In the news today: Pair of key economic reports out today

Another key report out today comes from the Bank of Canada, which will release its business outlook survey and its Canadian survey of consumer expectations.

The readings on the economy come ahead of the Bank of Canada’s next interest rate decision on July 12.

Here’s what else we’re watching …

B.C. must change forest strategy: wildfire report

British Columbia’s independent forests watchdog says the provincial government is not doing enough to protect forest lands from the risk of catastrophic wildfires.

The B-C Forest Practices Board says risk reduction currently focuses on areas near communities, but leaves the wider forest landscape “severely vulnerable” to fire.

The report comes as the Donnie Creek wildfire, the largest in B-C’s history, continues to burn out of control in the remote northeast.

The board’s report says 45 per cent of B-C’s public land, estimated at 390,000 square kilometres, is at high to extreme fire risk.

Attacks on LGBTQ community largely influenced by events in the U.S.: advocates

Advocates say recent attacks on the LGBTQ community in Canada have been largely influenced by events in the United States.

Peter Wohlgemut is the president of Pembina Valley Pride, which oversees Pride events in 14 southern Manitoba communities.

He says anti-LGBTQ groups have been watching what’s going on in the U-S and have started similar attacks in Canada.

Lawmakers around the U-S have introduced or passed hundreds of bills this year that whittle away at LGBTQ rights.

University of Waterloo stabbing ‘hate motivated’

A triple stabbing during a gender studies class at the University of Waterloo is believed to have been a hate-motivated attack, police said Thursday as they laid multiple charges against a 24-year-old former student.

The attack that took place Wednesday injured three people and shocked the university campus located about 100 kilometres west of Toronto.

Geovanny Villalba-Aleman, a recently graduated international student, faces three counts of aggravated assault, four counts of assault with a weapon and two counts of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, police said.

Police said the suspect walked into the gender studies class of roughly 40 students, asked the 38-year-old professor for the subject of the class, then attacked her with two large knives. As people tried to escape, he stabbed two students – a 19-year-old man and 20-year-old woman – and attempted to stab a another person, police alleged.

Study shows opioids don’t reduce neck, lower back pain

A new study says opioids should not be prescribed to treat acute neck and lower-back pain.

The Australian study, published in The Lancet medical journal earlier this week, found patients given opioid tablets had the same level of pain after six weeks compared to those given a placebo.

Toronto pain specialist Dr. Hance Clarke says the findings reflect the way muscular pain in the neck and lower back is increasingly treated in Canada.

Clarke says keeping people moving and using medications such as ibuprofen or muscle relaxants should be recommended instead of opioids for muscle pain.

But Clarke emphasizes that opioids do have a role in managing other types of acute, severe pain, such as for short-term use after surgery, a bone fracture or for end-of-life care.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 30, 2023.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

In the news today: Pair of key economic reports out today

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