Government & Policy

WINNIPEG - Manitobans can now carry their health coverage in their smartphones, as the provincial government officially launched its new digital health card option last week. Read More

YELLOWKNIFE - NWT healthcare workers will be able to use artificially intelligent note-taking software for the next year in a pilot program. Funding for 80 Mika AI Scribe licences is coming from Canada Health Infoway, according to a report by Cabin Radio News. Read More

MONTREAL — With his signature legislation to modernize doctor compensation diluted, Christian Dubé (pictured) announced last week that he would resign as health minister and quit the Coalition Avenir Québec party altogether. Read More

EDMONTON - Alberta’s auditor general says the province needs a new framework for measuring and reporting the performance of its healthcare system. Doug Wylie (pictured) said the recommendation comes after his office found numerous inconsistencies with healthcare reporting in recent years, including premier Danielle Smith’s 2022 healthcare action plan. Read More

TORONTO - The province of Ontario is investing $125 million to reduce knee and hip replacement surgery wait times by licensing and funding four new private orthopedic surgery clinics. The new clinics will be in Toronto, Richmond Hill, Ottawa and Windsor. Read More

EDMONTON - Erin O’Neill (pictured), senior vice-president of finance and shared services, is now the chair and CEO of Alberta Health Services on an interim basis. AHS said O’Neill has 20 years of experience in emergency management operations and government administration, including five years at Alberta Health. She has served as the assistant deputy minister of primary healthcare. Read More

VICTORIA – The B.C. Ministry of Health announced that it plans to create a new organization that will oversee the purchase and deployment of legal, supply chain, finance and human resources. The organization will support all health authorities, allowing them to focus more on delivering better care for patients. Read More

OTTAWA - The Competition Bureau is investigating WELL Health Technologies Corp., a consolidator of medical clinics and health-technology companies, over concerns that some of its biggest acquisitions this year are lessening competition for AI transcription and medical-record software. Read More

TORONTO – Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy (pictured) delivered a fall economic update earlier this month, saying the province “finds itself in a very different place than it did seven years ago” due to the onslaught of U.S. tariffs. Nevertheless, he said the deficit this year is now projected at $13.5 billion, compared to a projected $14.6 billion in the spring budget. Read More

OTTAWA - The federal budget announced that $5 billion over three years, starting in 2026-27, will be dedicated for a Health Infrastructure Fund. According to the budget, this fund will complement existing health-related support provided to provinces and territories by helping to ensure their health infrastructure, such as hospitals, emergency rooms, urgent care centres, and medical schools, will be able to respond to the healthcare needs of Canadians. Read More