A recently launched mental health app allows Canadian military veterans dealing with mental-health struggles such as post-traumatic stress disorder to speak anonymously with someone who truly understands what they’re going through: another veteran.  “It’s to help us get things out of our head that are just rolling around, and to h

On day one of Donald Trump’s presidency, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he’ll be advising Trump to take fluoride out of public water. The former independent presidential hopeful — and prominent proponent of debunked public health claims — has been told he’ll be put in charge of health initiatives in the new Trump administration. He

An initial 899,000 vaccine doses have been allocated for nine countries across Africa that have been hit hard by the current mpox surge, the WHO and other health organizations say.  The WHO declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years in August after a new variant of the virus, […]

Canada’s largest network of dental practices has obtained a B.C. Supreme Court injunction forcing a former “partner” to cease involvement with a fledgling franchise business, described in court documents as “something like a McDonald’s” of dentistry. In a decision issued last week, Justice Ward Branch ordered Dr.

A new coalition of Canadian health-care workers is hoping to “revolutionize” frostbite care in Canada, in part by promoting a groundbreaking treatment protocol popularized years ago by several Yukoners.  Whitehorse General Hospital surgeon Alex Poole and pharmacist Josianne Gauthier — who are part of the new Canadian Frostbite Care Netw

The Alberta government is permanently cutting off the flow of publicly funded vaccines to community medical clinics, save a select few, sparking yet another wave of concern from health-care providers. As CBC News previously reported, shipments of publicly funded vaccines to community medical clinics were halted in April when a distribution contract

Fort Erie, Ont., resident Mike Nayler never thought he’d see his “four-legged daughter” Minnie again after surrendering her to a shelter two years ago.  At the time, Nayler was diagnosed with terminal cancer and “gave up” on life, he told CBC Hamilton.  Last week, however, he and the mastiff mix reunited — with a tackl

Some people in Halifax say they aren’t troubled by having few or no friends, according to a study conducted by Dalhousie and St. Francis Xavier universities. Laura Eramian, one of the authors of the research and an associate professor of sociology and social anthropology at Dalhousie, said it is commonly held in society that friendship [&hell

Quebec’s health minister is planning to table a bill that would force new family doctors and medical specialists trained in the province to devote the first few years of their careers to the public system. In a statement, Health Minister Christian Dubé said “too many doctors decide, as soon as their careers begin, to leave Quebec’

Lately, you might be hearing more people talk about why people aren’t having enough kids. From economists, to politicians, to entrepreneurs, it’s become a more pressing issue for people around the globe. According to Statistics Canada, in 2023 there were 1.26 children born in Canada per woman. Alongside South Korea, Spain, Italy and Jap

Social media marketing of fast food, soft drinks, chocolate and other snacks contribute to “normalizing” unhealthy eating, say Canadian researchers calling for policies to protect children and teens. Social media is emerging as a top source of youth exposure to marketing promoting products that are poor in nutrients, they say. Now a stu

Mycoplasma pneumoniae, also known as walking pneumonia, is generally a mild bacterial infection that largely affects children and teens and can commonly be treated with antibiotics. The infection got its informal name because people infected with it are generally not as ill as those with other types of pneumonia. “It’s called walking pn

Like many other parents, all Christy Soulliere wanted to do was protect her son Austin Tremblay.  And for years, the Windsor. Ont., mom did everything she could to do just that while also continuing to support him as he struggled with a methamphetamine addiction.  “As a parent watching it, it’s excruciating,” she said.  “The

White Coat Black Art26:30Sex medicine doctors are putting women’s health, and pleasure, first A small number of Canadian doctors specializing in women’s sexual health is trying to address what they say is a near-total lack of support for those suffering from common problems such as low libido, difficulty achieving orgasm and pain during inter

Two Nova Scotia women forced to pay for out-of-country surgeries to treat debilitating medical conditions have won their legal challenges, with a judge criticizing the mishandling of their cases and ruling the province’s Department of Health violated their rights by refusing to cover the procedures. One of the women, Jennifer Brady, a 46-year

As a pet owner and technician in emergency veterinary medicine, Denise Angus knows the importance of access to affordable care.  Her first pet, Mattie, a miniature doberman pinscher, had Cushing’s disease, with medication that cost $400 a month.  Angus lost Mattie in 2017 and began a pet rescue and shelter in Toronto called Mattie’s Pla

