CFCN - Sunday, May 26, 2024 - 09:00 a.m. (ET) - Segment #1

is giving back. Acknowledging what you have been given and then in return making other people happy. >> Reporter: adam sawatsky, ctv news, nanaimo. >> Heather: that is our newscast for this saturday night. I'm heather butts. Thank you for watching. Goodnight, and I'll see you again tomorrow. When things are happening inyour community its our job to get there as fast as possible and get you that information as quickly as we can on tv and online ctv news calgary #1 for local, breaking news.

(Mid-tempo music) >> Welcome to the Weekend edition of Your Morning. Here's what's coming up on the show today. >> How parents support their adult children financially, have their own bottom line affected. >> Then a neurologist tells us about the signs of early onset dementia and how the symptoms can be treated. >> And why a lack of primary care is leading to more people being diagnosed with cancer in the emergency room. >> But first, how the early start of this year's wildfire season affects the air we all breathe. Experts are once again warning of the serious risk wildfire smoke could pose to our health. There are air quality statements or advisories in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba as the smoke drifts across the country from wildfires in Western Central Canada. You're looking at a map there. This is following Canada's worst every year for wildfires in 2023 when the smoke made Canada's air quality the worst in North America for the first time in recorded history. Joining us this morning for more on the health effects of this wildfire smoke and the best strategies to stay safe is Jeffrey Brook, air pollution meteorology expert and associate professor at U of T. Good morning to you. >> Hi, good morning, Lindsey. >> So the air quality health index it calculates pollutants in the air to determine the risk of harm to us. It goes from low health risks between one and three to moderate to four and six. High is between seven and ten and then very high is above ten. And we know that Calgary had an index of seven for a period of time this past weekend. So what kind of health issues can result from that? Yeah, mostly health issues that are going to be in the immediate. When the air pollution goes up, this will try people to emergency departments for respiratory problems predominantly. Sometimes there might be some hard issues and then when the smoke is gone, those issues will subside. >> What can average Canadians do to stay as healthy as possible during periods of bad air quality? >> Well, the most important thing is for those who are susceptible. So there are adults with say chronic objective pulmonary disease, children with asthma. Pregnant women, young children who tend to be very active and breathe quite a bit of air. So the first and foremost is to have those who are susceptible, we call it, be aware and mostly aware of their symptoms. And if they're experiencing discomfort, to slow down, being less physically active will decrease the amount of air you're breathing, that will help. And going indoors, unfortunately, is one of our best options, but indoors is not perfectly clean. There is smoke that will get indoors. And when you're in there, then if you've got waste, have air cleaners and they can make a big difference. >> Lindsey: I was going to say that... >> Jeffrey: However... >> Lindsey: With the air cleaners are masking, does that help? >> Yes, it does. Air cleaners help tremendously if they're equipped properly for the room that you're in. And then afterwards you have to be careful because some of it will get indoors into other rooms in the house and can linger longer than the smoke has been outdoors. So afterwards is important that you ventilate your house to clear out the indoor air so that you've got good clean indoor air again. >> What long-term health impacts could we all see and face as these terrible fire seasons seem to become more common? >> Well, you know, there's very little known about the long-term health effects of smoke. It's something that, you know, we know is quite intermittent. And the human body can handle these periods of smoke there. You know, they're really typically, unless you're, say, you know, where you're right in the line of the plume, as such as we saw in 2016 in Fort McMurray, they're much lower than what we used to subjecting ourselves going into smoky bars when we allowed smoking inside. >> Lindsey: Right. >> Jeffrey: So we don't know much about the long-term health effects. But, you know, we do know looking at, say, the last decade when the worst year was 2017 that the estimates were from Health Canada that that was a nearly $50 billion cost to society. >> When you look at where we're sitting right now, this is what, May 15th we're tracking these wildfires and the air quality. How are we tracking, do you think, for this season? >> Well, I think I'm sort of like most of you have not an expert on fire potential. I'm more in the public health area. However, you know, we have been seeing a winter that's been warm. It's been less snow, so the ground's ready and dry. And we're expecting that fires are going to be occurring very naturally and probably getting out of control

