TORONTO ( CP) – An Afghan boy who came to Canada for lifesaving heart surgery is now a happy, rambunctious 10-year-old who loves running around with his Canadian playmates, his host family says.

But the once-frail Djamshid Popal’s return to his homeland may be on hold indefinitely until the family sorts out a dispute over funds gathered on his behalf.

Djamshid was clinging to life when he arrived in Canada in July from his mountain village in Afghanistan, needing urgent medical attention to repair a severely damaged heart that left him emaciated and barely breathing.

The boy’s father, Shafiullah Popal, said a dispute over money is keeping them from returning as soon as they’d like.

Although the Muslim Association of Hamilton has raised $46,000 in donations on behalf of the boy, Popal said they disagree over how the money is to be used.

“This money is for Djamshid because when he goes to Afghanistan, he spend it there for the medicine,” he said through a translator.

But the association said donations were originally solicited only to pay for Djamshid’s medical expenses, much of which were ultimately covered by an anonymous donor and a Toronto charity.

The donations have since been redirected to cover out-of-pocket expenses such as clothes, laundry, insurance, cigarettes and calling cards, said association secretary Mohammed Hanif Vandal.

Whatever’s left when Djamshid returns to Afghanistan will be split between the boy and the two Ontario hospitals that cared for him, Vandal said.

He and Djamshid want to return to their small village, even though it would likely require them to take on an hour-and-a-half commute to Kabul for medical care. Popal said he’s worried about how he will afford to rent a car.

Vandal said the association would make sure Djamshid returns home with money in his pocket, although he couldn’t say how much.

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Suicide attempts much more common among Labrador Innu teens, study finds

ST. JOHN’S, Newfoundland (AP) – The number of attempted suicides among Labrador Innu youth is twenty times higher than among teens on the island of Newfoundland, according to a new study.

And if recent tragedies in the Innu community of Natuashish are any indication, more will eventually follow.

“This is a warning sign and we have to be concerned about it,” Dr. Reza Alaghehbandan, research associate at the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information, said recently.

The results, based on suicide attempts requiring hospitalization from 1998 to 2000, paint a bleak picture for Labrador’s aboriginal population.

Approximate 1,800 Innu teens per 100,000 attempted suicide.

The statistics for Inuit youth are much lower than the Innu at 300 per 100,000, but still higher than non-aboriginal youth in the province.

Less than 100 youth per 100,000 attempted suicide on the island of Newfoundland.

Labrador Innu have among the highest suicide rates in the world and Innu leaders have demanded action.

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Crashed jet not overloaded, probe shifts to engines – investigator

HALIFAX (AP) – Investigators in the fatal crash of a massive cargo jet near Halifax have virtually ruled out overloading as the cause and are instead probing the mystery of why the engines were underpowered at takeoff.

Bill Fowler, lead investigator with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, told The Canadian Press the flight data recorder shows the MK Airlines 747 jet’s weight at takeoff was “fairly close to” 352,400 kilograms (775280 pounds).

That was the maximum the plane was allowed to weigh for the runway at Halifax International Airport on Oct. 14.

“Bottom line, we do not see at this time that the aircraft was significantly over or under or off the planned weight, based on the math,” said Fowler.

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First major winter storm pummels Nova Scotia, cuts power, suspends flights

HALIFAX (AP) – More than 100,000 Nova Scotians were facing the first of what could be several cold nights without power Sunday after a wicked winter storm knocked out electricity throughout the province.

“It’s bad,” said Margaret Murphy, a spokeswoman for Nova Scotia Power.

“This is winter in Nova Scotia, but certainly this damage is very severe.”

High winds continued to drive a mix of freezing rain, snow, sleet and hail on Sunday that had started falling around the province a day earlier.

About 45 centimeters (17.55 inches) of snow was expected to cover some parts of Nova Scotia by the time the storm was over.

Reports of outages poured in Sunday as Nova Scotia Power crews battled 90-kilometer (56.25-mile)-per-hour winds.

Murphy said those left in the dark could remain without power for several days, adding that even as she spoke reports of more outages were coming in.

The northeastern parts of the province, including Cape Breton, Antigonish County and Guysborough County were expected to see rain continuing until sometime Monday.

The snow in the rest of the province was forecast to subside sometime overnight Sunday, although a heavy snowfall and high wind warning remained in effect.

The province has seen its share of major weather emergencies in the last 13 months, including hurricane Juan in September 2003 and the record-setting blizzard dubbed White Juan, that followed four months after the hurricane.