Government & Policy

OTTAWA – Health Canada has authorized the combination of two antiviral drugs, nirmatrelvir and ritonavir (brand name PAXLOVID), to treat adults with mild to moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk of progressing to serious disease, including hospitalization or death. The active ingredient nirmatrelvir in PAXLOVID works by stopping the virus from replicating. Read More

TORONTO – The Ontario government is investing more than $240 million over three years to help advance research at five leading research institutes across the province. By supporting advanced research, Ontario will continue to strengthen its existing innovation and commercialization capacity, grow its skilled workforce, and position itself as a global leader. Read More

QUEBEC – Finding it has been difficult to obtain patient and caregiver information during the COVID-19 pandemic, Quebec has proposed new legislation that would provide easier access to healthcare data. Bill 19 would create a database that includes information on every medical consultation with a patient, which that person could consult and check using a smartphone. Read More

NEEPAWA, Man. – The Manitoba government has announced an investment of $127 million on a new hospital in Neepawa, Manitoba, in order to expand medical care to residents living in Westman. The hospital is currently in the planning stages. The new facility will include at least 60 acute care inpatient beds and be double the size of the current hospital. Read More

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – TECHNATION, Canada’s national technology industry association, along with leading-edge tech leaders from across Canada, held its “Virtual Digital Health Day” on November 30, with a focus on Ontario’s Digital First Health Strategy. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, technology has enabled a transformation in the way we access healthcare in Canada. Read More

OTTAWA – The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) is calling on the federal government and some social media companies to reduce threats and violence front-line healthcare professionals are experiencing at work. Earlier this fall, there were protests happening outside hospitals in multiple Canadian cities, during which participants berated some patients and healthcare workers going inside the facilities. Read More

BRAMPTON – As part of the 2021 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review: Build Ontario, the Ontario government is investing $12.4 million over two years to provide existing and expanded mental health and addictions supports for all frontline healthcare workers across the province. This investment will protect our progress in the fight against COVID-19 by supporting the workforce of the acute care, long-term care, and home and community care sectors in their efforts to provide high-quality care and service to patients, long-term care residents, and clients. Read More

TORONTO – Ontario is continuing its plan to fix long-term care by investing $20 million this year to hire 193 new inspections staff and launching a new and improved annual proactive inspections program in long-term care homes. This is part of the government’s commitment of $72.3 million over three years to increase enforcement capacity and ensure every resident experiences the safest and best quality of life, and to hold homes to account for the care they provide. Read More

OTTAWA – The CMA congratulates the new Minister of Health, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos (pictured), who will be taking the helm of a vital portfolio for all Canadians and welcomes the Honourable Carolyn Bennett in the new role of Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health. The pandemic remains a key concern due to the growing health workforce crisis and increasing procedural backlog, both representing significant and growing risks to the sustainability of Canada’s health systems. Read More

OTTAWA – Iain Stewart (pictured) is out as president of the Public Health Agency of Canada, after leading the agency through much of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stewart was also the focus of an extraordinary moment in parliamentary history earlier this year, when he was publicly admonished by MPs in the House of Commons for failing to turn over documents related to the firing of two scientists from the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg. Read More