like last year. We're prepared, of course, to I think, fight them more and predict where they're going. But there's nothing like, you know, having to evacuate like we've just seen now in Fort McMurray. That's incredibly traumatic. >> Did we learn any lessons from last year, do you think? >> Well, I would hope that, you know, the lessons we're learning is that we need to get back to really thinking seriously about taking all the measures we can to get on path to meet our targets for climate change because the connection between climate change and these fires is quite clear. It's been predicted that, you know, Canada will experience more fires and also more extreme weather. And these are all things that are happening. And so, you know, I think that's the bigger lesson is, you know, this is the type of world we want to live in more and more than, sure, continue along the business as usual. But I think, you know, we are now seeing those effects and need to move forward with whatever we can do to, you know, change and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. >> Yeah, well, Jeffrey Brook, we appreciate your time. Thanks so much. >> Yeah, you're welcome. >> Lindsey: Coming up, the concerning number of people being diagnosed with cancer in emergency rooms. Power outages can be unpredictable, inconvenient, and disruptive to your life, posing a real threat to your family's comfort and safety. When the power goes out, you have no lights, no refrigeration, no heating or air conditioning. The winds are notletting up at all here. We're going to seesome power outages. Number one thing to preparefor is extended power outages. Are you prepared? You can be with a GeneracHome Standby Generator. When a power outage occurs, your Generac Home StandbyGenerator automatically powers up, using your home's existingnatural gas or propane, so your life goes on,without disruption. You and your family arecomfortable, safe, and secure. Stay tuned, to get overa $700 value free, on the most popular homestandby generator in the world. With the Generac,we don't have to worry about whetherwe lose power or not. If the utility company does not come through,our Generac does. Having the Generac generator, I felt secure thatif there was a power outage, I didn't have to worryabout it, that there would be heatin the home. There wouldn't bebusted pipes. After the hurricane happened, we just want to beprepared for anything. Generac generatorsare designed, engineered and built for the purposeof generating power. 8 out of 10 homegenerators are Generac, and have thousandsof satisfied customers. How many timeshave you heard people say, I never want to gothrough that again? Well, the next timeyou go through it, don't make itso hard on yourself. Have a Generac HomeStandby Generator. Call or go online now to requestyour free quote with one of Generacsnationwide dealers. And if you call now,you'll receive a free 5 year warrantyvalued at over $700. The call is free,the quote is free, and there's no obligationto buy, call or go online now. So the next timethere's a power outage, your home powers up.Power your life with Generac. Call or go online to requestyour free quote today. She'll never bend the knee. The greens are coming for you, Rhaenyra, and for your children. (Dramatic music) Otto: It is your great privilege to witness this, a new day for our realm! (Cheering) (Roar) Rhaenyra: We don't choose our destiny. It chooses us. (Musical sting) >> More and more Canadians are finding out they have cancer not from a screening or regular doctor appointment, but because of emergency trips to emergency departments. According to the Our Care Project which looked at primary care across Canada, one in five Canadians do not have access to regulatory primary care. This shortage is driving people to seek care in emergency rooms, and often when there are symptoms of cancer, have progressed without their knowledge. For more on why this is happening, we are joined by Dr. Keerat Grewal, emergency physician at Mount Sinai Hospital. Good morning, Doctor. >> Good morning. Thanks for having me. >> So, according to the Canadian Medical Association Journal, I'm given a couple numbers here. Between 2012 and 2017, more than 26 percent of patients with cancer in Ontario were diagnosed after they went to an ER. >> Yes, and that was after a hospitalization. So, the cancer had progressed to some point where they need to be urgently hospitalized. And so, that doesn't represent the number of patients that can often go home. So, they're not sick enough to require admission and can be worked up from an out patient setting. >> How do we get here? Why is this happening? >> So, we're not sure.

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