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It's Wednesday, November 29th.
The auditor general issued another scathing report. Her target this time: Ron Stewart, Canada's former corrections investigator. Allegedly he collected about $325-thousand dollars in questionable salary, vacation and travel claims.
Currently... Stewart, a former Ottawa Rough Rider, says he'll tell HIS side of the story in his book: "325,000 Dollars---If I Spent It."
This is The Current.
Raw Milkman
It was supposed to be a regular delivery day for milkman and organic farmer Michael Schmidt. But the trip was cut short before it began. Last Tuesday, armed officers swooped down onto his farm and blocked his route. They searched his home and his barn where he keeps thirty dairy cows. And they seized dozens of jars of raw milk, his computer files, and about ten-thousand dollars worth of dairy processing equipment.
The official charge is: operating a milk plant without a license. But the real reason Michael Schmidt's operation was shut down is that he sells raw, unpasteurized milk, an illegal product in Canada.
Michael Schmidt is now on a hunger strike drinking only one glass of milk a day in protest. And he's gathering a long list of supporters, among them, top Canadian chef Jamie Kennedy.
Ontario MPP Bill Murdoch will put forward a resolution in the legislature next week, reexamining the rules around raw milk and we heard from him.
The man in the middle of the milk scandal, Michael Schmidt joined us this morning in our Toronto studio. He is an organic raw milk farmer from Durham, Ontario.
Raw Milk – Critic
While raw milk develops a growing list of devotees, including an Ontario government cabinet minister, some people argue drinking unpasteurized milk is hazardous to your health.
Dr. Hazel Lynn is the medical officer of health for the Grey Bruce County Public Health Unit, which covers an area north-west of Toronto. Her office was involved in the raid on Michael Schmidt's farm. She was in Toronto.
Listen to The Current:  Part 1
(Due to various rights issues some segments may be edited for internet use)
The Current: Part 2
Genetic Disorders - Father
When scientists began mapping the human genome back in 2000, their big promise was treating genetic disorders and eliminating certain debilitating diseases. The promise wasn't without controversy as it involves testing fertilized eggs for certain genes before implanting them in the womb---a practice derogatorily referred to as "making designer babies."
Today couples inCanada are beginning to use "preimplantation genetic diagnosis", or PGD, in order to prevent passing on genetic disorders to their children.
Huntington disease is one of the 200 or so conditions that can be screened. Jeff Carroll is a Vancouver researcher trying to find a cure for the disease. But he also carries the Huntington gene--which means he will likely get the disease -- so Jeff and his wife Megan are now also the first couple in British Columbia to have undergone PGD so their kids won't suffer a deadly inheritance. We reached Jeff Caroll in our Vancouver studio.
Genetic Disorders – Somerville
Along with the potential benefits of embryo screening, there are those who say we can't lose sight of its dangers. Margaret Somerville is one of them. She's the Founding Director of the McGill Centre for Medicine, Ethics and Law and the author of The Ethical Imagination. She was in Montreal.
Genetic Disorder – Nisker
The debate about the merits of embryo screening also leads to discussion of what regulations there are governing the procedure. Doctor Jeffrey Nisker was the first Canadian doctor to perform pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD. He was asked by Health Canada to conduct public consultations about the ethics and merits of using the technology.
Jeffrey Nisker is a Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Oncology, and the co-ordinator of Medical Ethics at the University of Western Ontario. He was in London, Ontario.
Listen to The Current: Part 2
(Due to various rights issues some segments may be edited for internet use)
The Current: Part 3
Arsenic Poisoning
The World Health Organization calls it "the greatest mass poisoning of a population in history" affecting tens of millions of people. What scientists do know, is that there are high levels of arsenic in the drinking water in Bangladesh and parts of India.
What they don’t know is how it got there - or how to help the vast number of people who have been poisoned. Now, a husband and wife team from the University of Saskatchewan is trying to make sense of this health crisis. And their collaboration has led to an international effort to test their theory.
Dr. Graham George and Dr. Ingrid Pickering are professors of geological sciences at the University of Saskatchewan. They're also part of an international team conducting clinical trials in Bangladesh, and today they were in our Saskatoon studio.
Last Word – Gore
A couple of weeks ago, Bob McKeown of The Fifth Estate told us about his investigation into so-called climate change deniers who contest the facts behind global warming. He found that many of the skeptics were actually funded by the oil and coal industries and one name kept coming up---ExxonMobil.
And indeed, that name came up again after producers of the Al Gore film about global warming called An Inconvenient Truth, offered 50,000 free DVDs to American schools.
The National Science Teachers Association turned down the offer because it worried that taking the DVDs could adversely affect their funding. According to Laurie David, one of the film's producers, ExxonMobil contributes to the teachers' association.
Meanwhile, the association did accept a video distributed by the American Petroleum Institute called Fuel-Less: You Can't be Cool Without Fuel. We ended the show with a clip of that educational tool.
Listen to The Current: Part 3
(Due to various rights issues some segments may be edited for internet use)
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