Government & Policy

TORONTO – Two out of five Canadians say they were unable to access essential healthcare services in the last six months, according to a new Angus Reid report. The study, which surveyed nearly 3,500 Canadians and Americans combined, also found that Canadian confidence in our healthcare system is currently lower than American confidence in theirs, with Americans less likely to report issues accessing care. Read More

VICTORIA, BC – Over the last six years, B.C. spent nearly $400 million on contracts with private surgical and diagnostic imaging clinics. According to a report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, the province awarded $393 million in contracts to private clinics to provide services within the public system. Read More

TORONTO – Doctors and mental health advocates say therapy in Ontario will be even more difficult to access now that the government is significantly reducing funding for free online therapy it made available during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ministry of Health introduced the program in the spring of 2020 and provided funding to two online platforms that offer internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT). Read More

WINNIPEG – Ottawa is spending more than $3 million and Manitoba is chipping in an additional $760,000 to upgrade monitoring systems at Children’s Hospital in Winnipeg, which staff say will help improve outcomes of their smallest patients. Read More

FREDERICTON – Premier Blaine Higgs (pictured) dropped his health minister and fired the CEO of one of two New Brunswick health networks after worsening news on the healthcare front that included a “traumatizing” death in an emergency department’s waiting room. Bruce Fitch is now health minister, switching places with Dorothy Shephard, who moves from Health to Social Development, Higgs announced. Read More

GATINEAU, Que. – Federal minister of seniors, Kamal Khera (pictured), announced the launch of a new initiative called Age Well at Home, which will help seniors stay in their homes for as long as possible as they age by providing them with practical assistance for everyday tasks. Read More

MONTREAL – Quebec’s ombudsperson has released a series of recommendations to the Montreal Children’s Hospital after an investigation revealed numerous shortcomings at the facility, including infrequent monitoring of patients’ vital signs post-surgery. The office of ombudsperson Marc-Andre Dowd audited 16 medical files from the autumn of 2021. Read More

TORONTO – The Ontario government is supporting investments of more than $3.6 million by three Ontario companies to increase the manufacturing of domestic medical supplies and the development and export of homegrown solutions and innovations. Through the Ontario Together Fund, the province is investing more than $1.9 million to support these projects, which are expected to create at least 41 new jobs. Read More

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – With the release of the 2022 Federal Budget, the Government of Canada reinforced its commitment to the Coordinated Accessible National (CAN) Health Network with a $30 million investment. This investment prioritizes the growth of Canada’s health focused small and medium-sized businesses and supports Canadian innovators in solving key issues faced by our health-care system, during this critical period of economic recovery. Read More