The Alberta government introduced bills Thursday to prohibit minors from receiving certain types of gender-affirming care, require parents be notified when a child wants to use a different name or pronoun in the classroom, and also require that parents opt-in before their children are taught about sex in class. Another bill is designed to address t

More than a million Canadians have now received dental care under the new national public insurance plan, with each patient receiving an average of $730 toward oral health-care services. “We can’t get there overnight, but person by person, we got to a million,” Health Minister Mark Holland said at a community centre in Scarborough

An Alberta woman was denied a medically assisted death in Vancouver this past Sunday after an interim injunction was granted in B.C. Supreme Court barely 24 hours before she was scheduled to die. According to court documents, the woman was approved for medical assistance in dying (MAiD) in July by Vancouver MAiD provider Dr. Ellen […]

While it may seem unorthodox, those behind the Head & Hands clinic at Lakeside Academy in Montreal’s Lachine borough say the location is essential to providing simpler access to care for disadvantaged families.

A facility producing plant-based milks linked to a deadly Listeria outbreak was not properly following Health Canada’s policy on preventing contamination, officials said on Tuesday. Three Canadians died in the listeriosis outbreak associated with certain Silk and Great Value plant-based beverages. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) sa

Masks are required at Newfoundland and Labrador health-care facilities as of Tuesday morning following a spike in reported respiratory illness. (Guy Quenneville/CBC) An infectious disease specialist in Newfoundland and Labrador says re-establishing a mask mandate in health-care facilities is a tool to get ahead of a surge in respiratory illness — w

The Canadian Medical Association wants governments to scrap sick note requirements for employees with minor sniffles, stomach aches or other short-term illnesses. In a position paper published on Monday, the CMA said the notes burden physicians with unnecessary administrative tasks, and eliminating the requirement could prevent as many as 12.5 mill

The Dose19:22What can I do to reduce my risk of breast cancer? For years, physicians recommended women perform monthly self-examinations to check for potentially cancerous breast lumps.  Research, however, suggests breast self-exams don’t have a meaningful effect on breast cancer survival rates and groups like the Canadian Task Force on Preve

The Ontario government will effectively bar international students from attending medical schools beginning in the fall of 2026, while also covering tuition for more than 1,000 students who commit to becoming a family doctor in the province. Premier Doug Ford and Health Minister Sylvia Jones said Friday upcoming legislation will ensure at least 95

The Dose19:22What can I do to reduce my risk of breast cancer? For years, physicians recommended women perform monthly self-examinations to check for potentially cancerous breast lumps.  Research, however, suggests breast self-exams don’t have a meaningful effect on breast cancer survival rates and groups like the Canadian Task Force on Preve

This story is part of CBC Health’s Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here. Casey Marie Ecker had struggled with inattentiveness and constant exhaustion for years. But as she worked a 9-5 during [&hel

A disease that is more commonly associated with the trenches of the First World War, and can sometimes be found in refugee camps, has been detected in several patients in Alberta who received organ transplants. Bartonella quintana, an infection caused by body lice, has been found in seven organ transplant recipients in Alberta since 2022, […

Moves by major U.S. fast-food chains to temporarily pull fresh onions off their menus on Thursday, after the vegetable was named as the likely source of an E. coli outbreak at McDonald’s, laid bare the recurring nightmare for restaurants: Produce is a bigger problem for restaurants to keep free of contamination than beef. Onions are […

More than half of Manitoba businesses who took part in a recent survey say they’ve been affected by community safety issues over the past year, according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. The findings are from a report released this week by the business advocacy organization. According to the report, when asked, “Has y

Quebec is going ahead with its plan to authorize early requests for medical assistance in dying, despite concerns raised by the federal government. Starting Oct. 30, the province will begin accepting requests for assisted dying, known as MAID, before a person’s condition, such as Alzheimer’s, renders them incapable of giving consent.  H

A 73-year-old Métis man says he is angry and wants to know why his ponytail was cut without his consent while he was in hospital for a hip surgery. On Aug. 30, Ruben St. Charles fell out of his bed, breaking his hip and causing him to need medical attention. His wife called an ambulance and he […]

