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Most Canadians consider meat to be part of a healthy diet, but a new study shows millions are eating less or none of it.

In the study from Dalhousie University, just under half of respondents said they eat meat daily, and just over half (51.3 per cent) said they’d be willing to reduce their meat consumption. About a third (32.2 per cent) said they intend to do so in the next six months.

Dalhousie University professor Sylvain Charlebois told HuffPost Canada most of the studies coming out right now in medicine “aren’t necessarily encouraging for the meat industry in general.”

Charlebois said health concerns, combined with questions around how sustainable the livestock industry is, and views on animal welfare, are affecting consumers’ choices.

“I think that Canadians are progressively revisiting their relationship with animal proteins in general,” he said.

Watch: Is being vegan better for the environment? Story continues below.

While the health benefits of reducing meat consumption were equally important to men and women in the study, women were more likely to be concerned about animal welfare, and more likely to agree that meat is replaceable by other sources of protein.

About half of all respondents said they knew how to replace meat with other proteins.

Younger and more educated respondents are more likely to want plant-based alternatives to meat, and younger consumers were less likely to believe eating meat is a fundamental right.

Atlantic Canadians are the least likely to already be eating less meat, while Ontarians were the most likely.

Health Canada to “embark on a very divisive debate”

Charlebois said Canada is expecting to release its updated food guide in November, though it was supposed to be released earlier this year in the spring.

“I can tell you what we know so far— Health Canada has presented specific principles that they intend to follow, and one of them was to encourage Canadians to adopt a plant-based diet, or to increase the amount of vegetable protein they consume every single day,” he said.

“I think they know that they are about to embark on a very divisive debate around animal proteins.”

Also On HuffPost:

Parents trust that the sunscreen they buy for their kids is safe, but a new report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) proves that’s not always the case.

According to EWG’s 2018 Guide to Sunscreens report, some sun lotions contain ingredients that boost SPF, but do little to protect children from the sun’s harmful rays.

“People select products based on their SPF, or sunburn protection factor, and mistakenly assume that bigger numbers are better,” EWG senior analyst Sonya Lunder told Parents.com. “Consumers think that they’ll get twice as much protection from an SPF 100 sunscreen as from an SPF 50 product.”

This is a common misconception, as some products with high SPF that were tested in EGW’s report contained chemicals like retinyl palmitate (a form of vitamin A that can damage skin) and oxybenzone (a hormone disruptor).

Specifically, the report found that two-thirds of the 650 tested sunscreens contained the latter chemical.

While EWG’s website notes that oxybenzone can be detected in nearly every American, sunscreens that contain the chemical can soak into the skin and impact the endocrine system (a group of glands that create hormones), the org’s senior scientist David Andrews told HuffPost.

Oxybenzone can also be harmful to the environment and has been known to damage and kill coral reefs. That’s why Hawaiian lawmakers passed a bill earlier this month banning sunscreens containing the chemical.

So what are the worst sunscreens for kids and babies?

Common brands like Neutrogena and Banana Boat topped the worst list, according to EWG’s report. Panama Jack Sport Sunscreen, CVS Health Sun Lotion, and Up & Up Sport Sunscreen also made the list.

Here are five of the worst products and why (click on the link for an in-depth analysis):

Neutrogena Pure & Free Baby Sunscreen, SPF 60+: Not only does it contain retinyl palmitate, but also methylisothiazolinone (a preservative associated with allergic reactions), which can cause skin irritation.

Banana Boat Kids Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 100: The SPF value is misleading and offers poor UVA protection in relation. Ingredients such as oxybenzone and its fragrance cause high health concerns as well.

Banana Boat Kids Continuous Spray Sunscreen, SPF 100: EWG believes the SPF advertised is inaccurate and notes that the spray-on product may not offer complete coverage of the skin. Product also contains oxybenzone.

Panama Jack Sport Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 85: SPF value is lower than advertised. Product also contains harmful ingredients such as oxybenzone and the skin allergen methylisothiazolinone.

Up & Up Sport Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50: This sunscreen only offers moderate protection in relation to its SPF. Also poses moderate health concerns over its ingredients.

Last year, there were health concerns over Banana Boat products causing burns to children’s skin, and Health Canada received more than 187 complaints of this nature, CBC reports.

While the sunscreen company conducted tests and found their products to be safe, it noted that the skin reaction could be triggered by its ingredients and made worse with sun exposure.

