Story Highlights He lauded the Patel Family Foundation for not only helping with the annual Cataract Camp, but also for helping to renovate the Alexandria Hospital in St. Ann. The surgeries were made possible through a collaboration between the Florida-based Mind, Body and Soul Ministry (MBSM) and the Kiran and Pallavi Patel Family Foundation. This is the fourth year of the health mission to Jamaica. Free cataract surgeries were performed on 338 residents of Manchester, Clarendon and St. Elizabeth from April 21 to 23, at the Mandeville Regional Hospital.The surgeries were made possible through a collaboration between the Florida-based Mind, Body and Soul Ministry (MBSM) and the Kiran and Pallavi Patel Family Foundation. This is the fourth year of the health mission to Jamaica.Co-founder of MBSM, Horace Morgan, said his organisation was created to make a difference in the lives of those who are underserved.He lauded the Patel Family Foundation for not only helping with the annual Cataract Camp, but also for helping to renovate the Alexandria Hospital in St. Ann.Mr. Morgan recalled the initial telephone contact with the Mandeville Eye Clinic, describing it as pleasant and receptive. He said his message was properly relayed to the Consultant at the Ophthalmology Department, Dr. Gavin Henry, and their subsequent conversation has led to a great relationship since then.“They are a great team; we are always welcome. All our questions are answered and every cooperation that we need from Dr. Henry and his team – from nurses to porters and security personnel – we have got it,” he said.Heading the overseas team was Consultant Anaesthetist, Dr. Nitin Shah, who said having been to 12 countries on some 103 missions, apart from one hospital in India that tops everyone in efficiency, the Mandeville Regional Hospital is the second most efficient place he has worked.“We did 225 surgeries in five days, then 227 in three, then 251 in three days and now 338 in three days,” he said, chronicling the four years of the mission.Meanwhile, Founder of the Kiran and Pallavi Patel Foundation, Dr. Kiran Patel, was full of praise for the volunteers who gave of their time.“Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day. How you use them makes a difference. I know that everyone in this room has chosen to use their time to impact the lives of other people, change them and make them better,” he said of the team that performed the surgeries.For his part, Regional Director of the Southern Regional Health Authority (SRHA), Michael Bent, said the region continues to be grateful for the partnership and the impact on thousands of lives.“In many cases, these persons who receive surgeries were once breadwinners, but they had to be cared for by families who at times had to sacrifice time from work to care for them. Today, they are able to return home and make a meaningful contribution,” Mr. Bent said.He pointed out that the market rate for the service provided over the last three days would be some $50 million. Free cataract surgeries were performed on 338 residents of Manchester, Clarendon and St. Elizabeth from April 21 to 23, at the Mandeville Regional Hospital. read more

CALGARY – The CEO of Kinder Morgan says events in recent days have reinforced his concerns about the viability of the Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion project.“It’s become clear this particular investment may be untenable for a private party to undertake. The events of the last 10 days have confirmed those views,” Steve Kean said on a conference call Wednesday.“We’ve pointed out there are significant differences between governments, and those differences are outside of our ability to resolve.”Earlier Wednesday, B.C. Premier John Horgan’s government announced it will file by the end of April a long-promised court reference to clarify questions around provincial authority over such inter-jurisdictional megaprojects.In Edmonton, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said her office was told by Kinder Morgan that Kean’s comments were directly tied to B.C.s court reference announcement and that the company’s broad commitment to the project remains unchanged.“The message we’re getting back is that they (Kinder Morgan) are pleased with the high level of engagement that is happening between both us and the federal government,” said Notley.Kinder Morgan, in a statement issued late Wednesday, echoed Notley’s comments, saying: “We are actively engaged with the federal and Alberta provincial governments and those conversations will continue in good faith. Nothing has changed in that regard.”The company is caught in the middle of a political feud among Alberta, B.C. and the federal government over the $7.4-billion project, which would triple the capacity of the existing line from Alberta to Burnaby to get more oil to overseas markets and fetch a better price.The project was approved by the federal government in 2016, but has since faced court challenges and permit delays in B.C. Horgan’s government says it still has concerns over the impact of the expansion on the potential for oil spills on its waterways and coastline.Kinder Morgan announced April 8 it was scaling back construction, citing obstruction by B.C. that put the financial viability of the pipeline in question. It gave a deadline of May 31 for a clear signal the project can get built.In the last 10 days Horgan and Notley have met in Ottawa with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Trudeau has said Ottawa will join talks with Alberta and Kinder Morgan to work a financing arrangement to ensure the project gets built.Notley, meanwhile, is facing criticism from political opponents for announcing last week that if necessary, Alberta will buy the whole project.United Conservative Leader Jason Kenney said Notley has given away Alberta’s bargaining leverage with Kinder Morgan.“I’d love to play poker with Premier Notley based on how she’s mishandled this whole thing,” said Kenney.Alberta Party house leader Greg Clark added, “The premier was saying things for the sake of a headline where the thing to do would have been to play the cards close to the vest.