Heart surgery to sideline Newfoundland and Labrador premier for weeks (Canada)

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams will be sidelined from three to 12 weeks because of heart surgery he'll undergo at an undisclosed location in the United States, says acting premier Kathy Dunderdale. Williams travelled to the U.S. Monday on the advice of his doctors after weeks of consultations, Dunderdale said. "I'm not going into the details of the premier's condition," she told reporters at a news conference in St. John's Tuesday morning. "Any heart surgery is serious, however, his prognosis is very, very good." Dunderdale said the surgery would happen this week, but refused to provide specifics on the day or where Williams is being treated, other than to say he has "gone to a renowned expert in the procedure that he needs to have done." She also wouldn't say whether Williams could have had the procedure performed in the province or elsewhere in Canada