Parents should be wary of high SPF products

EWG warns parents to be wary of sunscreens with high SPF, as people “trust these products too much.” Not only can high-SPF products pose greater health risk due to their ingredients, but those who use these products tend to overexpose themselves to the sun, believing they are well protected.

“In reality, the extra protection is negligible,” senior analyst Lunder explained to Parents.com. “For example, an SPF 50 sunscreen that is properly applied will block 98 per cent of UVB rays; an SPF 100 sunscreen will block 99 per cent. In reality, people rarely apply enough sunscreen to achieve this level of protection.”

Lunder added that sunscreen should be applied once every two hours and that “sunscreen with SPF values in the range of 30 to 50 will offer adequate sunburn protection, even for people most sensitive to sunburn.”

What are the best sunscreens for kids and babies?

The report found mineral-based products that contained ingredients like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide received a good rating in their analysis. This coincides with advice from New York-based dermatologist Dr. Bobby Buka, who told CTV last year that sunscreen “should have zinc or titanium in it – one of those two is a great physical blocker, stays on and lasts a long time.”

According to EWG’s report, the best-rated sunscreens — which included Neutrogena Pure & Free Baby Sunscreen, SPF 50 and Aveeno Baby Continuous Protection Lotion Sunscreen, Sensitive Skin, SPF 50 — provided a good balance of UVA and UVB protection. They also did not contain any harmful additives.

Visit EWG’s website for the full list of best sunscreens for kids.

Also on HuffPost:

The thoughts of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and the entire softball community are with the families, teammates and friends of the four North Central Texas College softball team members lost in a Oklahoma highway crash late Friday night.

Lions players Brooke Deckard, 20, Jaiden Pelton, 20, Meagan Richardson, 19, and Katelynn Woodlee, 18, died from injuries sustained when a tractor trailer that had crossed the median into their side of the highway collided with their bus, which was returning from a scrimmage against Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Okla.

A dozen others were injured, although all but two were treated and released. Oklahoma University Medical Center said Bailey Buchanan, 18, was upgraded Sunday from critical to stable condition. Rachel Hitt, 19, remained in fair condition at Norman Regional Hospital, a spokeswoman there said.

“On behalf of the NCTC Board of Regents, administration, faculty, and staff I would like to offer sincere condolences to these families,” North Central Texas College President Dr. Brent Wallace at a press conference Saturday. “This is indeed a sad day for these families and for North Central Texas College. Please continue to pray for all these young ladies and the families of those who have lost loved ones.”

Community members attended a prayer vigil Sunday night at the college’s Gainesville campus, just south of the Oklahoma-Texas border.

Deckard, Pelton and Richardson were all sophomores on the Lions softball team, while Woodlee was a freshman. The three sophomores were part of the 2014 team that won the National Junioir College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region V Championship and advanced to the NJCAA National Tournament in St. George, Utah, for just the second time in school history. Deckard played first base, Woodlee was a shortstop, Richardson was a pitcher and Pelton was a catcher.

Robert Sumwalt, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, said Sunday that the driver of the tractor trailer drove straight through the interstate median without any signs of braking or trying to avoid the collision. The truck was traveling northbound on Interstate 35 near Davis, Okla., and when the roadway gently curved to the right, the truck continued straight. It traveled about 820 feet through the median and struck the southbound bus carrying 15 members of the junior college team driven by their coach.

Even after smashing into the driver’s side of the bus, the truck continued straight for another 300 feet, crossing the southbound lanes and barreling through and uprooting trees. It took first responders nearly an hour to locate the tractor trailer after arriving on the scene of the impact with the bus to tend to the team’s injuries.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol, which is conducting the criminal investigation, said Sunday that the truck driver, Russell Staley, 53, of Saginaw, Texas, told investigators he was distracted.

“He (Staley) said he was distracted by something in the cabin,” said Oklahoma Highway Patrol Capt. Ronnie Hampton, who declined to say what the distraction was. He said investigators don’t necessarily agree with Staley’s explanation.

No charges are pending against Staley.

Hampton said investigators have obtained search warrants to collect evidence from the truck and the bus. Investigators have been conducting interviews with the players.

Send messages of support to: Van Hedrick, Softball Coach, North Central Texas College, 1525 W California St, Gainesville, TX 76240

Two former North Central Texas College players have started a fundraising drive in support of the team, with the blessing of the school. Click HERE to go to that website. Additionally, Texas Prep Softball started its own drive, which raised $1,000 in the first hour it was active. Click HERE to visit that site.