Carina Heller has found a creative way to donate her brain to science — while she’s still using it. The University of Minnesota neuroscientist wanted to get a better understanding of how birth control pills impact the brain, so she spent 75 sessions in an MRI machine to find out. “It was actually not that […]

A Halifax doctor has stepped up to help a local woman who’s been stuck in limbo when it comes to getting a kidney transplant. Geri Mendes has end-stage kidney disease, and even though her family and friends want to donate, they’ve been told they must have a family doctor or a nurse practitioner. On Monday, hours after […]

One person has died and dozens were sickened from E. coli infections linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers in 10 states, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control said on Tuesday. Shares of the company were down about six per cent in extended trading after the CDC said 49 people were sickened by the E. coli O157:H7 strain, […]

Some parents of severely autistic children say they are profoundly disappointed with Canada’s new national plan for autism — which provides no specific timelines or funding for improving treatment and care. “Not one child on the waiting list for treatment will be taken off the waiting list … as a result of this autism strategy,” s

Former federal health minister Dr. Jane Philpott will head a new team with a mandate to connect every person in Ontario to a primary care provider within the next five years, the province announced Monday. As of this summer, there were more than 2.5 million Ontarians without a family doctor, according to the Ontario Medical Association. That [&hell

The Dose28:24What do I need to know about rabies? Dr. Scott Weese doesn’t mess around when it comes to rabies.  An infectious-diseases veterinarian, Weese recalls when he, his family, as well as some visitors all had to receive vaccinations after being exposed to a potentially rabid bat.  “It was a bit of a mess, but it […]

The minister of mental health and addictions says the federal government will ban most vape flavours across Canada soon — more than three years after Ottawa first promised to bring in the regulations. “We have made a commitment from the start to restrict flavours. We haven’t wavered from that,” Ya’ara Saks told CBC News last

Unreserved52:20Healing 150 years of healthcare harm Advocates are optimistic about a historic apology for harms experienced by Indigenous people in health care — but they say those harms are not “remote parts of history.” “Harms from racism in the medical profession continue today and they continue with ourselves, with our relativ

This story is part of CBC Health’s Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here. Wendy Guimont’s tumour didn’t kill her. But a cascade of errors tipped the scales. The beloved piano teacher ins

White Coat Black Art26:30One town’s fight to reinstate healthcare The town of Carberry, Man., is doing everything it can to keep its emergency room open, after it was forced to close in 2023. And so far, it’s worked. “We really said, ‘You can’t forget Carberry,'” Mayor Ray Muirhead told White Coat, Black Art host

A plan for Canada’s three biggest tobacco companies to pay out $32.5 billion to provinces, territories and smokers is now in the works, but some hurdles remain before any money starts flowing.  Here are some key facts about the tobacco compensation deal, as explained Friday by lawyers and officials representing the companies, the provinces an

Three tobacco giants are proposing to pay close to $25 billion to provinces and territories and more than $4 billion to tens of thousands of Quebec smokers and their loved ones as part of a corporate restructuring process triggered by a long-running legal battle. A proposed plan of arrangement was filed in an Ontario court […]

Vape retailers in Ottawa may need to be licensed by the end of next month, with the city set to use those fees to finance a crackdown on stores that sell vaping products to people under the age of 19. The number of stores selling products like electronic cigarettes has grown from 19 in 2019 to 70 now, staff […]

Family doctors in Ottawa are seeing an influx of public servants looking for medical notes to support work-from-home requests, putting added strain on an already overburdened health-care system. Dr. Roozbeh Matin, who practises in Barrhaven, said he’s been noticing the trend for months, ever since the federal government announced plans to man

Canada needs to learn from the COVID-19 pandemic and take action before the next health emergency strikes, an expert panel of doctors and researchers say in a new independent report. “Most scientists feel that it’s only a matter of time before we face something similar to what we went through these past five years,” said Dr. [&hel

The Bell Island Peer Support Network’s board chair Michael Clair has a big dream for the future of Bell Island. He hopes if they can get more funding, he can encourage positive change in the community. (Danny Arsenault/CBC) A support group on Bell Island is helping people overcome their addictions not through rehab, but through […]

Stephanie Craig and Mike Murphy of Guelph, Ont., are a pretty average couple. They got married and bought a home together, and have been trying to grow their family since 2017 — but that’s been difficult. Because of a medical condition, Craig was force to give birth prematurely in 2019 at 24 weeks. The baby died just 36 minutes after [&hellip

