Screen all kids between 2 and 10 for high cholesterol, pediatric society recommends

TORONTO - The Canadian Paediatric Society is recommending cholesterol screening for all kids between two and 10 years old. 

The position statement released Friday says atherosclerosis — or plaque buildup in the arteries, including cholesterol — starts in childhood and is a key driver of heart disease and stroke. 

Lead author and pediatric cardiologist Dr. Michael Khoury says about one in 300 people have high cholesterol caused by a genetic condition passed down through families.

He says universal screening with a blood test will allow doctors to identify the condition early and begin treatment, including diet and physical activity.

Myles Gray had injected testosterone, doctor tells hearing into police-involved death

VANCOUVER - A man who died after being beaten by police in 2015 had been injecting unprescribed testosterone, his family doctor told a public hearing into the death. 

But Dr. Christoffel Mentz-Serfontein said Thursday that Myles Gray never displayed any behaviour that caused concern about him being violent toward anyone.

"He was always pleasant and courteous," the doctor said of his interactions with Gray.

He said Gray, who had bipolar disorder, had been using "black market" steroids, which are sometimes much higher dosages than those prescribed by a doctor and can cause a variety of side-effects, such as cardiovascular issues. 

‘Old guy with a ruler’ keeping Newfoundland informed through record-breaking snowfall

ST. JOHN'S - A 62-year-old retiree with an arsenal of rulers has been keeping people informed about snowfall in eastern Newfoundland during a record-breaking winter.

Lloyd Leaman has been diligently measuring snowfall in his backyard in Paradise, N.L., and posting the results to social media since January 2024.

When asked for an interview, Leaman joked that he never imagined an "old guy with a ruler" would be interesting to the media. But his careful measurements are regularly cited by Environment Canada meteorologists.

"That makes me feel good. It makes it feel like it's worthwhile," he told The Canadian Press at his home in Paradise, a community on the outskirts of Newfoundland and Labrador's capital region.

Vance says administration is pausing some Medicaid funding to Minnesota because of fraud concerns

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President JD Vance announced Wednesday that the Trump administration would “temporarily halt” some Medicaid funding to the state of Minnesota over fraud concerns, as part of what he described as an aggressive crackdown on misuse of public funds.

Vance, who made the announcement with Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said the administration was taking the action “in order to ensure that the state of Minnesota takes its obligations seriously to be good stewards of the American people’s tax money.”

Oz, who referred to people committing fraud as “self-serving scoundrels,” said the federal government would hold off on paying $259.5 million to Minnesota in funding for Medicaid, the health care safety net for low-income Americans.

“This is not a problem with the people of Minnesota, it’s a problem with the leadership of Minnesota and other states who do not take Medicaid preservation seriously,” Oz said.

How a day of chaos and heartache unspooled in Tumbler Ridge

Nothing is too far apart in tiny Tumbler Ridge, B.C., and there was a well-worn path between the local RCMP detachment and the nondescript brown timber home on Fellers Avenue, less than a kilometre away.

The detachment's five officers, headed by Sgt. Bill Hughes, handled a little over 100 crimes a year, according to recent crime statistics. 

But their repeated interactions at the home that troubled teenager Jesse Van Rootselaar shared with her siblings and mother Jennifer Jacobs were different.

RCMP say there had been a series of mental-health calls to the home over the years. Guns were seized, then returned. And on at least two occasions, Van Rootselaar was detained under British Columbia's Mental Health Act.

Newsweek ranks UHN’s Toronto General the second-best hospital in the world

TORONTO - An annual hospital ranking by Newsweek magazine has deemed Toronto General the second-best in the world. 

The University Health Network (UHN) hospital has moved up a spot since last year, placing just behind Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic on the U.S. magazine's 2026 World’s Best Hospitals list Wednesday. 

Newsweek, in partnership with Statista, ranked 250 hospitals by surveying medical experts, compiling patient experience data and quality metrics for more than 2,500 hospitals across 32 countries, with the aim of informing patients.

Ohio's Cleveland Clinic, which held second place for the past seven years, has been bumped down to third.

Doctors, health groups call for action as Canada lags on cervical cancer prevention

OTTAWA - Cervical cancer is both the fastest-growing type of cancer in Canada and one that is almost completely preventable — and advocates gathered in Ottawa on Wednesday to call on the federal government to step up screening, prevention and vaccination.

The Society of Gynecologic Oncology of Canada, the Women's Health Coalition and representatives from 19 other groups held a press conference to urge lawmakers to act to reverse the worrying trend.

