Pigs in Toronto get shot first

Unionized staff at Mount Sinai Hospital are calling for the resignation of its board of directors after members were given early H1N1 vaccinations meant to be reserved for health workers and those at high risk of complications.

"What we are seeing evokes scenes from the Titanic, the privileged pushing to the front and leaving vulnerable women and children to a chilling fate," said Sharleen Stewart, President of the Service Employees International Union, Local 1. "This was a serious ethical lapse by the board and the CEO and a profound error of judgment by the chairman. The chair is left with no choice but to resign."

This is disgusting, but of course in Toronto, nothing will be done about it. Par for the course.

Hundreds turned away as flu vaccine runs short

Hundreds of angry, frustrated people were turned away from the Etobicoke Civic Centre this morning after health officials announced they were running out of H1N1 vaccine.

The centre had 2,500 shots of the vaccine but the lineup far exceeded that number. Many people who were turned away left furious at the system.

Earlier, pregnant women and the elderly braved the cold winds and young children jumped in puddles, but as time went on, frustrations in the crowd started showing.

Inside the clinic, where a crowd pressed against the information desk, Joseph Almonte held two coveted cards, numbers one and two in the lineup for the vaccine.

Canada anger at 'flu body bags'

I see the BBC is reporting on this proud Canadian story.

Canada's health minister has ordered an investigation after body bags were sent to aboriginal reserves as part of supplies to deal with swine flu.

The body bags were delivered this week to First Nation communities in Manitoba province which were hard hit by a swine flu outbreak a few months ago.

Community leaders said they were "horrified" when they saw the bags.

Health officials have apologised for any alarm caused and say the bags were just sent as routine restocking.

My initial post on this story is here.

CDN Gov't ships body bags to natives as Swine Flu preparation package.

Health Canada is admitting that it "erred" when it shipped body bags to a Manitoba native community trying to prepare for the H1N1 flu virus.
Jim Wolfe, regional director with the First Nations and Inuit health branch of the department, said yesterday the bags were part of a shipment intended for reserves to use over the winter and were not "linked exclusively to H1N1."
"We really regret the alarm this incident has caused and it was unintended," Wolfe said. "We order these supplies as a matter of routine business and ... this was part of a very normal restocking process."
But Grand Chief David Harper says he's not satisfied. Harper, who represents northern First Nations, said they want an apology from Aglukkaq and they want Wolfe's resignation.
Saying the body bags were part of a routine shipment is "an excuse that is totally unacceptable," Harper said. "We don't even accept his apology. The only apology that we'll accept is from the minister responsible for health and well-being of our First Nations."
Source: thestar.com

This dispicable act is about as close to an actual admission of how the Harper government really feels about the Canadian native population.