . carmichael , the economist , believes that anticipation of the agreement has in itself buoyed the city 's economy . ''all of southern_ontario , from windsor to toronto , which has been booming without the trade agreement , stands to benefit , '' he said .

has a location of canada

lead fears that large numbers of people infected with the aids virus might suffer mental deterioration long before they develop the disease have been eased by new studies , researchers said here today . fears that large numbers of people infected with the aids virus might suffer mental deterioration long before they develop the disease have been eased by new studies , researchers said here today . a consensus has developed among experts that neurological and psychological complications from the virus rarely occur in the years before aids cripples the immune system , producing weight_loss , fever and other symptoms , the researchers said at the first international meeting on the virus 's effects on the brain . fears about such complications were set off by earlier estimates that they affected up to 70 percent of people infected with the virus . that led the military to bar such people from certain jobs . the earlier reports , including some in medical journals , also created deep concern about the risks of errors by infected people who hold jobs involving public safety , including commercial pilots and bus drivers . low risk of complications the picture emerging from the new studies about the neurological and psychological complications of infection with the aids , or human immunodeficiency , virus is far from complete . but experts have reached a consensus on the low risk of complications in the years before symptoms of the disease develop . during this interval the infected person appears healthy . ''dementia is distinctly unusual in asymptomatic hiv infected people , '' dr . justin mcarthur , a neurologist at johns hopkins hospital in baltimore , told the meeting , of which he was a co chairman . ''it affects less than 1 percent of hiv carriers . '' in the late stages of aids , however , neurological cations are common , participants said at the meeting , which was sponsored by the world_health_organization in geneva , a united_nations agency , and the national_institutes_of_health in bethesda , md . world_health_organization officials have spoken out strongly against screening workers for hiv infection . after experts met in geneva last year to evaluate preliminary versions of the information now being reported at public meetings , w.h.o . said tests to detect mental impairment among hiv infected people were not justified . data called 'pretty firm' in a telephone interview , dr . anthony s . fauci , who heads the national institute of allergy and infectious diseases , called the newest data ''pretty firm and very important . '' dr . fauci recalled that three years ago some experts who cited the alarmingly high estimates of aids dementia contended that ''if scientists ever succeeded in suppressing the secondary infections that kill most patients , all you would be left with are demented people , '' but he added that ''those predictions are as wet as we said they would turn out to be . '' crucial data have come from the multicenter aids cohort study in which researchers financed by the national_institutes_of_health are keeping track of nearly 5 , 000 gay and bisexual men in baltimore , chicago , los_angeles and pittsburgh . the researchers tested 247 hiv infected men who had not shown any signs of illness and , for purposes of scientific comparisons , 170 other men who were not infected with the aids virus . members of the study group took several psychological tests every six months for 30 months . cognitive skills compared dr . mcarthur said the research team , of which he was a member , could detect no statistically significant difference in cognitive skills between the two groups . researchers from the centers_for_disease_control in atlanta conducted a separate study among homosexual men in san_francisco with that city 's health department . dr . robert s . janssen of the disease control centers said the researchers administered up to 20 psychological tests to members of the groups . the researchers found no increase in neurological and psychological abnormalities in a group of apparently healthy hiv infected homosexuals compared with those who were not hiv infected , dr . janssen said . however , of 26 people who had developed symptoms from a form of hiv infection known as aids related complex , 11 , or 42 percent , had cognitive , psychological or neurological symptoms . this figure compared to 30 , or 19 percent , of 157 men who were not hiv infected . air_force study cited in an air_force study of people with aids , dr . douglas marshall reported that tests showed that of 76 people in the study , only seven , or about 9 percent , had evidence of mental impairment . dr . marshall , who is chief neurologist at wilford hall medical center at lackland air force base in texas , said the figure ''calmed my fears'' because he had been ''highly concerned'' about the 40 to 70 percent figures cited in some earlier studies . because the military screens all active_duty personnel , dr . marshall said , the 9 percent figure from the air_force probably more accurately reflects the overall incidence of mental complications in aids patients . participants at the meeting cited several reasons for the differences in the figures between the newer and earlier studies . a key one , they said , was that some of the highest figures came from medical centers to which aids dementia patients had been referred for care . another reason is that doctors have learned to more accurately diagnose aids dementia by excluding other conditions that can mimic it .

has a location of canada

lead the district known as vieux montreal ( old montreal or old city ) is being targeted for a major revitalization in time for the city 's 350th anniversary in 1992 . the district known as vieux montreal ( old montreal or old city ) is being targeted for a major revitalization in time for the city 's 350th anniversary in 1992 . old montreal , whose buildings date to the 18th_century , is where canada 's second largest city its population , 1.7 million , is second only to metropolitan toronto 's 2.1 million was founded by the french in 1642 . however , as the commercial center relocated away from the banks of the st . lawrence river , with businesses no longer tied to the port or railroads , buildings in the old neighborhood became underused , protected under provincial historic_preservation statutes . by far the most ambitious project is the million square_foot world trade centre now under construction on a block bounded on the north by rue st . antoine , on the east by rue st . pierre , on the south by rue st . jacques and on the west by rue mcgill . the project will cost 230 million about 195 million in united_states dollars . backed by the city and the province of quebec and with devencore inc . as developer , it will be the first major new construction in old montreal in decades . ''everything moved out in the 1960 's and moved uptown , '' said philip o'brien , president of both the world trade centre montreal development corporation and devencore . ''now there is an interest in coming back to the old city . '' the project is also representative of a new confidence in the strength of the city 's business community , attributed generally to a lessening in friction between the french speaking majority and english speaking residents . it is also a sign of the high expectations associated with the united_states canada free_trade agreement , approved by the canadian government last month . the center , incorporating several century old facades , will include 650 , 000 square_feet of office space in 10 buildings , none of which are over 10 stories , as well as a 300 room , 20 story hotel . six levels of parking underground parking are planned , as is a connection to the victoria square subway station . construction began last july after three years of planning , including review by several historic commissions . the project was delayed by a two week archeological dig that began after remnants of the wall that fortified the old city were found . several powder vaults found next to the wall are to become a restaurant and wine_cellar . the entire project is expected to be completed by january 1991 . mr . o'brien conceded that drawing tenants back to old city about a mile south of rue sherbrooke , the city 's upscale commercial retail spine will be a challenge . he is counting on demand from major transit and trading companies , small businesses interested in the international market and lawyers and other professionals doing business in the nearby city hall and courthouse . some civic leaders are predicting that by 1992 montreal will recapture from toronto its status as a center of trade and finance , a position it lost in a decade of business stagnation and political controversy over language and the separatist_movement . after the loss of about 50 , 000 executives employed in the 140 corporate offices that pulled out of montreal in the late 70 's many moving to toronto voters in 1980 turned down a proposition that quebec begin negotiating with ottawa on the province 's separation from the rest of canada . in 1987 , quebec ratified the national charter which recognized the province as a ' 'distinct'' french speaking society but the charter does not become law until all 10 provinces ratify it . ''during the dim days , the separatist days , there was a lack of confidence in the business community , '' said eugene n . riesman , chairman of first quebec corporation , a development company . ''but things have turned around in just the last few years . '' office vacancy_rates reached a high of 12 percent in the central area in 1983 . vacancies now range from 6.4 percent in the central area to 9.4 percent in the city overall . much of the 925 , 000 square_feet of office space added to the city 's central area in 1988 was absorbed rentals , assessed annually , range from 28 to 31 ( canadian ) a square_foot . in addition to the world trade centre , one million square_feet of new office space is planned for completion in the city 's central area by 1991 , according to projections by royal lepage ltd . , a real_estate brokerage . on the housing side , the average price of a single family home in the metropolitan_area in 1988 was 107 , 739 canadian about 91 , 000 u.s . up 12 percent from 1987 , according to the montreal real_estate board . spurred on by the promise of 100 million in federal funds announced in october 1988 , civic leaders have also agreed to begin a 450 million transformation of the old port , which , like old city , grew with the city 's reputation as a center of finance , commerce and transportation . when completed in the next 10 years , the project for the long neglected waterfront will include a series of museums and parks . much of the 131 acres of federally owned land along the st . lawrence river in montreal has stood idle while the federal , provincial , regional and municipal governments rejected proposal after proposal for more than two decades . the newest design emphasizes improved public_access rather than , as under earlier plans , commercial development . ''rather than set up the old port to compete with the old city , it was the consensus that there should be a complementary development , '' said david powell , partner at martineau walker , a law_firm involved in the planning . ''commercial development in the old port would just draw away from projects in old montreal . '' according to cameron charlebois , an executive member of the urban development institute , a local developer 's group , the message from the public hearing process was clear ''do n't urbanize . '' the federal commitment followed a feasibility study prepared by the not for profit old port corporation in january 1988 . the funds are to be used to reopen the lachine canal for recreational use and provide the foundation for underground parking . this is in addition to the 40 million already spent by the federal_government to repair decaying wharves , remove several grain elevators and add a pedestrian throughfare . the first phase of the redevelopment , to start this spring , is to include a national railway museum and be completed in 1992 . a maritime museum , a science and technology center and a training school for the cirque_du_soleil , a performing_arts group , are planned for additional phases . for the city 's part , 90 million is to be spent in the next five years in both the old port and old montreal for street repairs and renovation of city buildings . in the preliminary stages , the city plans to add 2 , 500 units of low and moderate income housing on abandoned railroad yards bought from the canadian_pacific railroad . a seven block extension of the rue de la commune , the major waterfront thoroughfare , is to provide access to the new development . at the same time , city officials have begun developing the first master plan for the central business area , including old montreal . a first draft , to be released by the spring , is expected to provide zoning bylaws , identify higher and lower density areas and address the need for low_income_housing over the next decade . still , the issue of language continues to cloud the city 's international image . in december , premier robert_bourassa took advantage of a clause in the as yet to be approved federal charter and overrode the supreme_court 's striking down of an ordinance prohibiting the posting of outdoor signs in any language other than french , raising concern among some montrealers that nationalistic fervor will again be a negative force in the city 's economy . but mr . riesman , among many others , takes a more optimistic view . ''the language issue is a symbolic one , '' he said . ''there has been some fear that it is a negative aspect , but we believe that logic will prevail . ''