The Dose22:41I’m an adult! Why do I have acne? Skin care influencer Dr. Stefanie Stockhamer says her experiences with acne began in adolescence. At the time, her breakouts were mild and relatively within control.  It wasn’t until she began medical school, however, that Stockhamer’s acne grew worse.  “It was my mid-20s when i

When Franklyn McFadden needs to repair his $15,000 wheelchair, that expense is on him. It’s just one of many extra costs that he says comes with living with a disability. “I didn’t choose to be a person in a wheelchair, and I don’t profess to enjoy the fact that I have to use one,” he […]

Alim Nathoo has no problem telling people he’s on the autism spectrum and when he did just that to a service manager on board a Via Rail train, he was relieved to be met with kindness. The 36-year-old Mississauga, Ont., resident was returning home from a trip to Windsor in August when he met Andre Bergeron-Lekman.  […]

By 8 a.m. — as most people begin weekday morning routines or sit down for breakfast — Debbie Marshall’s already got pots heating on the stove and meat thawing, and is prepping fruit and veggies. Every morning, from an apartment-sized school kitchen in St. John’s, she whips up healthy, hot lunches daily for anywhere from 140 to […

Provinces and territories need to do more to expand and improve their treatment services for people suffering from addictions and mental health conditions before they contemplate making some of those treatments mandatory, federal Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Ya’ara Saks said Friday. The minister held a press conference to announce

Quirks and Quarks10:29A Nobel prize for understanding how genes are turned on and off Gary Ruvkun says microRNA, which are molecules that control how genes form our cells, could be the key to improving how humans fight diseases, and even finding extraterrestrial signs of life.  On Monday, the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology was awarded [&hell

An Ontario woman whose husband died in a New Brunswick hospital while on vacation is urging Canadians to advocate for any loved ones in an emergency room — and she’s calling on candidates in New Brunswick’s provincial election to address what she calls a crisis in health care. Anne Makhoul, and her husband, Danny, 64, […]

As artificial intelligence continues to develop in seemingly all facets of life — including health care — experts say it’s important for patients to know AI may be used in their care. “I think we’re going to see significant advances in AI use and AI capacity in the next few years,” said Dr. Sian Tsuei, […]

Politics The pharmacare bill that was central to a political pact between the Liberals and NDP received royal assent on Thursday night and has now become law. Bill was part of the now-defunct governing agreement between the parties Laura Osman · The Canadian Press · Posted: Oct 10, 2024 6:36 PM EDT | Last Updated: […]

The Quebec government is considering the possibility of changing how family doctors are assigned based on Quebecers’ health to ensure that the most vulnerable have access. Sources who are aware of the discussions told Radio-Canada about a scenario that has been studied for several months. According to this scenario, Quebec patients in good he

When Avril Rinn goes out for a walk, it’s her Labrador retriever Louie who leads the way.  Rinn, of London, Ont., is legally blind and Louie is her trusty guide dog, the second one she’s owned. As he guides Rinn along the sidewalk, onto the bus or down the grocery store aisle, Louie doesn’t bark, beg or jump up on seats. […

19 hours ago News Duration 1:48 Concerns about air pollution in the area of southwestern Ontario dubbed Chemical Valley go back decades. And earlier this year, high benzene levels prompted Aamjiwnaang First Nation — which neighbours a petrochemical facility — to declare a state of emergency. Last week, some members of the First Nation left [&hellip

Saskatoon’s Royal University Hospital was issued a notice of contravention from a Saskatchewan Occupational Health and Safety officer stemming from overcapacity and the risks it causes to workers. In the notice, which has been shared on social media and verified by CBC, the occupational health officer acknowledges three issues — including obs

The Ontario Ministry of Health says four people have been sickened after consuming beef tongue believed to be contaminated with Listeria. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is recalling many brands of jellied beef tongue sold in various Ontario stores. Many of the products were served to customers by store clerks and others were pre-packaged. The

Canadian teens and young adults living with diabetes face double the risk of hospitalizations and emergency room visits compared with younger children with the condition, say doctors suggesting changes to how care is organized for affected families.  In Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas is unable to produce insulin, a hormone that allows the body to [&

