Making News

Allowing the sale of Certificates of Possession (CPs) on First Nations reserves to non-band members is worth considering, writes Dr. Tom Flanagan, U of C professor of political science, in the Winnipeg Free Press. Aboriginal leaders may consider this a negative move which would break up reserves, but Flanagan says current restrictions on who can purchase land lower the value of CPs by restricting the market for their sale. Owning a piece of reserve land would not confer political rights within the reserve community, Flanagan points out. “To draw a comparison, I, as a resident of Alberta, can buy land in Manitoba, but that does not give me the right to vote in a Manitoba provincial election.”

Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn suggested recently that petroleum producers should look into nuclear power to reduce reliance on natural gas and cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. Dr. David Keith, Canada research chair in energy and the environment at the U of C, disagrees. He told the Calgary Herald that nuclear power isn’t a good fit for the oilsands. Instead, Keith suggests, carbon dioxide capture and storage is the technology that should be used in Alberta to reduce emissions.

A new technique for hip surgery using precision tools and a camera directly inserted into the hip joint through tiny incisions—rather than cutting open the entire hip—shows promise for people too young to qualify for hip replacements or patients with minor hip problems, says Dr. Nick Mohtadi, an orthopaedic surgeon at the U of C. He says, however, it will take time and training before the surgery becomes widely used. “In my own experience, what I’ve been finding is that if it is a simple problem, the results are very good,” Mohtadi told CBC.ca.