has a location of canada

with british_columbia 's economy and real_estate market improving , two local developers have been trying to redevelop the waterfront in two affluent communities across the harbor from downtown_vancouver and have run into opposition on several levels . land in the two communities north vancouver and west vancouver is scarce and expensive . the developers , the larco group of companies and the viam group , are concentrating on an eight mile stretch of marine drive , proposing new projects and speeding work on those already under way . they have clashed with residents who fear that more traffic and people will change their neighborhoods and with marine based industries that need the harbor to survive and feel threatened by commercial development . the communities are linked to downtown by the lions gate bridge . east of the bridge lies north van , which from downtown looks like a mystical city built on hollyburn mountain 's lower slopes . at sundown , the windows of its tall office spires , condominiums and hillside homes blaze with reflections . west of the bridge , where burrard_inlet empties into howe sound , is the resort like west van , one of canada 's wealthiest residential areas . and eight miles east is the working harbor for tugboat companies , drydocks , railroads and terminals for grain , potash and coal . until 55 years ago , the area directly across the bay from renowned stanley_park was accessible only by private boat or ferry . but the guinness family of england famous for stout acquired vast tracts there through a company called british pacific properties and built many homes . to entice people to move there , the company built the lions gate bridge in 1938 . as a further lure , it built canada 's first regional shopping_center , park_royal shopping_center , on marine drive , in 1950 . in 1990 , larco bought the million square_foot park_royal mall and is now doing a_20 million revitalization , including 95 , 000 square_feet of streetfront retail space and a golf range , which is expected to open soon . " the shopping_center needed a facelift , " said robert heaslip , larco 's chief planner . " it looked tired . it was time to look at the retail mix and how we wanted to take the center into the year 2000 . " the center , which has had major additions through the years , is split by marine drive . " the problem that needed solving was how to give a sense of unity , " said john cochran of the callison partnership , the seattle architects who did the revitalization design . " we needed an upgrade consistent with the charm of the upscale neighborhood . " mr . heaslip said larco was one of 10 investors who owned land on clyde avenue , parallel to and a block north of marine drive , adjacent to the quaint park_royal hotel . they plan to upgrade streets , utilities and landscaping and sell or lease sites for office , retail and residential development . larco also owns a_4 . 5 acre site a few blocks away . it plans two high rise residential towers there with 400 , 000 square_feet . the plan would require razing the capilano athletic health_club , now on the site , but the club 's owner , whose lease runs to mid 1996 and who has refused larco 's offer of 400 , 000 for lost business , has vowed to go to court to halt construction . some residents say the development will destroy the character of their neighborhood . larco counters by saying it will put something back into the community by including a community center and 40 units of housing for the elderly . larco will have to get the city to rezone its site before it can proceed . controversy nearly killed a 50 million condominium project on 3.5 acres next to the park_royal mall . west vancouver owns the land , which had housed a municipal works yard and a car_dealership . in the early 80 's the municipality requested proposals from developers on a 99 year lease . the one selected fizzled when the economy soured . in 1989 the municipality tried again . viam group and its proposal for a residential complex won out over four other bidders . steven nicholls , west van 's planning director , said that viam , which had 20 years of construction experience , won partly because it offered to pay 10 million up front for the lease . but residents grew concerned that the two towers , 18 and 24 stories high , would be out of scale for the neighborhood and that increased traffic would create gridlock on marine drive . in a 1989 referendum voters were asked whether they thought the project should be built . they split 50 50 . mr . nicholls said the district 's council , seeing opinion was divided , decided the project should proceed . construction recently ended and marketing is under way for the 182 condominum units , which start at 269 , 500 and average 1 , 300 square_feet . in west van 's business_district , many older stores are being remodeled and on back streets new low rise stores , offices and houses are being built . the same is true eastward along marine drive where a dozen years ago there were few fast_food restaurants today cafes and pizza houses abound and there are strip malls as far as lonsdale avenue , eight miles away . " ten years ago we were quite lonely here along the water , " says claire johnson , president of c.h . cates sons ltd , . a 108 year old company at the foot of londsale that operates 18 tugs on a five mile stretch of burrard_inlet between the lions gate and second narrows bridges . " the lot next to us was vacant . we used to play horseshoe and volleyball and grow tomatoes there . " today that lot is lonsdale quay and thousands of north_shore residents stream onto seabuses there to speed across the harbor to downtown . adjacent to the seabus terminal is a waterfront mall , built in time for expo '86 , with a farmers_market , meat and seafood shops , ethnic fast_food restaurants , boutiques and the lonsdale quay hotel . " change has been dramatic , " says amin karim , the hotel 's general_manager . " upland from marine drive the rundown stores are gone , along with the feeling it was not safe to walk the streets at night . now there are a lot of expensive condos . this is creating an environment for expensive shops . " cates nearly became a victim of the pressure to sacrifice industry for tourism and commercial development . in the mid 70 's while the province was planning the new seabus terminal , a sheriff 's deputy served notice on its owners that the province had expropriated their land . they were ordered to vacate within 30 days . the deputy tried to give them an envelope with a check as property compensation , but they refused it . " we were in shock , " said mr . johnson . " for us to pick up and move made no sense . our business was between the lions gate and second narrows bridges and our 115 employees live close by . " the company refused to move and in 1981 , after a hard fought battle , it regained title . some people and developers are looking at the potential of the abandoned versatile pacific shipyards , just east of cates , where the only operating business is the vancouver dry_dock . many developers , municipal officials , businessmen and residents want the lonsdale quay retail shops and boutiques to be extended there . this does not sit well with the vancouver port corporation , an autonomous federal crown corporation that owns part of the land , which is valuable to industry because it is a deep water seaport . the corporation is negotiating with the private owner of the remaining land to acquire the property . " we want to safeguard this land for future industrial and marine business , " says dietmar setzer , the corporation 's director of property administration . he believes all land east of lonsdale should be industrial . community leaders say that if the powerful corporation wants the land it will get it . james o'hara , a corporation vice_president , says " because of the scarcity of land , there is pressure from people who want to move back to the waterfront . but it just does n't make sense to build a condo next to a grain terminal . "

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drug_resistant strains of the aids virus have risen to a worrisome 14 percent among newly infected people , according to a study of nine cities in the united_states and canada . any increase in drug resistance is a concern to infected people because of the limited number of drugs to combat h.i.v. , the aids virus , and to uninfected people who might be acquiring resistant_strains . the study , which was reported here today at the eighth annual retrovirus meeting , found increased resistance among a group of 394 people who , because they experienced flulike_symptoms , had their condition diagnosed and treated within three months of infection with h.i.v . resistance to one or more drugs was found in 14 percent of the participants from 1999 through last may compared with 3.5 percent from 1995 through 1998 , said dr . susan j . little of the university of california at san_diego and lead author of the study . resistance to two or more of the three classes of anti h . i.v . drugs rose to 5.8 percent in the 1999 2000 period compared with 0.4 percent from 1995 1998 , dr . little said at the meeting , a major conference attended by 3 , 500 scientists specializing in h.i.v . and related viruses . the abrupt rise suggests that resistant h.i.v . is being transmitted knowingly or unknowingly in significant numbers to newly infected people , said dr . little and dr . douglas d . richman , a co author of the study . available drugs have failed for many infected people , and a concern is that they might also fail among those newly infected with resistant h.i.v . doctors distinguish newly infected people from newly diagnosed cases because the latter includes people who , though just learning of the diagnosis , were infected years earlier . many people develop a flulike illness , acute retroviral syndrome , within weeks to months after becoming infected with h.i.v. , and though they seek medical care for the syndrome , doctors often do not suspect that it is attributable to h.i.v . and do not perform an aids test . so , it is not known how often the syndrome occurs among h.i.v . infected people . estimates vary from 50 percent to less than 10 percent , with most experts favoring the lower range . the aim of anti h . i.v . therapy is to suppress the virus to levels beyond the limits of detection of blood tests . in the study , people newly infected with resistant virus who started any kind of anti h . i.v . therapy were less likely to suppress levels of the virus to undetectable levels compared to those with nonresistant strains . also , suppression took longer among those with drug resistant h.i.v . compared with those with nonresistant virus . infected people and their doctors did not know whether the h.i.v . was resistant or susceptible before beginning therapy , and the findings were not affected by which combination of drugs had been prescribed . dr . little recommended that all people newly infected with h.i.v . receive standard resistance tests . the aim would be to help monitor the prevalence of resistant virus and changes in its geographic distribution for public_health purposes and guide therapy for infected people . participants in the study were from birmingham , ala . dallas denver los_angeles montreal new york san_diego seattle and vancouver , british_columbia . because her study was limited to newly infected patients , dr . little cautioned that she could not generalize it to other newly diagnosed cases in which the patient may have been infected for years . new federal guidelines issued this week recommend delaying drug therapy for as long as possible because of the toxicities of the drug combinations . dr . little recommended that newly infected people be tested for resistance even if they do not expect to start drug therapy for a few years , because the virus mutates as it replicates in the body . the virus the body first encounters seems to be the most important one for treatment , and ''there is only a brief window to get a snapshot of information that may never again be available'' for a patient , she said .

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the government proposed on tuesday to allow women to obtain the so called morning after birth_control_pill without a prescription at any pharmacy in canada . the proposal needs to go through a review by health canada , the chief medical regulatory_agency , but it is expected to meet final approval in the next few months . the move comes only weeks after the acting director of the food and drug administration in the united_states declined to allow the morning after pill to be sold without a prescription . the latest divergence in american and canadian social_policy the two governments have also gone in different directions on drug enforcement and same sex marriages is likely to result in many american women crossing the border to obtain the pills . ''women facing an emergency need timely access to this type of therapy , '' health minister pierre pettigrew said in a statement . ''making the drug available in pharmacies without a prescription will help women to prevent unwanted pregnancies . '' women in quebec , saskatchewan and british_columbia can already buy the pill without a prescription simply by consulting a pharmacist . the proposed amendment to the canadian food and drug regulations would expand that availability across the country . it would be left to the provinces to decide at which age women could obtain the drug . mr . pettigrew said he was satisfied that women would still ' 'receive professional health advice'' before using the pills because they would be required to consult a pharmacist . he said the drug would be available ''behind the counter'' rather than ''over the counter . '' the morning after pill contains a strong dose of the contraceptive levonorgestrel , which impedes ovulation . if taken within 72 hours of having sex , the pill can prevent a fertilized egg from being implanted . mr . pettigrew 's announcement came only days before prime_minister paul_martin was expected to call a national election for late next month . women 's groups and birth_control advocacy agencies applauded the announcement , but the conservative opposition criticized it . rob merrifield , a conservative member of the house of commons who specializes in health_affairs , said the new policy could endanger public_health . ''this drug is 50 times as potent as a birth_control_pill , and we 're treating it like an aspirin , '' he said . he added that the announcement was totally politically_motivated and intended to make the conservative opposition look extremist . ''they laid it out there knowing it 's a volatile issue , and they wanted someone to fall into a trap and to say something controversial , '' he said .

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" it 's barbaric what they 're doing , " norleen lillico , a shopkeeper , said , arguing against the decision by british_columbia 's government to allow logging in the formerly protected rain_forest on the craggy west_coast of vancouver_island . " the wild places on earth are rare enough and threatened and must be protected , " she said with serene firmness behind the counter of her natural foods shop , organic matters , on tofino 's main commercial street , a few hundred feet from duffin cove . ms . lillico , 30 , was one of the peaceful protesters arrested last summer for carrying their opposition to the point of refusing to step out of the way of mammoth logging trucks headed into the pristine interior north and west of here . in one of the largest mass arrests in canadian history , nearly 800 were detained , charged with defying a court injunction obtained by macmillan_bloedel ltd . , the region 's biggest logging company . the injunction banned demonstrators from its logging sites . ancient trees and eagles these sites are in a domain of ancient cedar , hemlock , balsam and spruce including at least one red cedar dating from before the collapse of the roman empire of thickets of salmonberry , huckleberry and salal , of black bears , black tailed deer , waterfowl and bald eagles . thirty miles down the coast from tofino is the town of ucluelet , at the southern end of the pacific_rim national_park , where dave olson , 38 , works at one of the logging stations . he trims logs after the huge trees are felled and hauled from the interior , brands and sorts them just before they are rolled into the water , to be towed to the sawmills at port alberni . the logs are made into boards and shingles or mashed into pulp for newspapers and telephone books . nearly half the wood goes to the united_states , a flow that has been increased in recent years by successful lawsuits by environmental groups against american loggers . mr . olson complains that environmentalists are seeking to destroy his livelihood . " they want me to pull out , " he said . " i have a wife and three children . i need my job . " he has been with macmillan_bloedel for 18 years . the logger pointed a thick , callused forefinger across the waters of ucluelet inlet at a stretch of land that was clear cut years ago , where newly planted spruce and cedars , looking more like whiskers on a youth 's chin , have many decades to go before they can be harvested . " it 's ironic , " mr . olson said . " my first job with the company was planting trees . but trees like those take maybe 80 to 100 years to grow . " tofino ( population 1 , 100 ) and ucluelet ( population 2 , 000 ) are two sides of the conflict that has been tearing at this island since april 13 , when premier michael harcourt allowed logging on two thirds of a tract the size of rhode_island along clayoquot ( pronounced klak wit ) sound . tofino , a town of art galleries and many artists , capitalizes on sports fishing , whale watching , wilderness trekking and other forms of tourism . " wilderness is one of our main attractions , " said julie draper , 35 , a graphic artist and a director of friends of clayoquot sound , the leading anti logging group . " clear cut hillsides are hardly the best way to draw tourism . " ucluelet has no art galleries . more roughly hewn , it is the home of fishermen and loggers and the headquarters of macmillan_bloedel 's kennedy lake division , which employs 3 , 000 people , including 1 , 000 loggers . the division manager , don dowling , 50 , who holds a master 's degree in forestry from yale , insisted that the government decision was a " balanced and fair one and has community support . " people speaking out against it , he added , " are victims of a great deal of misinformation . " premier harcourt , of the socialist leaning new democratic_party , linked the decision to substantially tighter restrictions on the way logging companies operate , including controls on the amount of forest land that can be cut per year , requirements for " view corridors " to keep some trees standing at the edges of denuded swaths and guidelines for protecting salmon streams . 'for sustainable logging' dennis st . jacques , a former logger who owns smiley 's restaurant and bowling_alley on peninsula road in ucluelet , said " this is a good decision . it 's for sustainable logging so that everyone can carry on his own life style . why should one life style supersede another ? " morley johnsen , 35 , a " faller " who makes the first wedge shaped cut into a tree that determines the direction in which it falls , added , " we object to people forcing their life style on us . " the move to log one of the last major stands of ancient rain_forest in north_america has already had major political repercussions . the decision by the new democrats , traditionally sensitive to environmental concerns , dismayed many supporters and helped cause a rout of the party in the province in national elections in october . new democrats went from 19 to 2 seats in british_columbia and lost all six seats they had held on vancouver_island . " if the decision is fully implemented , " the sierra_club of western_canada said in a brochure urging members to protest , " 74 out of every 100 old growth trees in clayoquot sound will have disappeared . "

