The Friday news briefing: An at-a-glance survey of some top stories
Highlights from the news file for Friday, Dec. 30
B.C. OPENS MORE OVERDOSE PREVENTION SITES: More overdose prevention sites are opening in British Columbia as health officials try to come to grips with a growing overdose crisis. Vancouver Coastal Health said Friday it has opened its fifth site in a modified first-aid trailer in the troubled Downtown Eastside. Teams of trained staff at the five Vancouver sites are providing people who use illicit drugs with a safe space to be monitored while they take their drugs. Staff are equipped with naloxone and are trained in overdose response.
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AUTHORITIES CALL ONTARIO HOUSE EXPLOSION A DOUBLE SUICIDE: Investigators have concluded a house explosion in Mississauga, Ont., last summer was a double suicide. The bodies of Robert Nadler and Dianne Page, both 55, were found following the blast. Investigators say natural gas lines to the water heater had been disconnected, causing gas to build up in the home prior to the “intentional” explosion. The blast forced the evacuation of nearby dwellings and Mayor Bonnie Crombie says 33 families are still displaced because their homes had to be demolished due to damage from the explosion.