Government & Policy

TORONTO – Christine Elliott (pictured), Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, moved one step closer to fulfilling the government’s commitment to a connected, sustainable public healthcare system centred around the patient, by announcing the early slate of the Ontario Health Board of Directors. Read More

TORONTO – Ontario’s provincial government is creating a central agency called Ontario Health to oversee the province’s $60-billion healthcare system. The super-agency – unveiled this week by Health Minister Christine Elliott (pictured) – will be formed by dissolving the 14 Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) and merging their duties with those of six provincial health agencies, including Cancer Care Ontario and eHealth Ontario. Read More

VANCOUVER – The Digital Health Circle will help bring innovative health technologies to market by sharing resources and addressing industry gaps. They will facilitate networking events, create custom training programs and provide business consultations to target audiences. Read More

TORONTO – As a way of reducing pressures on care providers, and providing better access to healthcare services for patients, much better use of digital tools is needed in Ontario, says the Premier’s Council on Improving Healthcare and Ending Hallway Medicine. Read More

VICTORIA – Wait times for surgery in B.C. have tripled since 2002, say the province’s anesthesiologists, who are urging more collaboration between the government, political parties and health authorities to solve the issue. Read More

TORONTO – The provincial government is considering a plan to shutter more than 20 health agencies – including Cancer Care Ontario, 14 local health integration networks (LHINS) and eHealth Ontario – and fold them into one "super agency." Read More

EDMONTON – Alberta’s long-delayed online portal that will allow patients to access their personal health information, including lab results and prescription records, will be up and running before April, says Health Minister Sarah Hoffman (pictured). Read More

WATERLOO, Ont. – The 2018 Waterloo Region MedTech Conference, hosted and organized by Waterloo MedTech, was held on Wednesday, October 24. It offered a mixture of policy insights and prescriptions for spurring the growth of medical technology companies in the Waterloo area. Read More

OTTAWA – The Canadian Association of Radiologists (CAR) has published a pre-budget submission that asks the federal government to take a leadership role in four key areas. They include the renewal of Canada’s aging stock of diagnostic imaging equipment, and the CAR is asking Ottawa to invest $625 million over five years to upgrade medical imaging modalities. Read More

OTTAWA – A new Abacus Data survey has found that 7 out of 10 Canadians want the federal government to invest in the healthcare of the country’s aging population, and that Ottawa should make this a high priority. The survey was released by Organizations for Health Action (HEAL), and the results were based on a poll of 1,650 adults from across Canada. Read More