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when robear alain , a fourth year native studies major at canada 's university of alberta , in edmonton , runs out of money he goes to a campus bread line operated by students . its staff hands out 30 bundles of food a week , serving a regular monthly clientele of about 45 students . mr . alain , one of the regulars , is a 45 year old former aircraft mechanic looking for a new career who has discovered that his 7 , 800 student_loan and summer work savings do not keep him fed . the university 's graduate students' association started the operation two years ago after an increasing number of students drained their savings and began inquiring about food assistance , according to rita egan , a second year student who helps run the bank . " i never thought i would see the day when a university would have to set up a food bank , " ms . egan said . " but when you see students coming in here you realize something 's drastically wrong . " food programs have sprung up at 14 canadian universities , where student groups hand out aid to up to 90 students per month on each campus . administrators at several of the campuses agree with the alberta dean , henry miller , who calls the food distribution projects an " inappropriate response " to students' financial problems . though few records are kept , organizers said that those who use the food banks are generally the so called non traditional students those who are older , with families , for example , who do not enjoy the same parental financial support as their younger peers , according to kelly lamrock , chairman of the canadian federation of students . unemployment has also hit students hard canada 's student jobless_rate reached 18 percent last summer , soaring above the national level . not all administrators oppose the banks . " i 'm a pragmatic person by nature , " said peter dueck , head of financial aid at the university of manitoba , in winnipeg . " when i have a student sitting across from me and i 've met his two children , it 's pretty hard to just ignore that . " clive thompson blackboard

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to the editor i 'm sure the scientists in ''canadian scientists glower as u.s . scientists play in frozen north'' ( oct . 31 ) were less than thrilled to see what they do described as play . to conduct research ''in the field'' is hard work , and though i 've never worked there , i 'm sure in the arctic it is all the more arduous . in my experience , the norm is up to 18 hour days , every day . add to this the fact that you are away from home and your normal support mechanisms for weeks or months at a time , and field time , regardless of locale , becomes a test of endurance tempered by love of learning , not the vacation implied . dr . christopher ohm clement columbia , s.c .

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they are no longer as hard to tell apart as when they were children , dressed in different colors and forced to wear name tags so tourists at quintland could identify them . cecile dionne 's face is now a bit fuller than her sisters' annette 's is somewhat sharper and yvonne 's more drawn . but all three surviving dionne quintuplets once among the most well known and photographed children in the world share the same sad eyes , pinched by memories they wish they did not have . the three women , now 63 and living together in a modest house in this montreal suburb on the equivalent of 525 ( united_states ) a month in pensions , have emerged from decades of seclusion and spent the last few months digging through their pasts in painfully public ways . they are asking the current government of the province of ontario , where they were born on may 28 , 1934 , to poor french catholic parents they never really knew , to give them a full accounting of their early years , when they were a bigger tourist_attraction than niagara_falls . they want to know what happened to around 1 million that disappeared from a trust fund set up for them when they were taken from their parents' farm home in corbeil , ontario , and made wards of the state . they want a public_inquiry into the millions of dollars their fame brought to ontario during the great depression when three million tourists visited the rural compound where the world 's first surviving quintuplets were put on display three times a day . in short , yvonne said , ''we want to find the real truth . '' while the ontario government has so far rejected any legal responsibility for the plight of the three sisters , it has accepted a moral obligation to help . last week premier mike harris offered them , but not the survivors of a dead sister , a take it or leave it offer of 1 , 400 a month , apiece , for life , if they agreed to drop all claims to future compensation . ''there are lots of people who would like money and lots of investments that have gone wrong , '' mr . harris said . ''we decided instead of playing hardball to give a compassionate , caring response . '' the three extremely shy women went before the cameras they so dislike to denounce the offer as little more than an attempt to silence them . ''we want justice , '' cecile told reporters at a news conference last week , ''not charity . '' the three hollywood movies made about the lives of the dionnes had much happier endings . they were five of the world 's first global celebrities , used to market everything from toothpaste to war bonds . ironically , the provincial government took them from their parents when they were a few months old to prevent their exploitation . their desperate father , oliva , had signed a contract with some american promoters to display the babies at the world 's fair then being held in chicago . the father canceled the contract a day after he signed it , but it was already too late . the sisters can only guess how different their lives might have been had the government not stepped in . they cannot even be sure they would have lived at all . their farmhouse was 12 miles from the nearest hospital , and no quintuplets had ever survived without intense medical care . ''there are still questions i am wondering about , '' cecile said after a long , uneasy pause . ''if we had stayed with them , could we have been able to survive ? '' the government built the quintland compound across the road from the family homestead . there the five button nosed girls led what was widely seen as a privileged life , as miraculous in the somber days of the depression as was their very survival . they had round the clock nursing care , they played on miniature pianos and they even had their own playground and tiny swimming_pool . but it was not the paradise shown on newsreels . ''when we were displayed there was a playground , '' cecile said in halting english . although the playground was surrounded by special glass that allowed the tourists to see in without being clearly seen , the girls saw their shadows and always knew they were being watched . ''we were hearing the noise , '' cecile said . ''we knew they were there . '' the quintuplets were allowed to leave the compound only a handful of times . their parents were allowed to visit , but to the girls they were simply two more visitors who had to wear surgical_masks to keep from spreading germs . ''we did n't know each other , '' cecile said . eventually the parents won back the girls . they were almost 10 years old by then , and a large house was built with the proceeds of their promotions and endorsements . eventually one of the rooms became a classroom for the sisters and 10 carefully selected classmates . for the first time , they realized that other people did not live the way they did . ''i remember being very surprised to see girls like us who seemed to be very happy with their families , '' cecile said . ''it was not like that for us . '' about 1 . 8 million was put into a special trust fund for the quintuplets' future . by the time they turned 21 , less than half remained . it was divided among four of the girls the fifth , emilie , had entered a convent but died at 20 after an epileptic seizure . the other sister , marie , died in 1970 from a blood_clot in the brain . the girls had been raised to believe they would be taken care of by the trust fund . when forced to handle money , they were totally unprepared . cecile said they had trouble distinguishing a nickel from a quarter . ''we tried our best , '' yvonne said . and they agree that they made mistakes . cecile says she married the first man who took her for a cup of coffee . she had five children in five years and then left him . annette and marie also married and raised families , and their marriages also failed . by the time they turned 60 , they were under such emotional and financial stress that they wrote a book with a professional author . revelations of sexual_abuse by their father briefly increased sales . but the advance of about 37 , 000 did not last long . last year , cecile 's son bertrand forced the government to open records from the 1930 's and 40 's that revealed many instances of how money that was supposed to have been put aside for the quintuplets went instead to quintland , where it was used to pay for things like toilet_paper for tourist bathrooms . after all these years , they are living together again . in 1992 , cecile , who had studied nursing , could no longer afford her montreal apartment and so moved in with annette , who owns the house in st . bruno . yvonne , who like annette , had become a librarian , underwent_surgery in 1993 and afterward went to live with her sisters . annette 's son pays the mortgage , and the three women pool their 525 in pensions to barely cover their bills . more than anything , they feel betrayed . last year , when bobbi mccaughey gave birth to the world 's first surviving septuplets in iowa , the sisters sent them an open_letter that was published in time magazine . ''we hope your children receive more respect than we did , '' they wrote . ''multiple births should not be confused with entertainment , nor should they be an opportunity to sell products . '' annette , who like all her sisters suffers from epilepsy , is feeling poorly these days . she came out of her sickroom just long enough to say that what is most painful about reopening the past is realizing how thoroughly she and her sisters had been deprived of their private_lives . ''it is hard to see that everything you have is exposed all over the world , '' she said . cecile believes that by refusing to recognize their individual identities , the government had ' 'stolen our souls . '' yvonne , sitting quietly on the end of a worn out sofa , timidly added , ''and they are still doing it . ''

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dozens of hospitals and nursing homes in quebec are struggling to contain an epidemic of viral gastroenteritis . the illness is suspected to be a new strain of the norwalk virus and causes fever , vomiting and diarrhea . montreal has been hit the hardest , with 29 health_care institutions having reported outbreaks . at least eight players and one coach for the montreal_canadiens hockey team have also contracted the illness . officials said they expected the number of cases to increase . christopher mason

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canadian_dollar rebounds . the central_bank of canada raised its target for short term interest rates half a percentage point and followed with intervention to support the canadian_dollar . after a string of record_lows , the currency finally responded , rising to 68 . 97 united_states cents from 68 . 67 .

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in a bid to rein in rising health_care costs , ontario 's new conservative government wants the authority to control almost every aspect of doctors' working lives from where they set up a practice to the finer details of the care they prescribe . most doctors in the province have reacted with anger , calling the plan an unprecedented intrusion by government into the workings of the medical system . the legislation that is expected to be enacted into law in the provincial assembly before the end of this month would go so far as to make doctors financially liable for treatments the government may decide later are not medically necessary . it could allow the government to retrieve hundreds of dollars , for instance , if an obstetrician ordered too many ultrasounds , or tens of thousands if a heart surgeon performed a bypass later deemed unnecessary . the current system is " unmanaged , unplanned and inefficient , " the ontario minister of health , jim wilson , said in november , citing an increase in the use of physician services that has outpaced population_growth for more than 20 years . " there is a serious lack of appropriate incentives to influence utilization and encourage appropriate care . " but such close management of the profession is seen as intolerable by most of the 23 , 000 doctors in canada 's most populous province . " micromanagement by government bureaucrats , without some kind of parameters that physicians regard as appropriate , is dangerous , " said dr . ian warrack , president of the ontario medical association . " how can bureaucrats decide what is medically necessary ? " dr . charles s . shaver , who practices internal_medicine in ottawa , characterized relations between the provincial government and the medical sector as the most strained since 1986 , when ontario doctors struck for 25 days in an unsuccessful attempt to make supplementary charges . doctors play down the possibility of another strike , predicting instead that many more doctors will opt to leave the province . " i 'm 51 , " dr . shaver said , " and people like myself will probably stay and be frustrated in our practice . but many of our younger doctors are going to leave . i think we may lose a whole generation . " departure rates are already rising . the canadian medical association reports that 777 doctors left the country in 1994 , compared with 478 in 1990 . in ontario , home of 40 percent of the doctors , 345 left in 1994 compared with 209 in 1990 . about two thirds went to the united_states . canada 's health system uses tax money to pay most medical bills . canadians choose any doctor they want . the doctor bills the provincial government , which acts as paymaster . during the recent american debate over national health_care , many held up the canadian system as a desirable model . even though doctors' and hospitals' fees are regulated , costs of the canadian system have exploded in recent years . at around 10 percent of gross_domestic_product , they are higher than in any other country with a publicly financed health plan . canada 's prime_minister , jean_chretien , has said his target is something approaching the european level of 8.5 percent . in the united_states , the costs now are upward of 14 percent . to curb medical spending , by far the largest component of overall public expenditures , canada 's 10 provinces and 2 territories have been closing hospitals , laying off medical workers and reducing services doctors can bill for , like electrolysis for the removal of unwanted hair or certain types of psychotherapy . but what ontario 's tory government wants to legislate under premier mike harris goes well beyond proposals anywhere else in the country and could have broad implications for the canadian system . " they are basically moving to a u.s . managed_care model , " said peter coyte , professor of health administration at the university of toronto . doctors in american health maintenance organizations and other managed_care groups generally draw a fixed salary , as opposed to the fee_for_service under the canadian system , and provide care on the basis of guidelines set by third party payers , like the medicare or blue cross and blue shield . the rigid protocols of american managed_care , intended to check the rise in costs , clash with an underlying principle of the canadian system that the doctor alone should decide what is appropriate for a patient . physicians do not like managed_care , professor coyte said , because " fiscal_restraint interferes with the autonomy of the individual provider . " with doctors' billings to the ontario health_insurance plan rising 13 percent a year over the last decade to 3 billion in american dollars , the ontario government is demanding a much closer look over doctors' shoulders . bill 26 , as the legislation is known part of an omnibus bill introduced in november to save 4 . 5 billion in american dollars over three years allows ministry of health investigators to go into confidential medical records to check billing practices and the cost efficiency of treatment . but doctors warn that this could easily lead to abuse , as for instance if such information were used to smear a candidate in a political_campaign . also , they ask whether people with sexually_transmitted_diseases or alcohol or drug problems might forgo treatment out of fear of disclosure . to induce doctors to serve in rural and northern areas , bill 26 would also withhold government registration and therefore money from new medical graduates who want to practice in areas considered overserviced . doctors say this would only speed the exodus . the ontario medical association has opened an advertising campaign warning the public of a bleak future under bill 26 . anonymous doctors wonder who will deliver babies and suggest that patient waiting_lists will lengthen . " bill 26 could do us all more harm than good , " a voice intones in a radio spot . some issues raised by doctors , like protection of privacy , will be addressed in amendments , said paul kilbertus , a spokesman for the health ministry . but he stressed that there will be no backsliding on the bill 's broad principles . " some very basic management is finally being incorporated into the way we are spending our money , " he said .