— Information courtesy of NCTC, The Oklahomian and The Washington Post

An Ottawa-based think tank is predicting rising growth for all four Atlantic provinces — especially tiny P.E.I., which is expected to lead the country with 3.2 per cent growth this year.

The Conference Board of Canada attributes the rosy outlook to service-sector stability and rising exports in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, while Newfoundland and Labrador is expected to record an uptick in oil production.

P.E.I.’s red-hot growth is credited to a boom in residential construction following an “influx of international migrants” and higher demand for Island products.

“Over the next two years, the Island should outpace nearly every other province in the country when it comes to its rate of population growth. Consequently, the construction industry is set to surge this year, thanks to new housing developments on the Island,” the Conference Board said in its latest provincial outlook released Wednesday.

“Add to that the impressive tourism prospects and the elevated demand for P.E.I. products boosting exports and manufacturing, and economic growth in the province should continue to outpace the Canadian average — a feat that P.E.I. has achieved every year since 2015.”

Watch: Should Canada be worried about a recession in 2019? Story continues below.

The report noted the growth meant a recent surplus in the P.E.I. provincial budget, after a decade of deficits.

Newfoundland is predicted to grow by 2.7 per cent this year, but the Conference Board says oil industry volatility will mean growth of only one per cent in the province in 2020.

“The labour market will continue to struggle as baby boomers retire, projects come to the end of their life cycles, and workers in the service sector migrate to other provinces where their skills are in high demand,” the report says of Canada’s easternmost province.

It said Nova Scotia is on the road to a stronger economy, with hot seafood exports and improved demographics after an influx of people from across Canada and internationally.

Weaker growth in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba

The Conference Board predicts 1.6 per cent growth this year and another 2.1 per cent in 2020, up from 0.9 per cent last year.

“Over the next two years, the province is expected to enjoy its highest economic growth in almost a decade,” the report predicted of Nova Scotia.

New Brunswick, which reported anemic growth of 0.2 per cent last year, is predicted to see growth of 1.4 per cent this year and 1.3 per cent next year.

“The biggest challenge to economic growth is the province’s weak demographic profile,” the report says of New Brunswick.

“Although immigration levels to the province have reached record levels, the large flow of residents to other provinces and a negative natural increase (i.e., births outnumber deaths) erase any potential gains in population.”

Nationally, the Conference Board predicts 1.9 per cent growth this year, and 2.1 per cent in 2020.

It predicts weaker growth in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba, but robust growth in Saskatchewan and B.C.

HAARLEM, Netherlands –- Following a near 30-hour delay due to rain, the USA Softball Women’s National Team began the playoff portion of the International Softball Federation (ISF) World Championship on Saturday. Team USA, playing as the top seed from Pool B, defeated Canada 6-1 in their first game to earn a matchup later in the day with the only other undefeated team in the tournament, Japan. With a spot in Sunday’s Gold medal game on the line, Japan jumped out early on the USA and never let up as they went on to win 6-1.

USA 6, Canada 1

Despite being held scoreless for the first three innings versus Canada on Saturday, Team USA posted six runs in the final four frames to take a 6-1 win and advance to the next round in the winners bracket at the ISF World Championship. Michelle Moultrie (Jacksonville, Fla.) and Lauren Gibson (Pasadena, Md.) each homered resulting in five of USA’s six runs. Jessica Moore (Sutter, Calif.) started the game in the circle and lasted 3.1 innings before Sara Nevins (Pinellas Park, Fla.) entered in relief to earn the win.

“I loved the little things that we did to get the win over Canada,” said USA Head Coach Ken Eriksen. “Sacrifice bunts, aggressive base running, those are things that don’t look all that impressive on a score sheet but they add up to wins.”

Samantha Fischer (Simi Valley, Calif.) lead off the top off the fourth with a ground ball single to short stop and advanced to second via a Moultie sacrifice bunt in the next at-bat. A walk and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases for Team USA with Haylie McCleney (Morris, Ala.) up next. The outfielder singled to left field scoring the first USA run of the game.

The lead didn’t last long as Canada started the bottom off the fourth with a single and followed it with a shot to center field that barely snuck past McCleney’s glove. The first runner scored but Moultrie gunned down the second runner at third to preserve the tie through four.

Gibson walked to start the fifth inning and a Valerie Arioto (Pleasanton, Calif.) sacrifice bunt advanced her to second. Two batters later, Moultrie put Team USA ahead for good when she sent the first pitch she saw sailing over the center field wall.