“It’s very poor negotiations.”Also this week, Notley has introduced legislation giving her government the power to intervene in the market to limit shipments of oil and natural gas, which could inflict financial hardship on B.C. by sending the price of gasoline soaring.Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has said his government will bring in a similar law to stand by Alberta to get the pipeline built.Kean confirmed on the call that discussions with Ottawa and Alberta have begun on the finances, but said he was not going to make any details public until a definite agreement has been reached or the discussions have ended.He said the company also continues to meet with stakeholders ahead of the May 31 deadline, and is looking for a way forward for the project.Kean said investment questions around the Trans Mountain pipeline shouldn’t be taken as a wider comment on investing in Canada.“We have invested in Canada and British Columbia, as well as Alberta, and we expect to continue investing,” he said.— with files from Dean Bennett in Edmonton read more

Senior running back, Carlos Hyde (34), leaps into the end zone after his fourth rushing touchdown of the game. OSU won against Illinois, 60-35, at Memorial Stadium Nov. 16. Credit: Shelby Lum / Photo editor CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – It might not have been exactly how they drew it up, but the Ohio State Buckeyes left Memorial Stadium with a victory.The nation’s longest winning streak was extended to 22 games Saturday, as OSU (10-0, 6-0) staved off multiple Illinois (3-7, 0-6) rallies to win, 60-35.The Buckeyes started fast, as junior quarterback Braxton Miller faked a handoff to senior running back Carlos Hyde on the third play from scrimmage and scampered 70 yards for a touchdown. Hyde did not start the game, after what an OSU spokesman called a “class issue.”It wasn’t long before OSU got the ball back, as Illinois senior quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase forced a pass into coverage that was intercepted by senior safety C.J. Barnett. The Buckeyes would not be able to do anything on offense, though, punting after failing to get a first down.OSU traveled 94 yards on its next possession, as Miller found Hyde from 18 yards out through the air to make the score 14-0.Scheelhaase was intercepted again on the Illini’s next drive, this time by redshirt-junior cornerback Bradley Roby, who returned it 63 yards for a touchdown.Senior wide receiver Corey “Philly” Brown got into the action on OSU’s next drive, as Miller found him in the end zone from 11 yards out to make the score 28-0.High winds were present throughout the game, which Miller said made passing the football “tricky.”“I heard it was 25 miles per hour, I throw a pretty decent deep ball, and the last one I threw was like 10 yards in front, five yards in front,” Miller said after the win.The Illini finally got on the board midway through the second quarter when sophomore defensive back V’Angelo Bentley returned a punt 67 yards for a touchdown.The Buckeyes would answer, as Hyde found the end zone again, this time on the ground from eight yards out.“I give all credit to my offensive line and my receivers,” Hyde said after the win. “They did a great job. They made it easy for me today.”Hyde said he tried to keep his mindset simple once he got into the game.“I just kind of had my mindset (as) ‘once you get in there you have to go, you didn’t start the game off so once you get our there you have to go,’” Hyde said.OSU took a 35-14 lead into the half after Scheelhaase found senior wide receiver Steve Hull on a 19-yard touchdown pass.Illinois cut into the lead further on the first drive of the second half, when Scheelhaase threw a one-yard touchdown strike to senior tight end Evan Wilson.OSU coach Urban Meyer said he is “a big fan” of Scheelhaase.“He’s a great player,” Meyer said. “He’s a great player that’s been fighting, getting hit, makes plays, making something out of nothing. I thought he was hard to defend today.”Junior linebacker Ryan Shazier agreed.“It’s kind of frustrating playing against him (Scheelhaase) because he’s a good quarterback,” Shazier said. “He keeps plays alive, scrambling and trying to get the ball down field, so it’s kind of frustrating trying to tackle him in space.”Following a safety, Hyde scored again on a one-yard plunge to extend the lead to 44-21.The Illini came right back, though, as Scheelhaase found the end zone on the ground and then completed a two-point conversion pass to senior wide receiver Miles Osei.After a field goal by senior kicker Drew Basil, an Illinois rushing touchdown and failed two-point conversion cut the lead to 47-35.Hyde ran 51 yards for another touchdown with just over four minutes to play, extending OSU’s lead to 53-35 after Basil missed the extra point.After Illinois was forced to punt, Hyde took the ball to the end zone one more time on the ensuing drive’s first play. The Illini were unable to score again before the clock ran out, leaving the final score at 60-35.Miller finished the day with 184 yards rushing and 150 passing to go along with three touchdowns. Hyde totaled 246 yards on the ground with four touchdowns to go along with his receiving touchdown. His 10.5 yards per carry average was a school record.“That last (touchdown run), in my head I was thinking like ‘we could have done this the whole game,’” Hyde said. The offensive line, they love power and my receivers they do a great job on the outside of blocking. I give credit to those guys and my big runs and the offensive line, that last run I had energy and I feel like we could have had that momentum the whole game.”Miller said that despite winning by 25 points, the Buckeyes “didn’t really play a good game.”“It wasn’t one of our pretty games, but we got (it) done,” Miller said.Up next OSU heads back to Columbus for its final home game of the season and is set to take on Indiana. Kickoff has not yet been announced. read more