has a location of canada

canada 's main virology laboratory has found the virus for severe_acute_respiratory_syndrome in only 40 percent of probable and suspect cases , a surprisingly low rate that puzzles the laboratory 's scientific director and other health officials . also , for unknown reasons , the portion of recent cases testing positive for the virus is declining , and a number of people who are not suspected of having the disease are testing positive , the director , dr . frank plummer , said . dr . plummer described his team 's findings as ''weird . '' he said they had the potential to weaken the link in canada between the disease , known as sars , and a previously unknown member of the coronavirus family that the world_health_organization said last week was the cause of sars . dr . plummer stressed in an interview that he was not challenging the w.h.o . 's conclusion . he said he was ' 'reserving judgment'' because it was too early in the course of the investigation of the new disease , first detected only five weeks ago , to be certain about many findings without further study and independent confirmation by other laboratories . yesterday , the w.h.o . said that it continued to believe that the new coronavirus is the cause of sars and that it is following the developments at the national microbiology laboratory in winnipeg , manitoba , where dr . plummer is scientific director . it is one of 13 laboratories in an international network that the w.h.o. , a united_nations specialized agency , created to investigate sars . but dr . plummer 's data ''is troubling and we do n't understand it , said dr . klaus_st_hr , who is scientific director of the world_health_organization 's sars investigation . ''everyone is puzzled by the finding , and we are eager to better understand what is happening , '' dr . st hr said . ''but we need more information from dr . plummer to understand his conclusions . '' dr . plummer is an experienced virologist who made important findings while working on the aids virus in kenya . he said the coronavirus ''clearly is a new virus that is circulating now , but whether it is the entire explanation for sars i am just not sure yet . '' there could be a number of explanations for the low positive test rate , dr . plummer , dr . st hr and other experts said . they include the possibility the coronavirus is not the cause of the disease or is not its sole cause that specimens tested were collected at the wrong stage of the disease or were taken from the wrong part of the body or that there were flaws in the laboratory testing . another factor could be the necessarily imprecise way health officials define a suspect or probable case of the disease . still another , and less likely , is that mutant strains of the virus have developed and are escaping detection or causing milder cases . dr . plummer 's team in winnipeg has tested about 3 , 000 specimens from 95 probable and 90 suspect cases in canada and asia . his team identified the sars virus in about 40 percent of the probable cases and 35 percent of the suspect cases . he said he was surprised to find the virus in about 20 percent of an additional 250 people who were not suspected of having sars but who were tested because they had come to canada from affected areas in asia or who had mild symptoms not thought to be sars . although the 250 were not randomly chosen as scientific controls , dr . plummer said he was still surprised at the number who tested positive . the link between the test findings and groups was definite , ''but it is not as clear cut as i would like to see it , '' dr . plummer said . if the coronavirus ''is the whole and only explanation , which is certainly possible , '' he said , ''there are a lot of weird things about it . '' one puzzle is why the percent testing positive now has dropped to 30 percent when it was 70 percent initially . because all the probable and suspect cases in the toronto area are linked in a chain of transmission , ''they ought to have the same thing , '' dr . plummer said . ''every day , we just scratch our heads'' over the declining frequency , he said . ''we do n't think it is our testing or epidemiology , but it could be those things though we do n't have any reason to believe that . '' another puzzle , dr . plummer said , is why he and other scientists in the w.h.o . network are finding very small amounts of sars virus in respiratory secretions in the first few days of illness but larger amounts later in the illness . ''there is not much virus there for a disease that appears to be transmitted by respiratory'' droplets , and ''i do not know what that means , '' dr . plummer said . about 10 percent of sars patients experience diarrhea . members of the w.h.o . network in hong_kong have found that a form of the virus can persist in feces up to 30 days after illness , though scientists do not know whether it is infectious to other people . the findings , dr . plummer said , raised the question whether the sars virus might infect the intestinal tract and cause lung problems secondarily , possibly through an immune reaction . another reason for his caution in accepting the coronavirus as the cause of sars is the fact that the dutch scientists who provided the crucial final evidence for the link in experiments on monkeys did not use other monkeys as scientific controls . scientists in the united_states and canada are expected to conduct further tests with such controls to confirm the dutch findings the results are not expected for several weeks . dr . plummer said he had inoculated small animals like rabbits , guinea pigs and mice with the sars virus and found them ''completely happy'' with no evidence of illness . he said that his reservations about the coronavirus 's role in sars could vanish if results of continuing and further tests in coming days pointed in that direction . ''but that has not been our experience so far , '' he said . ''it is less and less convincing as we go along . '' the sars epidemic the scientists

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canadian scientists report today in a study that women who were exposed to organic solvents like phenol , xylene and acetone during pregnancy had a greatly increased chance of having a baby with a birth defect . but leading experts on birth_defects said the study had serious methodological problems . they said they feared that the paper , published today in the journal of the american_medical_association , would needlessly frighten pregnant_women . the research , by dr . sohail khattak , a pediatrician and a clinical pharmacologist , dr . gideon koren , a clinical pharmacologist , and their colleagues at the hospital for sick children in toronto , involved women who had contacted the hospital 's program , motherisk , for pregnant_women who are worried that they have been exposed to something that might harm their fetuses . the investigators focused on organic solvents that caused birth_defects in animals when they were administered in high doses . they compared 125 women who said they were exposed to such chemicals , usually at work , with 125 women who said they were exposed to other chemicals or drugs that had not been known to cause birth_defects . as a rough gauge of the exposure , the investigators asked the women if their eyes had watered or if they had had a headache or trouble breathing . thirteen of the babies born to mothers who said they had been exposed to organic solvents had major birth_defects , including congenital deafness , club foot and spina bifida almost all of the women whose babies had these more serious birth_defects had reported symptoms of exposure . just one woman in the control group had a baby with a major birth defect . dr . khattak said that the findings offered strong evidence that these chemicals cause birth_defects . because his group knew the women 's professions , how long they had worked with chemicals , and what precautions they had taken , he said , the researchers had ''a unique advantage'' in assessing exposures . but other scientists were unconvinced . ''they 've added to the suspicion that there might be an association , '' said dr . david erickson , the chief of the birth_defects and genetic disease branch at the centers_for_disease_control and prevention in atlanta . but , dr . erickson said , ''i do n't think this nails it down in any firm way . '' to do so , he said , would require a much larger and more expensive study involving meticulous measurements of chemicals and notation of the time that women are exposed . in animal studies of chemicals that cause birth_defects , timing and dose are critical , and scientists believe the same is true for humans . asking women to recall the time of their exposure and then asking if they had had a headache when they thought they were exposed is not sufficient , said dr . lewis holmes , chief of the unit that studies genetics and birth_defects at massachusetts_general_hospital in boston . dr . holmes and dr . allen mitchell , who directs the slone epidemiology unit at the boston university school of public health , noted that the women in the study were not randomly_selected . half who said they had been exposed to organic solvents had had previous miscarriages compared to a fifth of the women in the control group which could mean that it was the genetic makeup of the parents , and not the workplace , that caused the high rate of birth_defects , dr . holmes and dr . mitchell said . the control group of women had far fewer birth_defects than usual , dr . erickson said , one baby rather than the expected four to six , which made the comparison even more dramatic . dr . khattak said not every chemical that causes birth_defects causes only one specific kind of defect and that the women were exposed to a wide variety of chemicals , which could account for the diverse group of birth_defects in their babies . he added that the extraordinarily high numbers of birth_defects in the group that was exposed to the chemicals could not be dismissed . but dr . mitchell said , ''think of all the women of childbearing age who will be scared to death . ''

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a doctor who operates canada 's largest private hospital in violation of canadian law was elected tuesday to become president of the canadian medical association . the move gives an influential platform to a prominent advocate of increasing privatization of canada 's troubled taxpayer_financed medical system . the new president elect , dr . brian day , has openly run his private hospital in vancouver even though it accepts money from patients for procedures that are available through the public system , which is illegal . dr . day , who will assume the presidency in august next year , advocates a hybrid health_care system similar to those in many european_countries . opponents argue that a fee charging private component would divert resources from public_health and lead to a lack of access to medical treatment for many lower income citizens . but opposition to private health_care has diminished in canada , in part because waiting times have more than doubled for certain procedures during the last 13 years , according to the fraser institute , a conservative research group . debate has been especially heated since a ruling by the supreme_court in june 2005 gave residents of quebec the right to pursue private treatment if the province could not provide services in a reasonable time . since then , quebec 's premier and the leaders of british_columbia and alberta have expressed a willingness to consider solutions that include privately paid medical services , in part because of the court decision but also because of the rising cost of providing free health_care . on average , provinces spend nearly 45 percent of their budgets on health_care . in the meantime , private health clinics are opening at an average rate of one a week in canada . ''the canadian health system is at a point in history right now where it 's going to be reformed in the wake of the supreme_court decision , '' dr . day said tuesday in a telephone interview . ''the concept that the status_quo is something that we should maintain is wearing thin , with frustrated doctors and frustrated patients . '' since its formation in the 1960 's , canada 's publicly financed health_insurance system has been at the core of the national identity . but in recent years , with waiting times growing and costs skyrocketing , the merits of a larger private component to the health_care system has not been the taboo topic it once was . experts say there is no better example of that evolution than the election of dr . day to head the organization that represents canada 's 62 , 000 doctors . ''there has been a change in what is feasible and what is permissible in public debates , '' said antonia maioni , a mcgill_university political_scientist who specializes in health_care . ''five years ago someone like brian day would never have been elected president of the canadian medical association . five or 10 years ago there was much more of a consensus about the sustainability of the public system . ''

