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Superbug prompts travel warning

EDMONTON -- Alberta doctors are warning travellers about going outside Canada for medical treatment after an Albertan was infected with a new form of antibiotic-resistant bacteria while in an Indian hospital.

Provincial health officials confirmed Aug 12 that it became aware this spring of one reported case of an infection caused by a new type of "superbug" that resists antibiotic treatment.

Dr. Gerry Predy, the province's medical officer of health, would say only that the individual in that case had been in a hospital in India before being infected and was discharged after being treated in Canada. He would not say what kind of treatment the individual had originally sought in India.

Hospitals are one of the most common places where people acquire infections, and many antibiotic-resistant superbugs thrive in hospital environments.

Dr. Mark Joffe, Alberta Health Services' senior medical director, said anyone considering travel for medical treatment anywhere in the world should weigh the risks.

Alleged spy’s passport cancelled

OTTAWA -- Canada has revoked the passport of an alleged Russian spy who fled after being freed on bail in Cyprus.

A Passport Canada spokeswoman said July 27 the agency cancelled the travel document issued to Christopher Metsos, the accused paymaster of a Russian espionage ring.

Cypriot officials confirmed last month that Metsos had assumed the identity of a dead five-year-old Canadian boy to obtain a passport, raising questions about document security.

The officials said they learned the details from Renata Wielgosz, Canada's ambassador to Cyprus and Greece.

Other reports indicated Metsos had obtained the passport through the Canadian Embassy in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Ten other people arrested in the United States were sent back to Moscow after pleading guilty, part of a swap for prisoners in Russia.

Bail denied in G20 case

TORONTO -- A man facing explosives and weapons charges as part of a G20 security investigation has been denied bail.

Byron Sonne was arrested June 22 and accused of possessing dangerous weapons and explosives for an unlawful purpose, among other charges.

Sonne's wife, Kristen Peterson, was also arrested but later released on bail with the condition she have no contact with her husband and live with her parents.

The 37-year-old Sonne also stands accused of mischief, attempted mischief and intimidating a justice system participant.

Friends and family have rallied around the internet security expert, with one friend saying the charges against Sonne are a huge misunderstanding.

Details of evidence presented in court are under a publication ban.

Ontario eco fees officially scrapped

TORONTO -- Ontario Environment Minister John Gerretsen has confirmed that the province is dropping its eco fee program, saying he takes "full responsibility" for not doing a better job of communicating the introduction of the new charges.

The fees, which went into effect on July 1, applied to a wide variety of items, including batteries, soap, fire extinguishers and paint.

The fees were collected by manufacturers and retailers to help fund a recycling program that diverts those potentially hazardous items from landfills.

But there was no public warning that the eco fee would be slapped on thousands of new items this month.

"These new eco fees are gone," Gerretsen told reporters at a news conference last month. "That means all products added on July the 1st will not have any fee on them. The bottom line is Stewardship Ontario could have done a better job for rolling out the changes, and we, the Ministry of the Environment, the government, and I as minister, could have done a better job of helping them communicate their changes, and I take full responsibility for that.”

Stewardship Ontario, an industry-led organization appointed by the government to oversee the program, collected the fees from retailers and manufacturers.

Manufactures and retailers, in turn, determined which fees they would pass on to consumers.