"We have the tools to make cervical cancer the first cancer ever eliminated in Canada. We have the medical expertise. We just need the political will," said Dr. Shannon Salvador, president of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology of Canada, at a press conference in Ottawa on Wednesday.

Canada has set a goal of eliminating cervical cancer before 2040. Countries like Australia and Sweden are nearing that target of fewer than four cases per 100,000 population.

Report details B.C. First Nation, Vancouver Police Board collaboration breakdown

VANCOUVER - A man who was handcuffed by police along with his 12-year-old granddaughter after being falsely accused of trying to use a fake status card to open a bank account in 2019 says the Vancouver Police Board and the officers involved have shown they don't respect his First Nation's culture. 

Maxwell Johnson said in statement Tuesday that he's "deeply saddened" that the police board and the constables involved haven't made their "best efforts" to attend a ceremony to offer an in-person apology for their wrongful detention. 

British Columbia's human rights commissioner released a final review Tuesday, outlining details of a settlement agreement between the board, Johnson and the Heiltsuk Nation. 

The commissioner's report said a lack of collaboration between the Vancouver Police Board, the Heiltsuk Tribal Council and the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs is hampering progress to end anti-Indigenous racism in policing.

Rachel Reid postpones publication of ‘Heated Rivalry’ sequel ‘Unrivaled’ due to health

TORONTO - "Heated Rivalry" fans will have to wait months longer than expected to read the next chapter in Shane and Ilya's love story.

Author Rachel Reid has postponed publication of "Unrivaled," the third book chronicling the relationship first introduced in "Heated Rivalry," due in part to her health.

In a video posted to Instagram, Reid says the book is now scheduled for release on June 1, 2027, instead of this September.

Reid has Parkinson's disease, and she says her symptoms have worsened in the last couple of months, which makes it physically more difficult for her to write.

How social media killed the food festival stars. And created others

MIAMI (AP) — For nearly 10 years running, Lesley VanNess never missed the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, a beachfront bacchanal of celebrities, booze and bites that tens of thousands of attendees pay hundreds to thousands of dollars to join.

It was about access, the chance to nosh and gab with the likes of Rachael Ray and Bobby Flay, people she otherwise could experience only via the hands-in-pans purview of the Food Network.

“I’d get the Food Network Magazine and there would be advertisements for it. I’m like, ‘0h my god! You could go to that? Go to these great events and meet these celebrity chefs?’,” said VanNess, a 44-year-old former restaurant owner from Iowa. “I’m in!”

That was during the food festival heyday, a decade-long stretch starting around 2010 when copycat events popped up everywhere, creating a circuit-like scene for A-list chefs (and ample wannabes).

The famed cottage from ‘Heated Rivalry’ will soon be bookable on Airbnb

One of the most swoon-worthy lines in “Heated Rivalry” — “I’m coming to the cottage” — is about to become a literal travel plan for fans.

The lakefront home that serves as the setting for the season finale of Crave’s hit gay hockey drama, “The Cottage,” will officially open for stays on Airbnb, the rental platform confirmed Tuesday.

Dubbed the Barlochan cottage, the three-bedroom retreat in Ontario’s Muskoka Lakes has been the subject of intense fan discussion since the episode aired.

‘Horrible war’: Ukrainian eye doctor training in Calgary to better help wounded

CALGARY - Dr. Pavla Ivaniuta remembers the first days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the stream of wounded men, women and children she treated for horrific eye injuries.

The most common wounds — from explosions — required parts of an eye or the entire eye to be removed, says Ivaniuta.

"It is due to this horrible war," she said in a recent interview in Calgary.

"I used to cry every time ... now I realized I can help."

Canada Soccer says it’s in close contact with Bayern about Alphonso Davies injury

Soccer's governing body in Canada says its men’s national team medical staff remain in close communication with Bayern Munich regarding star Alphonso Davies after he suffered a torn muscle fibre in his right hamstring.

Canada Soccer said a decision on his availability for the March international window has not been made.

"Our Men’s National Team’s medical staff continues to be in close communication with FC Bayern München’s medical staff concerning Alphonso Davies. A determination on his availability for the upcoming March international window has not yet been made. In the coming weeks, we will announce the full team roster,” Canada Soccer said in a statement.

Bayern Munich confirmed Davies was injured in Saturday’s 3-2 Bundesliga win over Eintracht Frankfurt. The German club said the Canadian international will be sidelined “for the time being.”