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in an important advance , researchers in canada are reporting that transplants of insulin producing cells have freed eight patients with a severe form of diabetes from insulin injections . two to 14 months after being transplanted in a simple procedure resembling a transfusion at the university of alberta in edmonton , the cells are still working in all eight patients , half of whom were treated almost a year ago . the patients , who had type 1 diabetes , in which the body produces little or no insulin , no longer have any symptoms of the disease . although they no longer need insulin to control their blood_sugar , they now must take other drugs to prevent rejection of the transplants . so far , the researchers report that the only side effect from the drugs has been mild mouth sores , which healed . the transplanted cells , isolated from the pancreas , were harvested from deceased organ donors . the goal of the treatment is to provide an easier and safer alternative to transplanting the entire pancreas , a major operation that is not commonly done . ''this is something people have wanted for a long time , '' said dr . judith fradkin , acting director of the division of diabetes , endocrinology and metabolic diseases at the national_institutes_of_health in bethesda , md . noting that the procedure worked in eight out of eight patients , dr . fradkin said , ''if , when it 's done in a larger number of patients , you get anything like that success rate , it 's a quantum leap . '' dr . bernard hering , director of the islet transplant program at the university of minnesota , said , ''this shows that cell transplants can reverse diabetes . here is something that can really work and can transform a patient 's life . '' the juvenile_diabetes foundation , a nonprofit group that supports research , called the work ''a very significant step forward in curing type 1 diabetes . '' type 1 is sometimes referred to as juvenile_diabetes . the diabetes foundation and the health institutes will help pay for a study to test the new procedure within a few months at eight transplant centers in north_america and europe . each center will treat four patients . the american sites have not yet been named . researchers have been trying cell transplants for diabetes for more than 20 years , but most failed , or worked only briefly . the success in eight consecutive patients in edmonton has been attributed to several factors , like the use of a new combination of drugs to prevent rejection , and the transplantation of many more pancreas cells than in the past . the pancreas cells are transplanted into the patient 's liver , where they lodge in tiny blood_vessels and begin doing their normal work of monitoring and regulating blood glucose levels by secreting insulin and another hormone , glucagon . ''they can now control glucose within a very tight range , as in a normal individual , '' said dr . ray rajotte , director of the pancreatic cell research group at edmonton . to perform the transplant , doctors insert a catheter into the patient 's abdomen and snake it into the portal vein , which carries blood into the liver . the patient needs only a local anesthetic to numb the skin . about a teaspoonful of cells are injected through the catheter , and they spray out and disperse through the liver . the entire procedure can take as little as 20 minutes . patients undergo it twice , with a few weeks between transplants , to get enough of the insulin secreting cells . dr . a . m . james shapiro , part of the 44 member canadian research team , presented the research last week at medical meetings in chicago and washington . it will be published in the new england journal of medicine , and an editor , dr . robert utiger , said the study would be posted within about two weeks on the journal 's web_site , before it appeared in print . the journal 's editors reserve this ''early release'' policy for papers with especially important implications for patients . the patients in the canadian study were 29 to 53 years old . all had severe type 1 diabetes that was poorly controlled by insulin shots . about a million americans have the disease , which usually develops early in life . most need several insulin shots a day . an additional 15 million are thought to have type 2 diabetes , in which the body may make insulin , but cannot use it properly . type 2 tends to come on later in life , and patients may or may not need insulin shots . together , the two forms of diabetes cause nearly 200 , 000 deaths a year in america , and even with treatment they are a leading cause of blindness , kidney_failure and amputations . dr . fradkin said that if the canadian findings were confirmed by other studies , cell transplants would be used first for type 1 patients . but eventually , she said , they might also be given to some type 2 patients . for now , dr . shapiro recommends the procedure only for severe type 1 cases . if the results are confirmed , it will create an unprecedented demand for donor organs , dr . fradkin said . the procedure devised in edmonton required two donor pancreases for every patient treated in order to provide enough of the insulin producing cells . it costs 100 , 000 . other research groups , like those at the university of minnesota and the university of miami , are experimenting with techniques they hope will allow them to use one pancreas per patient . still other scientists are trying to find ways to grow pancreatic cells in culture . there is great interest in cell transplants because many doctors feel that transplanting the entire pancreas is too big an operation to be an acceptable treatment for diabetes , even though the disease has devastating complications and the surgical success rate matches that of other organ transplants . ''it 's a tender issue , '' said dr . paul robertson , scientific director of the pacific northwest research institute . ''there generally has not been as much acceptance as there has been of heart , liver and kidney transplants . physicians who do n't do it say diabetes is not a life threatening disease . '' that attitude angers some doctors and many patients , but , nonetheless , pancreas transplants are not often performed . dr . robertson estimated that doctors did 1 , 200 transplants a year worldwide , with perhaps half of them in the u.s . the vast majority are done only in people who also need kidney transplants because of renal failure brought on by diabetes . in those cases , many doctors feel the pancreas operation can be justified because the kidney_failure demonstrates that the diabetes is out of control , and because the patient will already be on immune suppressing drugs to prevent rejection of the kidney . ''but patients say , 'do i have to get kidney_failure before i can get a pancreas ? ' '' dr . robertson said . the earliest work on cell transplants was published in 1972 , by dr . paul lacey , of washington_university in st . louis , who showed in rats that the procedure could cure diabetes . dr . lacey transplanted the pancreatic tissue known as islets of langerhans , which makes up only 3 percent of the pancreas but contains all the insulin producing cells , called beta cells . ''everybody thought , this is how we 'll cure diabetes , '' dr . robertson said . but when researchers tried the procedure in people , it usually failed . occasionally , the islets would function for a few weeks , sometimes longer . doctors could not explain it . but during the 1990 's , they began to suspect that standard anti rejection drugs like steroids and cyclosporine might be damaging the islets , because the islets sat in the liver , where those drugs become most highly concentrated . ''there were plenty of hints in the medical literature'' that the drugs needed to be changed , dr . robertson said . ''but edmonton gets the credit . they went ahead and did it . '' instead of steroids and cyclosporine , the edmonton team used a combination of three other antirejection drugs , tacrolimus , sirolimus and daclimuzab . but dr . rajotte said the drugs alone could not account for the group 's success . he said it helped that the patients did not have kidney_failure and therefore were in an earlier stage of the disease than were those in other studies . in addition , he said , the new work was based on 30 years of research on how to isolate healthy insulin making cells from the rest of the pancreas .

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the mass_suicide of followers of the heaven 's gate cult left many other believers spiritually adrift across the united_states and canada , say two former cult members who talk frequently to followers . although san_diego law enforcement authorities said this week that they had ''no indication'' that there were any believers beyond the 39 who committed_suicide in rancho_santa_fe , calif . , the two former members said they had maintained regular contact with followers around the country . sharon k . walsh , the first recruit of cult founders marshall herff applewhite and bonnie lu nettles , said her mother , her stepfather and a niece are among the followers who still prepare for the golden day when a u.f.o . will land on earth to take them to heaven . on monday , california authorities confirmed that mrs . walsh 's half sister , judith ann rowland , was among those who committed_suicide . ''there are probably as many as 50 followers left , '' estimated mrs . walsh , a no nonsense 53 year old stockbroker who spent the summer of 1974 proselytizing with the cult 's founders . another former cult member , aaron greenberg of eugene , ore . , estimated today that surviving heaven 's gate believers numbered in the hundreds . ''i personally know about 60 to 80 , but i feel there are hundreds , '' said mr . greenberg , who keeps up with followers through a loose telephone_network . ''there are about 1 , 000 people who passed through this thing . '' mr . greenberg said that on monday he talked by telephone with one man in canada , who is part of a group of 40 believers , and with another man in new york , who is part of a group of 60 . both men , mr . greenberg said , told him that the cult followers , who meet periodically , were converging this week on a secret site in the southwest . ''this is not a good thing , '' warned mr . greenberg , who left the group in 1976 after six months . referring to the cultists' farewell videotape , widely aired on television in recent days , mr . greenberg added ''remember what they say in the videotapes 'come join us , the time is now , the window is small . ' '' mrs . walsh thinks that her mother and stepfather , both 78 years old , ''wanted to go , but were probably turned down because herff wanted 39 . '' she speculated that for mr . applewhite , a former seminarian who had studied numerology , the number 39 may have had special significance because 3 plus 9 equals 12 the number of christ 's disciples . mrs . walsh recalled the training undertaken by her mother and stepfather , whom she would identify only as a midwest farm couple whose first names are lorraine and floyd . ''they had drills where they had to be ready to go in 12 minutes , '' she said . ''they actually would run out of the house into a field . they thought they would be beamed up . '' in this affluent southern suburb of denver , mrs . walsh sat in her living room monday_night with her husband , jim , and reviewed 16 months of letters she received from mr . applewhite and ms . nettles from february 1973 to may 1974 , the month she left her first husband and two young daughters to join the pair 's proselytizing work . the cult leaders , believing they had a divine mission to illuminate humanity , sometimes signed their letters ''two lampstands'' or ''two candlesticks . '' the letters to mrs . walsh , whom the founders called the ''first disciple , '' provide rare insight into the early thinking and way of life of the wandering pair , who later preached under the names bo and peep , guinea and pig , and do and ti . closing their astrological bookstore in houston on jan . 2 , 1974 , the two embarked on an 18 month road trip that crisscrossed the united_states and canada , from south to north and east to west . ''i provided their main means of support , '' recalled mrs . walsh , who faults herself for introducing the pair to her mother . a housewife at the time , she mailed them family heirlooms a 1790 bible and a turn of the century postcard collection so they could sell the items to get gas money . in addition , members of mrs . walsh 's hatha yoga group sent money to ms . nettles , a longtime houston psychic , in return for personalized astrological charts . the letters from ms . nettles and mr . applewhite describe camping in state_parks , bathing in frigid streams , washing clothes in coin operated laundries and receiving mail at general delivery windows of big city post_offices . the pair moved quickly , leaving no traces . ''please be discreet as to our whereabouts , '' implored one of the dozens of letters . when mrs . walsh later joined them on the road , she discovered why mr . applewhite had stolen a rental car in st . louis in december 1973 , and the pair routinely ran out on motel bills . ''they said at first they slept in camps or roadside parks in their car , until one day our father revealed to them a part of the scripture in which jesus said the 'lord will be as a thief in the night , ' '' mrs . walsh wrote in a manuscript she is preparing about her three months with the pair . ''they checked into a motel giving a fictitious name . they took all meals at the motel charging it to their bill , and then left very early on the morning of their departure , without paying . '' the use of mrs . walsh 's gasoline credit_card was their undoing . after she left her first husband with a family car , he filed a complaint that led to mr . applewhite 's arrest in aug . 28 , 1974 . ''according to my gas tickets , they 'd be on the west_coast , and then three days later , they 'd be on the east_coast , '' her first husband , james morgan , told the houston_chronicle in 1975 . ''they may try to tell people they get around some other way . but i 've got proof they 're not doing any of this astro traveling . '' mrs . walsh broke with the pair , briefly reconciled with her husband , and he dropped the charges . but mr . applewhite spent four months in jail in st . louis for stealing the rental car . on the road , the missionary pair failed to make recruits . in their letters , they complained that their modern day prophecies were falling on deaf_ears . ''he would be branded a fanatic and nut too if he came today like he did then , '' ms . nettles wrote of jesus on aug . 27 , 1973 . ''whenever anyone calls you a witch or implies insanity , feel thankful you will get to a state where you will feel in the world , but not part of it . '' ''by social , psychiatric , medical religious standards we and you have long since lost our sanity , '' mr . applewhite wrote on the same day . ''if you think that '2 religious fanatics' '2 candlesticks' find any religious or worldly pleasure in their mission just put yourself in our shoes and imagine what we 're up against . '' although the letters make no mention of u.f.o . 's , the pair seemed to be traveling intellectually in that direction . ''we are becoming increasingly awkward in this world 's structure and giggle a lot at ourselves as two folks from outerspace would as they realize they ca n't fit the patterns of social practice , '' reads a november 1973 letter , signed ''much love , herff . '' ''when we converse in our minds ( while thinking ) we are really listening to the conversations between the alien spirits , '' reads a letter from the pair , dated_feb . 27 , 1974 . in that letter , the pair already refer to their bodies as ' 'vehicles'' or ''houses'' that must eventually be shed to reach a higher level , a christian concept that mr . applewhite apparently distorted last week when he led his followers into suicide . these themes recur in an unpublished manuscript that mr . applewhite and ms . nettles wrote in january 1973 , with the title ''i ca n't believe that but you must . '' ''deaths , marriage , sweethearts , and even newborn babes are elements which keep us from climbing out of the physical , '' wrote the pair , who later pressed followers to turn their backs on friends , family and fortune . in a passage that foreshadowed events 25 years later , they wrote ''man has experienced in space travel the process necessary to leave the earth magnet and arrive at a space which seems to be nirvana , the absence of a gravity force . ''

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lead researchers have unearthed the oldest rocks ever discovered , chunks of granite in remote northern_canada that are nearly four billion years old , the national_science_foundation announced today . researchers have unearthed the oldest rocks ever discovered , chunks of granite in remote northern_canada that are nearly four billion years old , the national_science_foundation announced today . the researchers , led by dr . samuel bowring of washington_university in st . louis , pushed back the date of the oldest known rocks more than 100 million years , into a time in the history of the planet about which almost nothing is known with certainty . ''until now , there just has been no record of the earth between the time it was formed 4.5 billion years ago , and 3.8 billion years ago , '' dr . bowring said . he said this find pushes back the date of the earliest rocks to 3 . 96 billion years ago , and preliminary evidence suggests that nearby rocks in the area may be as old as 4.1 billion years . when crust was formed the finding helps pinpoint the time when the earth 's crust formed , sketching in the details between the time the earth was entirely hot , liquid rock and the formation of a crust on its surface . dr . bowring and his group , working with researchers from the geological survey of canada , had been sampling and mapping the geology of the rolling , treeless arctic tundra about 250 miles north of yellowknife , in the northwest_territories , when they gathered samples in 1984 . two rocks , one about five pounds and the other about 50 pounds , sat unanalyzed for years in dr . bowring 's laboratory until this spring . then , after preliminary analysis suggested great age , 53 small crystals from the two rocks were shipped to the australian national university for dating by a special technique that can determine how much uranium has decayed to lead in tiny samples of rock . very few samples of old earth 's crust have been found despite extensive searches , and so the importance of these rocks and other samples still to come from the area has grown . formed out of gases the earth was formed about 4.5 billion years ago , congealing from a spinning , gaseous mass along with the other inner planets in the solar system . the earth was at first entirely molten rock , but gradually the heavier elements , like iron and nickel , settled into a dense inner core . around the core was the mantle , made of lighter materials called basalt . today 's report offers information about when the mantle began to develop a crust . scientists liken the process to the formation of a crust on top of boiling pea soup . the least dense material , like granite , surfaced and formed clumps that were like the island chains of today 's earth . as they moved about on the surface of the boiling molten rock , more and more of these surface clumps collided , eventually building up into the thicker continental plates , dr . bowring said . the earth 's crust is now thickest under the continental plates and thinnest under the ocean , where new crust is still welling up at oceanic ridges from the underlying hot mantle . the question that may eventually be resolved by samples like those announced today is whether a crust formed very slowly over the first two billion years of the planet 's history and little has remained from the early times , or whether crust was formed early , but later destroyed by widewpread meteoric bombardment of the earth . ''we did n't go out expecting to find rocks this old in fact i had predicted that the samples we got would be young , '' said dr . bowring . ''there is nothing about these rocks that looks any different or that says old rocks . but now the potential for new discoveries in this area is large . '' he said he had recently hauled back more than 4 , 000 pounds of rocks from the arctic wilderness for analysis .

