Government & Policy

OTTAWA – The federal government’s 2022 budget is offering a $2 billion top-up to the healthcare system, money that’s intended to help clear up the backlog of surgeries and diagnostic tests that have accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The budget also provided funding for healthcare research and development initiatives, as well as programs that rely on the use of technologies. Read More

MARKHAM, Ont. – ventureLAB, a leading technology development hub, has announced a $2.5 million investment from the Government of Ontario to establish a MedTech-specific stream within its Hardware Catalyst Initiative (HCI), Canada’s only lab and incubator for hardware and semiconductor companies. The funding is part of the Ontario Together Fund, from the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, and builds on a $9.7 million investment from the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario). Read More

OTTAWA – The federal government has announced a $2 billion top-up of the healthcare system. The funds are designed to address the backlog of surgical procedures and diagnostic imaging tests that have accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read More

OTTAWA – More than one-third of Canadians indicate that they would feel uncomfortable telling their employer, neighbours, or others within their community about a dementia diagnosis. This finding highlights the stigma surrounding dementia, which can influence the way others see people living with dementia and how they see themselves. With almost 452,000 Canadians living with dementia, it is a challenge many Canadians continue to face every day. Read More

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