Across Canada

Criminal investigation starts

VANCOUVER - The Vancouver police department has launched a criminal investigation into the Ximena Renaerts case, in which the newborn was left to die following an abortion attempt at Vanocuver General Hospital 14 years ago. The news comes in the wake of an $8.7 million settlement in favour of the girl, who has brain damage and needs constant care. A Vancouver police spokesperson said it is unknown how long the investigation will take, given that the event took place more than a decade ago. Ximena was taken to a room and left to die before a nurse found her 40 minutes later and ordered emergency resuscitation.

‘Medical students for choice'

ST. JOHN'S - A third-year medical student has established a Medical Students for Choice chapter out of Memorial University in Newfoundland. In starting the group, Cheryl Pollock noted that Newfoundland "has been strongly influenced by religion, almost exclusively by Catholics and Protestants." She said abortion must be viewed as just another medical procedure. "The (abortion) issue must be raised and the procedure taught both in the classroom and in clerkship," she said. Pollock said the group will enable her to develop "strong ties to my classmates and faculty members ... and exchange ideas and experiences with other students."

Assisted suicide trial on hold

WINNIPEG - The trial of an elderly man accused of helping his wife kill herself has been delayed indefinitely by his deteriorating health. Bert Doerkson, 80, was recently diagnosed with a serious medical condition that was to force him to undergo surgery. The Crown agreed to adjourn the case indefinitely while Doerkson recovers, but his defence lawyer called for an outright dismissal of the charges. Susan Doerkson, 78, died of carbon monoxide poisoning in the couple's house in November 1997. She had been suffering from arthritis, back problems, heart problems and cancer.

Same-sex couple adopts child

WHITEHORSE - A same-sex couple have adopted a child for the first time in the Yukon. Patricia Bacon and her "partner" Kathy Traplin, who have lived together for five years, adopted Bacon's eight-month-old child, Madisen. After Bacon became pregnant, the pair hired a lawyer to examine ways in which Traplin could adopt the child. Over the next six months, a case worker made visits and conducted reference checks to see if the two would be suitable parents. Bacon and Traplin feared that if something happened to Bacon, Traplin wouldn't have had the legal right to continue as Madisen's guardian.

Quebec struggles with suicide

QUEBEC CITY - The province of Quebec has been trying to cope with a high rate of suicide for years. Official figures show that in 1997, it had a suicide rate of 18 for every 100,000 people - superceding Alberta, with 14, and Ontario, with eight. Quebec has led the province in suicide rates since 1993. But reasons other than the well-known decline of religious faith and morality in the province have been identified as the cause - anything from politics, to the economy, to unemployment and, more recently, separatist sentiments have been fingered. "Is it coincidence that a province afflicted with so many social problems should also be gripped by so many collective delusional fantasies and persecution complexes?" asked Ian Dowbiggin, an associate professor of history at the University of Prince Edward Island.

Parents afraid to appear

SASKATOON - Parents who sparked a human rights inquiry into the Saskatoon Public School Board's prayer policy claimed they were afraid to attend a recent meeting on the issue because they would have had to appear before a potentially hostile audience. In July, the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission ruled that recitation of the Lord's Prayer in public schools violates children's freedom from religion. It ordered schools to develop a multi-cultural religious proposal that doesn't include readings from the Bible.

Sterilization deal nears