has a location of canada

for the first time , the canadian government has formally apologized to its 1.3 million indigenous people for 150 years of what indian groups have charged were paternalistic assistance programs and racist schools that devastated their communities as thoroughly as any war or disease . along with the formal apology , the government promised today to establish a 245 million ''healing fund'' for the thousands of indians who were taken from their homes and forced to attend the schools , where they were sometimes physically and sexually_abused . some social and economic_development programs were also outlined . the government was responding to a report last year that condemned its treatment of indigenous people , but fell far short of fulfilling the report 's recommendations . indian leaders have long demanded an apology but federal officials refused to give one until now because of fears of setting a legal_precedent . just as soon as the apology was read , it exposed a rift among indians . some leaders called it a historic step but others invited to the ceremony in the parliament building here today said the apology and the offer of compensation did not go far enough . ''the federal_government is insulting aboriginal people with this response , '' said marilyn buffalo , president of the native women 's association of canada . leaders representing the inuit , as eskimos are called here , were upset that forced relocations of their people were not mentioned . and the metis , people of mixed indian and european ancestry , said the government 's actions were insincere . indian leaders also pointed out that the compensation package is less than the 350 million that the government acknowledged it wasted when it canceled a fleet of rescue helicopters . on monday , it reordered essentially the same helicopters . prime_minister_jean_chretien , a former minister of indian_affairs who has not made indian_affairs a priority in his government , was criticized for not having personally endorsed the apology by signing it . still , the formal ''statement of reconciliation'' represents a significant reversal and a difficult acknowledgment for a government that prides itself on its compassion . speaking after an elaborate ceremony punctuated by drumbeats and traditional dances , phil fontaine , the national chief of the assembly of first nations , referred to the officials present as partners . his conciliatory attitude is thought to have played an essential part in getting the government to act . he said it took courage for officials to take a ''historic step to break with the past and to apologize for the historic wrongs and injustices'' committed against indian people . jane stewart , the minister of indian_affairs and northern development , who also is considered a moderate voice in indian_affairs , said , ''history cannot be changed . '' she said , however , that ''it must be understood in a way that reflects that people today are living out the legacy of decisions made in a different time . '' indigenous people are among the poorest and least healthy of canadians . rates of infant_mortality , youth suicide and unemployment are significantly higher than those for other canadians , and most live below the official poverty_line . the apology , read by ms . stewart , specifically mentions abuses that took place at the residential schools . the system began in 1849 but was most active earlier this century . the government took thousands of youths from their families and forced them to attend schools where they could not speak their languages or practice their customs or beliefs . ''to those of you who suffered this tragedy at residential schools , we are deeply sorry , '' the statement said . several religious orders that ran the schools have already apologized for abuses , and a number of individuals who were victimized during the 1950 's , in the waning years of the schools , have filed lawsuits . residential schools were also operated in the united_states , and similar abuses took place . the closest the united_states_government came to apologizing was a 1969 senate investigation , initiated by senator robert f . kennedy , that documented abuses . in addressing the broader pattern of historic injustices and prejudices here , the canadian government seems to have managed to avoid inviting new claims for reparation by expressing regret rather than admitting guilt ''the government of canada formally expresses to all aboriginal people in canada our profound regret for past actions of the federal_government which have contributed to these difficult pages in the history of our relationship together . '' the government also tried to reverse an emotional source of tension involving louis riel , the metis leader of a rebellion who was hanged for treason in 1885 . the statement of reconciliation pledges the government will ''look for ways of affirming the contributions of metis people in canada and of reflecting louis riel 's proper place in canada 's history , '' but it stops short of revoking the treason charge , as indigenous people have demanded . gerald morin , president of the metis national council , also criticized the government 's apology because it did not resolve the question of the group 's status , which prevents them from pursuing land claims and some support programs . ms . stewart said today 's declarations were the government 's formal response to the november 1996 report by the royal commission on aboriginal peoples , established by the federal_government in 1991 after a violent confrontation between indians and the police on the oka reserve in quebec . while supporting the commission 's conclusion that canada 's indian policy for the last 150 years has been wrong , the government 's actions do not come close to meeting any of the 440 recommendations the commission made . among those were establishing a separate aboriginal parliament , abolishing the current department of indian_affairs and increasing annual spending on indian_affairs by about 1 . 4 billion by the end of the century . current federal spending exceeds 4 billion .

has a location of canada

canada ratcheted up the pressure today to persuade the world_health_organization to reverse its advisory to travelers to avoid toronto because of the outbreak of the highly contagious respiratory_disease known as sars . ''we all believe that the world_health_organization came to the wrong conclusion , '' said prime_minister_jean_chr_tien in a nationally_televised news conference today after returning from a week 's vacation in the dominican_republic . in a gesture intended to express confidence that toronto was safe , mr . chr tien said he was scheduling a cabinet meeting in toronto on tuesday , and would spend monday_night at a hotel here . ''i will sleep very , very , very well , '' he said . mr . chr tien made his remarks after calling the w.h.o . leader , gro harlem brundtland , to protest the wednesday decision , which is causing severe economic aftershocks here in canada 's financial center . canadian officials said the prime_minister 's conversation with ms . brundtland was private , but they noted that the two developed a good working relationship when ms . brundtland was prime minister of norway in the early and mid 1990 's . there was no indication that ms . brundtland made any commitments one way or another . ''i do n't think there will be a reversal , '' said dick thompson , spokesman for the communicable disease section of the w.h.o . but he added , ''we re evaluate travel information every day and in that sense we will be looking at it again regularly . '' the toronto death toll from sars rose to 19 today , with 3 more deaths over the last day . there have been 257 probable and suspected cases in the area , a number that has actually gone down in recent days . canadian health officials , who are suddenly expressing optimism about controlling sars , note that there has not been a new case reported outside the hospital system in more than a week . the disease , they say , has not broken out into the general community , and it is unlikely for a pedestrian to become sick with sars . but w.h.o . officials , who spoke on condition of anonymity , said they continued to believe that travel to toronto posed a threat to world health , particularly for developing_countries whose health_care systems could not manage an outbreak of sars introduced by someone who had traveled to an infected city . the officials said the health organization was coming under enormous political pressure from a country with traditionally warm ties to the united_nations . they suggested a possible reversal could be based on politics and not science . the prime_minister 's call to ms . brundtland came after two days of telephone calls from cabinet officials and from the ontario premier , ernie eves , who argued that the w.h.o . decision was based on faulty information that did not reflect an improving situation . mr . eves said today that canadian officials would present their case on tuesday and ''there will be a decision to make whether to lift the travel ban on toronto or not . '' the w.h.o . decision was based on determinations that several probable sars cases in the philippines , australia and the united_states were linked to people who had traveled to canada . canadian officials question whether many of the reported cases were actually sars . even if some were , they say , they do not reflect the current improvement . the united_states centers_for_disease_control and prevention did not agree with the w.h.o . 's decision , and has not added toronto to its list of sars affected areas travelers should avoid . canada 's frustration with a united nations organization and its gratefulness for united_states support come only a few weeks after ottawa angered the bush_administration by not supporting the war in iraq because it was not sanctioned by the security_council . ''the canadian predisposition toward multilateral institutions and antipathy to u.s . unilateralism has been briefly put on its head , '' said robert a . pastor , vice_president for international affairs at american_university and a senior official in the carter white_house , who was attending a conference in toronto today . the travel_advisory has galvanized canadians as few international issues have in years . ''i do n't think they realize what the impact will be here , '' said natalie jurcic , 20 , one of the owners of a clothing shop under the royal york hotel , whose business is off 30 percent because of worries over sars . ''basically , the summer will be a write off . '' few people in toronto wear_masks to protect themselves from sars , and there has been only a modest impact on daily life outside of hospitals and businesses linked to tourism , restaurants or chinese malls . fans who came to the toronto_blue_jays game tonight said they were puzzled by reports that major_league_baseball has advised players to use their own pens when signing_autographs . ''that 's ridiculous , '' said sandy munro , 52 , a financial_planner . ''they 're making a mountain out of a molehill . people with sars do n't go to the ballgame . '' the sars epidemic toronto

has a location of canada

the first effort to reverse an inherited disease permanently by altering the genetic makeup of a patient 's cells so far shows all the signs of a real , if modest , triumph . in results to be published on friday in the journal nature genetics , researchers said they had partly corrected a devastating cholesterol disorder called familial hypercholesterolemia by supplying the patient , a 30 year old woman from quebec , with copies of an essential gene she lacks . the new paper is the first to report any therapeutic benefits of human gene_therapy , a radical approach to treating disease that has been rich in publicity but , until now , quite thin on hard data . now , scientists and others have their first opportunity to scrutinize the real merits of gene_therapy and decide what its benefits and limitations may be . announcing the results of their first patient 's outcome almost two years after the woman received gene_therapy , dr . james m . wilson and mariann grossman of the university of pennsylvania medical center and their colleagues said at a news conference that they had cut the woman 's harmful cholesterol levels by almost 20 percent and raised her concentration of so called good cholesterol significantly . recent scans of her arteries showed no evidence of progressive clogging , a problem that had caused the woman to suffer a heart_attack at the age of 16 and require coronary_bypass surgery at 26 . familial hypercholesterolemia , an extremely rare condition , causes such severe buildup of cholesterol throughout the body that many people with the disorder die of heart attacks in childhood or adolescence . the researchers emphasized , however , that the woman 's cholesterol levels remained quite high more than twice the normal range and that they had no idea whether their intervention would end up prolonging her life . " we 've achieved a partial correction of a metabolic defect , " dr . wilson said in an interview . " this shows that the principle of gene_therapy is sound , and that it can work . we have high hopes for this patient , but what will happen to her in the long run , there is no way of predicting now . " the gene_therapy procedure is a physically grinding ordeal , requiring major surgery . in it , the researchers remove about 15 percent of the liver , separate and grow the cells in plastic dishes and supply the cells with copies of the gene they need , using a harmless virus as a delivery shuttle . the crucial gene dictates the production of the so called low density lipoprotein receptor , the body 's sponge for harmful cholesterol . a billion of those manipulated cells are then re infused into the patient through the portal vein that feeds the liver , where at least some of them resettle into their home base and begin producing the needed cholesterol receptor . dr . wilson has estimated that about 3 to 5 percent of the woman 's liver cells are now behaving as vigorous liver cells do , generating the receptors and pulling cholesterol from the bloodstream . appearing at the news conference , the woman , who has asked that her name and picture not be used , appeared to be as healthy and as shy as a teen_ager . her blond_hair swept back and her prim white blouse buttoned up to the collar , she said she had felt " very well " since the operation in 1992 . speaking through an interpreter in her native french , she said " i feel very well physically and morally . i feel i can do more physical activity , like skiing , dancing and other social activities . " 2 brothers died two of her brothers died of heart attacks in their early 20 's as a result of familial hypercholesterolemia , but she sounded an optimistic note " i 'm certainly going to live until 90 years of age . " the woman , a seamstress and part time bank teller , is also benefiting from cholesterol lowering drugs , which had no effect on her before the gene_therapy intervention . the researchers have also been pleased to see that the therapy has raised her levels of high density lipoprotein , or good , cholesterol , for reasons that remain mysterious . this could further cut down on her risk of future heart attacks . hearing of the new results , other researchers were at once heartened and cautious . " these are early days , and it 's exciting that it works , " said dr . dusty miller , a gene_therapy expert at the fred hutchinson cancer research center in seattle . " the problem is , of course , that the liver technique is very cumbersome and difficult to do . " dr . john kane , director of the lipid clinic at the university of california at san_francisco , said , " this is far from a complete correction , but the fact that they have stable engraftment of the cells over all these months is encouraging . " he added " this is a landmark experiment . it 's the kitty_hawk of gene_therapy . " 4 others in experiment the severe form of familial hypercholesterolemia is exceedingly rare , afflicting about one in a million people in the united_states , although about one in 500 have a milder form of the disorder . since the quebec woman , four other hypercholesterolemia sufferers have undergone the liver redesign experiment , the youngest of them a_7 year old girl from philadelphia . dr . wilson said a similar gene_therapy protocol might soon prove useful for treating other metabolic disorders , like phenylketonuria and a hereditary inability to break down ammonia in the body . " individually these disorders are relatively rare , but collectively they 're relatively common , " he said . he and others also hope to find less invasive ways of delivering new genes to liver tissue , perhaps packaging them into carrier bubbles of fat , or into cold viruses that can directly infect liver cells . many other gene modifying experiments are at various stages of clinical_trials , among them treatments for severe combined immune deficiency disorder , cystic fibrosis and a number of types of cancer . dr . wilson had the great good fortune , dr . miller said , to be the first to reach the publication finish line .

