Asbestos is one of the most important occupational carcinogens causing about half of all deaths from occupational cancer. Currently, about 125 million people in the world are exposed to asbestos in the workplace, and at least 90,000 people die each year from lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis resulting from occupational exposures. In addition, it is believed that globally, despite the bans on the use, sale and trade of asbestos, thousands of deaths can be attributed to other asbestos‐related diseases as well as to non-occupational exposures. The global burden of asbestos-related disease is still rising.

Peterborough became aware of this “silent killer” more than 15 years ago, when Aileen Hughes and her two sons encouraged Local 524 of the Canadian Auto Workers to screen retirees and current workers for asbestos-related problems. Her husband, Morris Hughes died at age 71 of mesothelioma. The local CAW president at the time, Keith Riel, committed to holding clinics at the Evinrude Centre.

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David Berger stopped by Global News Morning Peterborough to talk about the news coming out of Queen’s Park during the last few weeks.

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TORONTO – The union representing Canadian auto workers claimed a partial victory Tuesday after General Motors Canada announced an Oshawa, Ont., plant slated to close later this year will be converted to a part-stamping and autonomous vehicle testing facility.

Unifor and GM Canada said the transition will cost $170 million and save 300 of the 2,600 union jobs at the plant, with the potential to attract more jobs as the facility attracts new customers.

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Recently the United Nations released a report indicating that at least one million species are on the verge of extinction due to human activities. Trent University professor Jim Shaefer calls the report, “grim and astounding,” and says a mass extinction will have far-reaching effects on human life.

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Ontario students are opposed to bigger class sizes and mandatory online credits because such changes will harm achievement, says the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association, which is now calling on the Ford government to nix plans for both.

The group, which advocates for the province’s 2 million students and consults extensively with them on an ongoing basis, says in a report to be released Monday that it “strongly recommends that the provincial government reverse its class size increases, and maintain within the (education grants) the 2018-19 class size average of 22 pupils in Grades 9-12.”

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Politics is full of distractions.

Every elected official knows the heartbreak of having an important announcement eclipsed by news that a colleague expensed a $25 hamburger.

It can work both ways. Although petty distractions can undermine positive initiatives, governments also proactively use them to divert attention from less savoury topics that they don’t want you to discuss over morning coffee.

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If you requested a book from a library elsewhere in Ontario and were expecting it to arrive soon, you’re out of luck.

Interlibrary loan services have been suspended at least until May 31 at all libraries across Ontario due to provincial government budget cuts.

It means the service won’t be offered at the 15 small rural library branches across Peterborough County and two branches in the city.

Interlibrary loans allow library patrons to request books not available in their local branch from another library elsewhere in the province. The book arrives at your local branch thanks to a government-funded courier service. But now the courier has been cancelled.

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If a public health emergency like an H1N1 outbreak, or swine flu as it’s also known, broke out in Peterborough like it did in 2009, would an amalgamated Peterborough health unit be able to respond quickly?

That’s the question being posed by Peterborough Public Health as it and 34 other agencies face amalgamation into 10 organizations.

Local public health officials say they’re worried responsiveness to health emergencies and issues could be impacted, while Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith says the same services will still be offered while cutting down on administrative costs.

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The province announced a funding cut to the Legal Aid budget that’s almost 30%. So far, the organization, which provides legal services for those who fall below the poverty line, say their refugee and immigration services are on the chopping block. Martha Macfie, a lawyer with the Peterborough Community Legal Centre, says it’s not clear what else the cuts will mean.

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A local agency that provides legal services to low-income residents says a $133-million cut to Legal Aid Ontario will “disproportionately impact” people in Peterborough because of low incomes and high housing costs here compared to elsewhere in Ontario.

Peterborough Community Legal Centre on King Street, which is funded by Legal Aid Ontario, released a statement on Wednesday saying it is bracing for “deep cuts” that will jeopardize access to legal help for many of the city’s most vulnerable.

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