 Here’s what you need to know to get the day started: | | | She's living with a needle left in her spine, yet no one will tell her which doctor did it | | |  | Giovanna Ippolito holds examples of the types of needles that were inserted into her spine during childbirth — an epidural and a spinal. She doesn't know which one broke off in her spine and was left there by medical staff. (Jonathan Castell/CBC) | | | Giovanna Ippolito is living with a broken needle in her spine after it broke off during childbirth. An anesthesiologist then left the four centimetre-long fragment embedded in her back — and didn't tell her what happened.
Instead, it was discovered during an X-ray more than a decade later. The Bolton, Ont., woman says her doctor can't directly link the pain she's experiencing to the needle, but one thing has been made clear to her: it's not safe to remove it.
The location and the scar tissue that has grown around the needle make it too dangerous.
Exactly when the needle was left there is unclear because medical staff failed to note it in her records — but Ippolito says she's only had needles inserted into her back on two occasions — during the birth of her son in 2002 and her daughter in 2004.
She says for years she's been living with pain in her shoulders and right leg.
Both births took place at Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital (called York Central Hospital at the time), north of Toronto.
After botched investigations and many years, no one may ever be held accountable.
"It infuriates me. The pain is here to stay," Ippolito told Go Public. "Somebody made a mistake many years ago … now they need to be accountable for it."
Go Public first told Ippolito's story in 2020. Since then, she is no closer to finding out who did it — despite pursuing almost every complaint avenue available to patients injured by the medical system.
Last year, nearly 175,000 patients suffered potentially preventable medical harm while in hospital, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).
That number has increased over the past three years from 168,000 in 2022 and 157,000 the year before that.
Like Ippolito, patients who file complaints after being hurt by the medical system are often left "in the dark about what happened to them," said Toronto-based medical malpractice lawyer Jeremy Syrtash, who is not directly involved in Ippolito's complaint.
Got a story you want investigated? Contact Rosa and our Go Public team. | | | | | Bubbly shower for the winner | | |  | (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press) | | | | Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen, left, of the Netherlands is sprayed with champagne as he celebrates his victory at the Canadian Grand Prix Formula 1 race, in Montreal, on Sunday. It was Verstappen's third consecutive win in Montreal. Read the full story here. | | | | | | | | | In brief | | | Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek apologized to residents Sunday, calling the city's efforts to communicate information about the ongoing feeder water main break "slow to come," and "confusing at times." A break in a major feeder water main that supplies approximately 60 per cent of the city plunged Calgary's water supply into a critical state Wednesday night. The break left hundreds of homes and businesses in the city's northwest without water. Beginning Monday, Gondek said she will be providing an update to Calgarians every morning through a livestream at 8:30. In addition, the city's emergency management team will hold media briefings at 2 p.m. each day to update residents on the progress that's been made. The daily updates will continue until the water situation returns to normal, the mayor said. Read the full story here.
A historic church in Toronto's west end that featured works by members of the Group of Seven has been "completely destroyed," along with the artifacts it housed, says the city's fire chief. Toronto Fire said crews received reports of a fire inside St. Anne's Anglican Church just before 8 a.m. ET Sunday. The church, built in 1907-1908 in the city's Little Portugal neighbourhood, housed early paintings by three Group of Seven artists that were installed in the church in the 1920s. The murals decorated the chancel and the dome, which was destroyed by the blaze. Rev. Don Beyers, a parish priest at the church, said the "invaluable" works were lost to the flames. "The artwork was priceless. It was murals, beautiful murals," he said. "This was the only church that featured artwork by members of the Group of Seven. And I'm sorry to say that's been lost, from what I can see." The church was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1996. Read the full story here.
More than 40,000 Canadians filed "bare trust" tax forms this year, despite the government hitting the pause button on the new reporting requirements at the last minute. A bare trust relationship is one where a person has legal ownership of a property or asset but doesn't hold beneficial ownership. While some bare trust relationships can be complex, others can be rather simple — such as a shared bank account or a parent being named on the title of a child's house in order to help them qualify for a mortgage. The new requirements were introduced as part of the government's 2022 fall economic statement and were set to be enforced this past tax season. Anyone with a bare trust was required to file a T3 tax return form naming the trustees, beneficiaries and settlors of each trust by April 2. But in late March, with just days to go before the deadline, the Canada Revenue Agency announced that bare trusts would no longer need to be reported this year. Read the full story here.
A research scientist on Prince Edward Island is searching for new varieties of potatoes that will grow more quickly and be more resistant to drought, to help potato growers battling the impacts of climate change. Bourlaye Fofana has a collection of more than 800 different genetic lines of potatoes that he has been studying over the last decade for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Fofana's work has long focused on genetic traits that will make potatoes more resistant to diseases and less susceptible to greening. But it is the search for a potato that better tolerates drought that is currently attracting attention from both the industry and the public. "The climate is changing and unpredictable, and we have to adapt our crop to the changing climate," said Fofana. He's particularly interested in varieties from parts of South America, where potatoes originated. "It's a mountainous area, and this area is subjected to many other stresses — sometimes cold, sometimes drought — and these native potatoes have been evolving there for centuries," he said. Read the full story here.
Now here's some good news to start your Monday: At the centre of the Moncton Hospital's clinics on Wednesday, health-care workers paused. On their way to deliver blood work, perform X-rays and care for patients, they stood together in a wide atrium and leaned over balconies, pulled from the hospital's usual, hurried routines. Gathered in the atrium were about 30 people singing. It was the debut performance of Music in Medicine, a choir made up of people from all parts of the hospital, including housekeeping workers, managers, nurses, doctors and paramedicine students. Directed by Melody Dobson of the Greater Moncton Chorale, the choir sang popular songs, including Lean on Me, Here Comes the Sun, Closer to Fine — even the Disney hit Surface Pressure from the film Encanto. "It's feel-good music, but a lot of it is upbeat and on the theme of helping one another or being happy doing something together — counting on someone, leaning on someone. Basically, fulfilling the role that health-care workers do," Dobson said. Read the full story here. | | | FIRST PERSON | Knitting my clothes helped me fall in love with my fat body | After years of hiding her body and feeling ashamed of her weight, Whitney Swinimer realized she could do things differently: instead of changing her body to fit store-bought clothes, she could make clothes that made her feel confident and beautiful. Read her column here. | | | | | | |  | Are there ‘traitors’ in Canada’s Parliament? | A new report accuses parliamentarians of aiding foreign governments to interfere in Canadian politics. Rosemary Barton walks us through the fallout.
Listen to today's episode | | | Today in history: June 10 | | | 1692: During the Salem, Mass., witch trials, Bridget Bishop becomes the first of 19 people to be hanged.
1791: The Constitutional Act is passed, providing for the provinces of Upper Canada and Lower Canada, each with a separate government.
1930: The Winnipeg Football Club, which later adopted the nickname Blue Bombers, is formed.
1957: John Diefenbaker's Conservatives end 22 years of Liberal rule in Ottawa with a stunning election victory. Diefenbaker formed a minority government and remained in power until 1963. | | | (With files from CBC News, The Canadian Press, The Associated Press and Reuters) | | | | |  | CBC NEWS APP | The most convenient way to get your news
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