has a location of canada

after suffering a public_relations nightmare that made ontario appear unresponsive to the plight of the three surviving dionne quintuplets , the government announced a settlement for them today worth 2 . 8 million . it also offered to open an inquiry into the nine and a half years the sisters were wards of the state . at a news conference here this afternoon , the lawyer representing the frail 63 year old women said they had accepted the offer . the lawyer said they were in the montreal area , where they live and met today for the first time with ontario 's premier , mike harris , who formally apologized for the way the provincial government had acted . today 's announcement was a dramatic reversal from last week , when provincial authorities insisted the government had no legal responsibility for what happened in the 1930 's and 1940 's when the dionnes , the world 's first surviving quintuplets , were taken from their family and displayed before millions of tourists . mr . harris , saying he was acting out of compassion , then made a take it or leave it offer of 4 , 200 a month to the three women . the sisters publicly rejected the offer . public opinion turned sharply against the government . ''this is clearly a case where our government and probably i in particular allowed process and legal technicalities to get in the way of people and compassion , '' said charles harnick , ontario 's attorney_general . ''the premier made it very clear that this was not our finest hour . '' the surviving quintuplets cecile , annette and yvonne said in interviews that more than any financial settlement , they wanted the ontario government to hold an inquiry into the years when the province controlled every aspect of their lives . mr . harnick said that a retired ontario justice , gregory evans , would be available to conduct a factual review of what happened to a trust fund that had been set up for the girls , as well as to the millions of dollars in tourist revenues the province earned from the quintuplets . through their lawyer , clayton ruby , the surviving quintuplets today called the government 's newest offer ''just and fair . '' ''this will finally provide us with peace of mind , '' the dionnes said in the statement read by mr . ruby at a news conference , ''the peace that comes from being satisfied that justice is finally being carried out . '' the sisters , and the family of their deceased sister_marie , will be allowed to divide the 2 . 8 million lump_sum check any way they wish .

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prime_minister paul_martin announced sunday that an election would be held june 28 to choose a new parliament and give him a mandate to shore up the financially ailing health_care system . there was no need for mr . martin to call an election for another year , but by leading the liberal_party to victory he hopes to differentiate himself from the scandal_ridden administration of his predecessor , jean_chr_tien , a fellow liberal whom he served as finance minister . the liberal_party has held a virtual monopoly on political power for the last 11 years , but its fortunes have declined because of financial scandals and a nasty internal struggle that forced mr . chr tien to step down in december in favor of mr . martin . mr . martin has failed to heal his party 's deep wounds , while two rival conservative parties have succeeded in recent months to unite and choose stephen_harper , an alberta social_conservative , as their leader . mr . martin has projected an unfocused image of himself as a sometimes conservative , sometimes liberal , leader who believes simultaneously in lower taxes , balanced_budgets and more federal support for health_care , the cities and the military . for his part , mr . harper , who has in the past argued for a far closer military and economic alignment with the united_states and has opposed same_sex_marriage , has been shifting his positions to the political center to attract broader support . the liberals are pinning their hopes on projects in parts of the country that will be hotly_contested in the election . these include a major cleanup of a toxic_waste site in nova_scotia , a marine biotechnology research center in quebec , improvements to the toronto waterfront with parks and other recreational_facilities , and special assistance to british_columbia communities that have suffered from high american tariffs on softwood lumber . the liberals are preparing a sharply negative advertising campaign to define mr . harper as a right wing extremist who would have sent canadian troops to iraq last year and undercut the publicly financed national health_care system with tax cuts . ''the election is about the kind of canada we want , '' mr . martin said after he formally asked governor_general adrienne clarkson in ottawa for royal assent to dissolve parliament so an election could be held . ''you cannot have a health_care system like canada 's , you cannot have social programs like canada 's , with taxation levels like those of the united_states , '' he said . the conservative_party 's prospects of taking power remain slim , but they have improved in recent weeks because of broad disgust over disclosures that in the late 1990 's the liberals gave advertising firms aligned with the party about 75 million for little or no work as part of a program to counter separatists in quebec . ''i believe the time for accountability has arrived , '' mr . harper told reporters on sunday . ''billions have been wasted and hundreds of millions have disappeared . the liberals have no program they can defend . '' he added that his government would be ' 'moderate and mainstream . '' a national ipsos reid poll published saturday in the globe and mail showed the liberals leading with 35 percent of the vote followed by the conservatives with 26 percent and the social_democratic new democratic_party with 18 percent . the poll had a margin of sampling_error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage_points . perhaps most worrying for the liberals is the showing of the separatist bloc qu b cois , which the ipsos reid poll shows as having 50 percent support in quebec , canada 's second largest province . with a lead of 22 percentage_points over the liberals in quebec , the bloc appears poised to deny the liberals dozens of seats in the house of commons . ''the liberals could lose the election if harper was to exploit martin 's indecision and ineffectiveness , '' said desmond morton , a mcgill_university historian , ''and simultaneously managed to look less terrifying to a lot of average canadians . '' many political_scientists and newspaper columnists say the election may produce a minority liberal government that will be forced to depend on the new democratic_party for support in the house of commons to pass legislation . the new democratic_party is led by jack layton , a former toronto city councilman who is a critic of free_trade and opposes closer military relations with the united_states .

has a location of canada

smoking bans are infiltrating even the haziest corners of tobacco loving cultures . when ireland moved to ban cigarettes from pubs last year , the world watched in wonder . the netherlands , facing its own ban in 2005 , has experienced a hullabaloo over the issue . the shivering sidewalk smoker has become a predictable part of the manhattan winter streetscape . but all that may pale compared with the icy canadian arctic . smoking has been an integral part of life here since european whalers introduced tobacco while docking in the region 's fjords in the late 19th_century . it is so common among the native inuit who dominate the local population that grandfathers are known to light up with their grandchildren during breaks from hunting . even wayne govereau , the top nunavut territory official responsible for the antismoking campaign , is a smoker of 23 years . his father was a smoker , too , until he died of cancer . ''i feel guilty about it , '' mr . govereau said in an interview in his offices filled with antismoking posters and pamphlets explaining the health hazards of the habit . ''but i am dedicated to stopping on may 31 , world no smoking day . '' but if public_health officials like mr . govereau have their way , smoking in the frozen north will someday be as socially objectionable as it is in the most of the rest of canada . in recent years , toronto , ottawa , calgary and other cities have enacted sweeping bylaws restricting tobacco use , and nunavut is following suit . soon after the territorial government was formed in 1999 , it began flooding the airwaves with television advertisements warning parents against smoking around their children and urging them to quit altogether . iqaluit , the territorial capital , with 6 , 000 residents , enacted a bylaw two years ago prohibiting smoking in restaurants , groceries and most other public places . the territory has also made selling cigarettes to anyone under 19 illegal . on may 1 , the workers' compensation board for nunavut and neighboring northwest_territories prohibited smoking in any enclosed business or work site , including office buildings and bars . ever since , smokers have been required to step outside to smoke in a region where temperatures can drop farther than 40 below zero in winter . any worker who disobeys the ban will be fined the equivalent of 375 , and businesses double that for anyone smoking on their premises . it has only been a week , and the temperatures are around 30 degrees warm in these parts and no problem for an arctic smoker to go outdoors . so far the new smoking_ban appears to be working in iqaluit , with even bar hoppers obediently leaving their drinks and friends to light up even when it means waiting in line a second or third time to re enter their saloon of choice . compliance in the more remote settlements on the icy tundra appears more spotty . ''it 's for the good of everyone else , especially the younger generation , '' said layli noble , 30 , an inuit woman who is a city finance officer , as she smoked outside her office on a recent morning with a colleague . the other night , veronica kakee , a_37 year old inuit housewife who has smoked since she was 9 , complained about having to wait in line for a half hour to get back into the storehouse bar and grill after a smoking break . but even she conceded that ' 'smoking is dangerous'' and that she is thinking about quitting . the antismoking measures amount to an extraordinary , if necessary , experiment in social_engineering for a people so addicted to tobacco . according to various reports more than half of the inuit population , also called eskimos , age 12 and over smoke . one 2002 study found that 80 percent of adolescents , 14 through 16 , smoke an average of nine cigarettes a day , and many of them reported that they began smoking before they were 10 . cancer rates are spiking in this territory of 27 , 000 people to double the national rate for men and quadruple the rate for women . one recent government study noted that 484 of 1 , 000 babies under the age of 6 months old suffer from lower respiratory tract infections the highest rate for any region in the world . mr . govereau said the territory was forced to spend more than 50 million a year to transport patients for care for various diseases and conditions , many at least indirectly related to smoking , to edmonton , ottawa , winnipeg and yellowknife because hospitals here lacked the resources to offer advanced treatments . he said that if the government did not reduce those costs , they could bankrupt the health_care system . local social scientists and health experts say they are optimistic that smoking rates can be reduced , although it will probably take a generation or two to reach the much lower rates of southern canada . already , they note , most smokers including inuit living in remote areas are smoking outside their homes in response to all the antismoking advertising . ''i see an ongoing trend where we 're becoming a part of the mainstream of canadian society , '' said keith ludlow , campus director of the nunavut arctic college in iqaluit . ''with the influence of television , the role model is no longer the cowboy on the horse smoking . it 's not going to take very long for the next generation to say smoking is not good for us and our babies . '' but what will happen when temperatures drop next winter is still anyone 's guess , regulators concede . ''when it turns cold , i 'm not sure what the bars and patrons will do , '' said derek dinham , vice_president of nunavut regional operations of the workers' compensation board . ''but it is a hardy bunch here . '' iqaluit journal

