What's in the news: October 1 -- Physical activity, legal review, missing chemicals, and more

A round-up of Canadian health news, from coast to coast to coast and beyond, for Wednesday, October 1.

Health Canada's Physical Activity Guide to Healthy Active Living has zero effect on motivation or behaviour, reported two UBC researchers in Psychology, Health & Medicine's latest issue. [Psychology, Health & Medicine]

The Ontario Court of Appeal dismissed two class-action suits against Health Canada for injuries caused by jaw and breast implants that were approved by the government regulator. The court's ruling declared that the manufacturers are responsible. [Globe and Mail]

New Brunswick's inquiry into the problems with cancer tests performed by a pathologist in Miramichi has finished hearing testimony. Commissioner Paul Creaghan's final report is due by December 31. [Fredericton Daily Gleaner]

Toronto emergency physician Brian Goldman had scheduled an interview with Health Minister Tony Clement for his CBC radio show White Coat, Black Art. But Mr Clement was a no-show. [White Coat, Black Art]

Mandatory overtime imposed on some Quebec nurses is causing major problems: nurses in Rosemont held a demonstration yesterday. [Montreal Gazette]

New Brunswick's opposition claims $1.3 billion spent by the government's regional health authorities isn't reported transparently. [Moncton Times & Transcript]

Dr Jimmy Poon, a Toronto family physician, has had his practice restricted by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario after he pleaded no contest to charges related to his performing surgical procedures that he was not licensed to perform. [Globe and Mail]

A BC judge decided early last month in R v Spratt that although the law preventing protesters from standing too close to abortion clinics is indeed a breach of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the breach is justified. [Court of Appeal of BC]

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice decided in favour of the government in a case in which the Canadian Medical Protective Association and the Ontario Medical Association wanted to keep certain financial information private. The judge ruled that the information, which was part of a memorandum of understanding with the Health Ministry, fell under the province's freedom of information legislation. [Ontario Superior Court]

A Vancouver Island hospital lost some osmium tetroxide and some low-concentrate uranyl acetate on the weekend, prompting a public alert. Turns out the toxic chemicals had been moved to the lab's new fridge. [Victoria Times-Colonist]

The excellent Canadian physician blogger at Rheumination remembers the day Vioxx got pulled: "Since then, of course, all sorts of dirt has been exposed about the drug, and in particular, the company that produced and marketed it. What made it more disturbing was the fact that I prescribed it a lot, even took it myself. I gave talks to other physicians and undoubtedly convinced them to do the same. All my colleagues did the same. We were all taken in." [Rheumination]

The November issue of everyone's favourite crazy medical journal, Medical Hypotheses, is out. [Medical Hypotheses]

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