Government & Policy

HALIFAX – Any time his stage-four COPD flares up, Sheldon Williams can end up spending several breathless hours in the emergency room, waiting to be assessed and given the medication he needs to clear the obstructive secretions from his compromised lungs. Read More

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – In late November, the Honourable Christine Elliott (pictured), Deputy Premier and Minister of Health was in Mississauga along with patients, families and community groups to announce the Mississauga Ontario Health Team (Mississauga Health) as the first of 24 Ontario Health Teams (OHTs) in the province. The minister soon after announced the Hamilton Health Team, as well. Read More

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – As part of its new Digital First for Health strategy, the Ontario government announced it will increase the availability of virtual care with approximately 55,000 more video visits provided by physicians to patients in a location of their choice over the next year. Read More

TORONTO – Canada Health Infoway announced the ACCESS 2022 Alliance Founding Sponsors. These seven industry leaders have committed to the vision of ACCESS 2022, a movement aimed at improving Canadians’ access to their personal health information and to digitally delivered health services. The founding sponsors are: Accenture Canada, LifeLabs, Orion Health, RGAX, Roche Canada, Teladoc Health and Telus Health. Read More

SAINT JOHN, N.B. – Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer (pictured) is promising to spend $1.5 billion to buy new medical imaging equipment for facilities across the country. Scheer says a Conservative government would buy MRI and CT machines to replace aging ones, which he says would reduce wait times for those tests. Read More

VANCOUVER – The federal government announced it will support a $20-million project proposal to scale up companies in health and biosciences. This will be done through an initial $7-million investment to support the establishment of the CAN Health Network with its first network partners. Read More

EDMONTON – The province of Alberta has issued a request for proposals to review health information systems, including the Alberta Netcare, the MyHealth Records personal information portal, and the long-awaited Connect Care network. Read More

TORONTO – Approximately 4% of Ontarians aged 65 years and older are living with essential tremors – a condition that causes uncontrollable shaking that can make it challenging to complete simple tasks like fastening a button and drinking water from a cup. That’s why Ontario is investing in frontline services and expanded treatment options to improve the quality of life for more Ontarians. Read More

TORONTO – The Ontario government’s first “strategic transformation advisor” was abruptly sacked after the Toronto Star revealed his long-time ties to Premier Doug Ford’s former chief of staff, Dean French, who left government two weeks ago amid a cronyism scandal. Read More