has a location of canada

just 35 minutes after leaving vancouver , the small white ferry glides into fulford harbor , one of two entrances to the island . the largest of canada 's southern gulf islands , salt spring offers 70 square miles of lush green fields and steep , pine forested hillsides , and only three towns ganges , vesuvius and fulford harbor . the few roads are narrow and winding , and local hitchhikers , including children , often rely on their neighbors for transport , because there is no bus service . canadians have long revered salt spring as a pristine refuge for the eccentric and creative . it was founded in 1859 by african_americans and portuguese who carved out homesteads in the fertile valleys . tiny st . paul 's catholic_church was built largely with labor from the hawaiian community that was established in the late 1880 's . in the 1970 's , americans avoiding service in the vietnam_war arrived and put down roots . and for many years , americans in search of affordable second homes , and looking forward to retirement , have also chosen this island a rarity with year round ferry and seaplane service , a hospital and more urban amenities than neighboring islands . but times are changing , and changing fast . fueled by the still strong american dollar ( around 1 . 20 to the canadian_dollar ) quick leaps in real_estate prices and new housing development , tensions are growing between longtime islanders desperate to preserve their quiet way of life , and real_estate agents , developers and investors who know a good thing when they see it . the island 's population has tripled in 30 years , and growth presents many challenges , from increased water pollution of its eight lakes and a falling water table that leaves some wells dry by summer 's end to a school week that has shrunk to four days because of a budget crunch . for years , salt spring was an affordable haven . but now a cottage with water views is 700 , 000 canadian dollars , ( about 560 , 000 ) more than double its 320 , 000 canadian dollars price of five years ago . that rate of increase is typical for properties on or near the water , brokers say . two forces have accelerated the surge in prices there are few properties to buy and two layers of government place restrictions on development . many of the new buyers are americans . ''there 's been a huge increase in the past three years in the number of americans coming here , which we predicted on sept . 12 , 2001 , '' says dick stubbs , the provincial government 's local building inspector . john sorensen , a developer whose town houses in the town of ganges sell for 260 , 000 canadian dollars to 420 , 000 canadian dollars ( or around 208 , 700 to 337 , 100 ) says half of his buyers are from the united_states . li read , a broker in business since 1989 on the island , says that 60 to 70 percent of her clients are now american . ''i think , after 9 11 , people began to revise their life scripts , '' she said . ''we 've always had u.s . buyers , and people who prefer to invest in real_estate , and people who want to get away from it all , but now there 's a lot of things coming into play . '' in addition to coming from the united_states , buyers are coming from the prosperous economies of ontario and alberta within canada , and from the united_kingdom . surging real_estate values are also shutting out the very people who have built the island , often literally . ''every morning on the ferry arriving from vancouver_island , you 'll see at least 40 guys coming to do construction they live off the island but work here , '' said myles wilson , a broker who has lived on the island for 30 years . for blue_collar workers , this island paradise has become a place for the wealthy , not a place to raise their own children . ''salt spring is getting out of reach for the first time buyer , '' mr . wilson said . houses on vancouver_island , an easy commute , cost 129 , 000 canadian dollars . peter levitt , 59 , a poet who had been living in california , moved to salt spring in 2000 with his wife , shirley graham , a psychologist , and their 8 year old son , tai . that year , the canadian currency was even weaker in relation to the american dollar than it is now . they bought a 2 , 800 square_foot home with a separate 400 square_foot studio and an 850 square_foot barn for 400 , 000 canadian dollars , then about 259 , 000 . ''we could not move here now , '' mr . levitt said . he had heard about salt spring from a friend , and after visiting for several years , moved here , a change made easier by his wife 's dual american canadian citizenship . while americans can easily buy property here , they must maintain residence in the united_states , and can stay in canada each year for a total of only six months minus a day . those wishing to become full time residents must apply for landed immigrant status , which can take up to three years . since settling in salt spring , mr . levitt said , he has been disheartened by some of the changes . development related pollution has so contaminated his local water source , a lake facing his house , that his family must now drink bottled_water . ''i attended a water meeting the other day , '' he said . ''there were four of us in the room , and between us we sit on 15 committees , all trying to fight for the environment here . it 's gotten completely out of hand . '' caught between the competing demands of real_estate professionals and part time residents and frustrated , less affluent locals is the islands trust , a federation of local_governments created in 1974 with the explicit mandate to ''preserve and protect'' the more than 400 gulf islands . depending on whom you ask , the trust is either moving too quickly , allowing overdevelopment and associated environmental degradation and density or too slowly , failing to address the pressing , growing demands for affordable_housing and increased services for an aging population . all development must be approved by the islands trust and the capital regional district , a branch of municipal government of the city of victoria , on vancouver_island . salt spring , which is unincorporated , has no mayor or city_council . it elects two representatives to the islands trust and one to the capital regional district to speak for its interests . one big development is channel ridge , a 1 , 400 acre project that will contain as many as 305 houses by 2010 . some residents view with alarm the increasing density and demand for services . ''water is finite , '' mr . levitt said . ''on an island there is only so much space , only so much water . with added density also comes traffic , air_pollution and parking issues . can this community sustain itself ? '' national perspectives correction may 8 , 2005 , sunday because of an editing error , the national perspectives article last sunday , about development on salt spring island , in british_columbia , misstated the time it takes to travel to the island from vancouver . the ferry takes two to three hours , depending on the route , not 35 minutes . it takes about 35 minutes to travel from swartz bay on vancouver_island to fulford harbor on salt spring island .

has a location of canada

lead barely a century old and now canada 's third largest metropolis , this energetic port city of british_columbia is about to embark on a development spree that will dramatically change its look , character and style . barely a century old and now canada 's third largest metropolis , this energetic port city of british_columbia is about to embark on a development spree that will dramatically change its look , character and style . invigorated by the success of the expo '86 world 's fair , business leaders have announced plans to transform the waterfront on two sides , replacing the last downtown industrial vestiges with futuristic office towers , more than 20 , 000 new residences , and esplanades and plazas most linked by canals or elevated trains . some civic leaders predict that when all the projects are completed by the turn of the century , their city will become a sort of hong_kong of the pacific_northwest , an international financial center surrounded by mountains and saltwater inlets . ''the idea is to make vancouver a true world city , '' said craig aspinall , a spokesman for pacific_place , the biggest of the new devlopments now on the drawing boards . with an estimated price_tag of 1 . 6 billion in u.s . dollars , pacific_place is being called the most expensive land development in canada . financed largely by li_ka_shing , a hong_kong billionaire whose assets make up one tenth of the stock_exchange in hong_kong , pacific_place is expected to transform the expo site into a 207 acre community of offices , town houses , parks and canals . the idea for pacific_place was that of mr . li 's 25 year old son , victor , who maintains a residence here . the family 's corporations own supermarkets , utilities and office buildings in canada , and commercial properties in phoenix , denver and san_francisco . mr . li 's purchase of the site , for a purported 237 million ( u . s . ) , is further evidence of the hong_kong capital now pouring into vancouver in anticipation of the 1997 deadline for turning over control of the british colony to china . as a british commonwealth nation , canada has immigration policies that are less strict than those of the united_states , which has made it easier for hong_kong businessmen to develop projects in growing canadian cities . as a result , the city built at the mouth of the fraser river , about 140 miles north of seattle , has taken on more of an international air in the last few years . it has a vibrancy and bustle to match those of the new projects going up all over the city . both the sale of the old expo site , from the government run british_columbia enterprise corporation , and the designs for pacific_place have generated considerable controversy here . some critics say that developers other than mr . li were not given an opportunity to bid on the property , while others argue that the design does not include enough moderate income housing . the government says it wanted to complete the sale with a minimimum of delay , to a developer with enough capital to complete a project large enough to cover the old expo site , now a tract of asphalt and grass near the british_columbia place stadium . plans call for construction on pacific_place to begin next year and to proceed in phases over the next 15 years . the commercial core , which is to be built first , would contain more than 3 million square_feet of retail and office space , including a high tech research park , a 400 room hotel and a 45 story international financial center . the tower is designed to be a 24 hour telemarket for currency , securities , metals and commodities trading with the principal world financial centers . the residential component of pacific_place will be built along the waterfront of false_creek , within walking distance of the commercial core , and will provide housing for up to 20 , 000 people , half the number who currently live downtown . the units are planned as a mix of town houses and apartments , low and high rise . most would be built on two manmade islands in false_creek , a saltwater inlet on the southern end of downtown . a tidal lagoon , basically a canal extension of false_creek , would provide waterfront for some of the other housing units . underground parking for 21 , 000 cars , a marina with berths for 630 pleasure boats and 40 acres of public parks are also part of the design for pacific_place . the lagoon has led several canadian newspapers to call pacific_place the ''venice of the west . '' but mr . aspinall said the overall look of pacific_place , which was designed richard hulbert , a vancouver architect , is not supposed to duplicate other cities but is an effort to give this city of 1.5 million people a more sophisticated look . false_creek used to be lined with cement plants , pulp mills and other industrial enterprises . most either relocated to less expensive and environmentally_sensitive property , or were lost to a recession that began in the 1970 's . today , restaurants , open markets , marinas , parks and houses now face much of the waterway . burrard_inlet , on the north side of downtown , is the site for the other part of the facelift planned for vancouver . there , on waterfront property now crossed with railroad tracks , a canadian developer is set to start work this fall on the first phase of cole harbour , a plan to transform 82 acres of mostly industrial property into a mix of hotels , office towers , esplanades , marinas and public plazas . the ambitious project is to be built by marathon realty ltd . , a subsidiary of canadian_pacific ltd . , the railroad builder that owns numerous hotels , offices and industrial parks throughout north_america . it has yet to gain full approval from the city . tentative plans call for an 11 acre boat harbor , a 75 foot_wide promenade adjacent to a 15 acre shorefront park and two circular plazas . the project , bordering a scenic waterway across from the coast mountains , would connect much of downtown_vancouver to the waterfront through a series of parks that would replace the rail tracks and industrial buildings at the ends of many streets . construction is set to begin this fall on waterfront center , the 160 million commercial core of the marathon realty plan , which has been approved by vancouver officials . next to the vancouver trade and convention_center , the project will include a 500 room hotel , a 21 story tower with 410 , 000 square_feet of office space and about 65 , 000 square_feet of retail space on the ground level . prices for housing and office and retail space in the two projects have yet to be determined . but class a office space here is going for 25 ( u . s. ) a square_foot . business leaders associated with the two large developments have been criticized for forcing low income residents from the area in search of less expensive housing . but they say the projects will bring more people into the traditional neighbhorhoods of chinatown and gastown , two prime summer tourist destinations on the edge of downtown that suffer slumps when the season ends . marwyn thomas , project manager for waterfront center , said vancouver should be able to support both pacific_place and the marathon realty complex as long as british_columbia 's economy , long based on forest products and mining , continues to diversify . the area is emerging from a recession that began in the 1970 's and hurt most of the resource based communities in the province . tourism reached new levels following expo '86 , which attracted more than 20 million visitors and introduced many to the breathtaking scenery of british_columbia . ''what 's happened is that after mining and lumber took a hit , tourism really started to take off , '' mr . thomas said . ''the hope now is to play up the area as a big pacific_rim center of finance and high tech and information services . ''

has a location of canada

i am a pediatrician in a large teaching_hospital in toronto , and i miss my patients . in a city that has reported about 200 cases of severe_acute_respiratory_syndrome , or sars , and 19 sars related deaths over the last month , you 'd think i 'd be busier than ever . but in an effort to minimize exposure to the disease , many doctors have been kept from doing their jobs , reducing hospitals to caring only for the most severely ill . my work day is very different from the way it was a month ago . every morning before entering the hospital i have to check in with a group of screeners gowned , gloved and masked hospital employees released from their real jobs for this more urgent task . i assure them that i am feeling well , have n't been to hong_kong , vietnam , china or the hospitals in toronto where outbreaks have been reported . if i have a headache or other symptoms , the screeners check my temperature . i regularly rub an alcohol wash on my hands , and when i 'm in a patient care area i wear a mask , as does everyone else . it 's hard only seeing masks rather than faces . for the first couple of weeks , all meetings were canceled . the new verb around the hospital is sarsed , as in ''oh that meeting is n't happening . it got sarsed . '' based on guidelines disseminated by the canadian government , my hospital 's infectious_diseases department has limited the kinds of patients we can treat . at first we could see only those we thought might die or suffer serious damage without immediate treatment . two weeks into the outbreak , we were permitted to see urgent but less dire cases . hospital administrators say that soon we will be able to see a small number of routine patients . i 'm not saying that these precautions are unwarranted . my hospital has not had an outbreak of sars , even though we have admitted a few patients with the disease ( all of whom have survived ) . i 'm glad we 're doing our bit to protect ourselves , our patients and their families . the hard thing for me is that our outpatient practice has essentially come to a halt . this has kept me from seeing my patients , most of whom are teenagers with chronic diseases like lupus . i usually see them when they come for their appointments with their specialists . but most of those appointments have been canceled because they are considered not vital enough . working under these conditions has made me realize that my patients define who i am as a doctor . i do n't think of myself as someone who spends hours in meetings , writes papers , does research or sits at my computer dealing with administrative issues , even though these activities take up quite a bit of my time . i see myself as someone who helps young people struggling with chronic_illnesses . without this , who am i ? someone with a job , rather than a passion . i can do this for a few weeks , enjoying the feeling of catching up on paperwork and going home at five o'clock . soon , though , i will reach the end of my rope . i 'm sure many of my colleagues who are n't treating sars patients feel similarly . the mission of the hospital to provide excellent patient care , to teach , to do research has been limited . our medical , nursing , psychology and social work students were sent home about four weeks ago and we do n't expect them back for a while . research studies have been put on hold because subjects ca n't come here . elective_surgery has been canceled . long awaited appointments have been postponed . we are in a state of suspended animation . it wo n't end until the sars outbreak is brought under control , which i hope wo n't be long . i miss my patients . i worry about them . i hope they can come back soon . op_ed contributor miriam kaufman , a pediatrician at the hosptial for sick children , is author of ''overcoming teen depression a guide for parents . ''

has a location of canada