Nevins retired the side in the bottom off the fifth and Team USA added insurance runs in the sixth. With two outs, Raven Chavanne (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) singled to third base and Kelsey Stewart (Wichita, Kan.) followed her up with a single to left field. With the runners on base, Gibson sent an 0-2 pitch over the center field wall for a three-run homer to give Team USA their 6-1 lead.

With the favorable lead, Nevins kept the Canadian batters in check through the sixth and most of the seventh innings. In the bottom of the seventh, the lefty gave up her first hit of the game, a two-out single to Joey Lye. In the next at-bat, with an 0-2 count, Jaclyn Traina (Naples, Fla.) entered the circle to pitch. Needing just one strike to end it, Traina followed a foul ball with a swinging strikeout and Team USA secured the win.

Japan 6, USA 1

Japan jumped out to an early lead on Team USA in their game late Saturday evening at the ISF World Championship. Facing Jolene Henderson (Elk Grove, Calif.) Japan scored one run in the first and added three in the second to put the Americans in a four-run hole early in the game. Offensively Team USA couldn’t get much going early facing Japanese veteran Yukiko Ueno.

“We put the ball in play and put runners on base,” said Eriksen. “We did some nice things, just had a few small errors and when you’re playing Japan they will take advantage of those errors. The great thing is, we still have tomorrow. We just have to play great softball for one day and then we can call ourselves World Champions.”

A Japan two-out single in the top of the first was followed by an Eri Yamada double scored the first run of the game as Japan went up 1-0. Gibson walked and Arioto singled in the bottom half of the inning but Ueno left them stranded, getting a strikeout to end the inning.

Japan added three more runs in the second off of two singles and a walk before Traina entered to pitch for Team USA. With two outs, Traina pitched a fly ball to end the Japan rally.

Both teams remained scoreless through the third inning. In the top of the fourth, Japan added a fifth run, this time off of Traina. Nagayoski singled to start the inning and was later brought around to score on a Kawano single to short stop.

Team USA gave up the sixth and final run to Japan in the top of the fifth. Mine doubled to right field to start the at-bat and after Sakamoto laid down a sac-bunt to advance her to second, a Sato single to short stop scored the runner from second putting Japan up 6-0.

The Americans finally got on the board in the bottom of the sixth when Hoagland drew a walk and later came around to score on a Kellie Fox (San Diego, Calif.) single to right field. Nevins retired the side in the top of the seventh but the USA bats couldn’t muster a comeback as Japan secured the 6-1 win.

Sunday morning at 5 a.m. ET, the USA will play Australia, a 7-3 winner over Canada later Saturday. The winner of Sunday morning’s matchup advances to place Japan in the Gold medal game at 7 a.m. ET. Live streaming and live stats are available via www.USASoftball.com throughout the ISF World Championship. Log on and follow Team USA as they seek a 10th World Championship Gold.

— courtesy ASA/USA Softball

OTTAWA — After initially refusing, Netflix has agreed to remove images of the 2013 Lac-Megantic disaster from its blockbuster film, “Bird Box.”

“Netflix and the filmmakers of ‘Bird Box’ have decided to replace the clip,” a spokesman for the streaming company said in an email to The Canadian Press. “We’re sorry for any pain caused to the Lac-Megantic community.”

People in the Quebec town and across the province were shocked after learning in January that footage from the derailment and explosion that killed 47 people was used in the drama starring Sandra Bullock.

Demands that the brief scene be removed came from politicians at all levels, including Lac-Megantic Mayor Julie Morin.

Morin said she is satisfied with Netflix’s decision. “Yes, there was a delay, but I think in the end, what’s more important for me, is that we have a solution to this situation we felt was important to settle,” she said in an interview.

Quebec Culture Minister Nathalie Roy wrote to the company Jan. 18 calling for it to take out footage of the burning town. The company initially apologized and promised to do better, but until now it had refused to edit the film.

Three months later, Netflix decided to change course.

Footage to be removed within next two weeks

Morin said the film industry needs to reconsider its use of stock footage. “I think it’s important for the industry to reflect on this,” she said in an interview. “It appears that has happened in this case.”

In a written statement, Roy said “the gesture was long-sought by Quebecers.”

The House of Commons adopted a motion Jan. 29 demanding Netflix remove the images and compensate the town.

The Canadian Press learned that the footage will be removed from the film within the next two weeks.