The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Toronto - Despite recent polls suggesting the federal New Democrats trail their political rivals for popular support, leader Jack Layton said Saturday he predicts major gains for his party in the next election. In a speech to the NDP's federal council, Layton repeatedly described the party as being on the move. "We stand poised on the edge of some historic gains," he told a crowd of several hundred people at the weekend policy conference. Cochrane, Alta. - Twenty people were evacuated from the rising chaos of Haiti on Saturday after three military transports were dispatched by Prime Minister Paul Martin to bring home any Canadians who want out. About 1,000 Canadians were registered with the embassy but it is not known how many remain in the country. Ottawa - The next time a Statistics Canada pollster knocks at the door he may be out for blood. The federal agency plans to collect blood and urine samples from volunteers beginning next year in a radical departure from its usual question-and-answer checklist approach. The $20-million project would involve a battery of lab tests on the blood and urine of up to 10,000 Canadians in search of dozens of key health indicators. Researchers would look for diabetes, cholesterol levels, lead, pesticides, SARS, HIV, herpes, West Nile virus and many other measures of the health of the general population.
