Several Canadian premiers were working the crowd at the Rolling Stones SARS benefit concert to support the beef industry and to show Toronto is on the rebound.

"To put this into perspective, the chances of that cameraman bumping you with a camera are far greater, probably a million times greater, than you dying either from mad cow disease or SARS," Alberta Premier Ralph Klein told a reporter from the barbecue pit.

Wearing a "Beef Without Borders" hat, Ontario Premier Ernie Eves was one of the leaders grilling burgers and sausages on the concert grounds. He said he wanted to show that Canada was moving on and leaving mad cow and SARS behind.

Saskatchewan's Lorne Calvert and Manitoba's Gary Doer said they wanted to pressure Ottawa into offering the beef industry more financial support.

The current $460 million aid program only offers money to producers who can still sell their cattle. But Canadian beef has been banned in more than 30 countries and many producers are unable to sell.

Cattle ranchers have said that a massive cull could only be weeks away if export markets don't reopen soon. Calvert said he's trying to bring attention to their plight and the economic fallout of the mad cow crisis.

The United States banned the import of Canadian beef in May after a single case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly called mad cow disease, was discovered in northern Alberta.

Agriculture Minister Lyle Vanclief said he made little progress Tuesday when he met with his Japanese counterpart, Yoshiyuki Kami. Vanclief said he was unable to reassure Kami that Canada's beef supply was safe.

Gesture of thanks

On the concert grounds, the mad cow crisis was sharing centre stage with SARS. Frontline health-care workers were receiving words of praise from Ontario Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty over at the hospitality tent.

"We deserve this. I've just taken the time to go into the health care workers' section now. They were putting it all on the line for the rest of us and it's great to see them here kicking back and enjoying the sunshine and fantastic music.

"We have a backlog we're trying to address but people are eager to get back to work and to get on with it. The dedication of the staff has been great. It's a party for them," McGuinty said.

Health-care workers were given 2,790 Stones concert tickets as a gesture of thanks for their service. Ontario's chief medical officer Colin D'Cunha and Ontario Health Minister Tony Clement also attended the concert.

On Tuesday, the Canadian death toll from SARS rose to 42 after a 59-year-old man who died in May was posthumously declared a victim of the disease.

On the same day, a funeral was held for Tecla Lin who lost her life to SARS on July 19. The registered nurse battled the virus for three month and was one of the first to volunteer to care for 14 infected colleagues at Scarborough Grace Hospital during the first outbreak.

Some of the money generated through the sale of Stones paraphernalia and tickets will help pay for medical scholarships in honour of Lin and Nelia Laroza, another Toronto nurse who died of SARS.