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US Lawmakers Upset With JBS

Meat packing giant JBS is coming under fire from some US lawmakers, for paying a multi-million-dollar ransom following a cyber-attack this month.

The company revealed last week, it paid the equivalent of 11 million dollars' worth of Bitcoin to what's believed to have been a group of Russian hackers that infiltrated its computer system. The cyber-attack forced the company to shut down operations at several of its plants around the world for at least 24 hours, including the huge plant in Brooks. In a statement, JBS said it was a difficult decision to make but felt it had to be made to prevent any potential risk to customers. But some members of the US Congress are worried that simply paying a ransom to unlock computers will set a dangerous precedent for other would-be hackers to launch similar attacks. Two weeks earlier, a major pipeline company in the US was the victim of a cyber-attack. It also revealed it paid millions of dollars to unlock its computers.

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Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.