Quebec’s College of Physicians is calling for an urgent plan to improve health services in the province’s Far North after releasing a damning report on the lack of access to health care in the region. Signed by College president Dr. Mauril Gaudreault, the report published on Monday points to a lack of basic equipment in […]

The Nobel Prize in medicine was awarded Monday to Americans Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their discovery of microRNA, a fundamental principle governing how gene activity is regulated. The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute, which awarded the prize, said the duo’s discovery is “proving to be fundamentally important” in

The federal government has released a proposed list of more than 30 chemicals and groups of substances Canadians encounter daily that it wants to prioritize for risk assessments. The announcement is part of a batch of measures Health Canada and Environment Canada are introducing as they revamp the country’s cornerstone environmental legislati

This story is part of CBC Health’s Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here. Tripods and cameras are scattered between the weights and benches in a Mississauga gym. It’s common to find fitness in

White Coat Black Art26:30Bringing the emergency department to the trauma scene There’s an area on Highway 3 near Nelson, B.C., that Dr. Nicholas Sparrow knows well. There are no markers or special features, but he can easily find where he helped a person in an accident get out of their vehicle with broken femurs in […]

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has issued a food recall warning for certain brands of beef jelly tongue products in Ontario due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. The affected products, sold at various retailers, may be labelled inconsistently or sold without labels, and may have been repackaged into small portions.

Three anti-tobacco groups are calling on federal Addictions Minister Ya’ara Saks to resign if she fails to pass regulations banning flavoured vaping products. At a news conference on Friday, the heads of Physicians of a Smoke-Free Canada, the Quebec Coalition of Tobacco Control and ASH Canada said they have been waiting for 14 months for the

As two new Health Canada approved vaccines start to arrive at pharmacies, public health officials are encouraging those who most need protection to get the updated vaccines to help protect against currently circulating variants that cause COVID-19.  The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) says updated vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech are

The government’s pharmacare legislation has survived a key step on the way to becoming law and could pass the Senate next week. Bill C-64, a framework for the implementation of national pharmacare, passed through the Senate’s social affairs, science and technology committee without amendments on Thursday. It now proceeds to a final vote

A new housing project for those who live on the streets and frequently end up in the emergency room is set to welcome its first residents in Toronto this month, supported by one of the largest hospital networks in Canada. The University Health Network (UHN) has partnered with Fred Victor, a non-profit housing organization, to […]

CancerCare Manitoba’s board has issued a letter in response to concerns raised over a week ago regarding excessive workloads, burnout, wait lists and dissatisfaction with the workplace culture.  Jeoffrey Chipman, chair of CancerCare Manitoba’s board, sent a letter sent to staff, doctors and researchers at the cancer agency on Friday tha

An Ottawa woman says she’s frustrated, angry and afraid as she faces a growing wait for a procedure that could spare her from the high risk of breast cancer she faces. Ashley Ricks, 32, has been assessed as having a greater than 25 per cent chance of developing breast cancer through genetic testing and a medical […]

The Nova Scotia government is working on an agreement to create a provincial travel nurse program, a move that would reduce the reliance on private companies and respond to a long-standing call by the nurses’ union. “We’re hoping to get that in place sooner rather than later,” Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union president Janet

A resident physician says Manitoba’s doctors-in-training are being charmed by other provinces offering incentive packages specifically for physicians beginning their careers. While Manitoba offers various incentives for physicians throughout their years of practising, the province doesn’t present those starting their careers with what&#

The Current18:54Indigenous life expectancy is dropping. How do we fix it? When Dr. Danièle Behn Smith first saw the data on Indigenous life expectancy, her mind went to her own family. The recent report by the B.C. First Nations Health Authority found that life expectancy for Indigenous people in the province had dropped by more […]

More than 550 people who attended the P.E.I. International Shellfish Festival last weekend reported getting sick, according to the province’s chief public health officer.  “This is the biggest gastrointestinal illness outbreak we have on record,” Dr. Heather Morrison told CBC News on Friday. Stool samples taken from people who ate

People gathered in downtown Montreal Saturday evening on the fourth anniversary of Joyce Echaquan’s death for a rally calling on Quebec to take more action against discrimination in health care. Ghisliain Picard, the chief of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador, was in the crowd wearing, like most of the attendees, a purple shirt wi

Montreal pharmacist Aleck Brodeur just got a shipment of COVID-19 rapid tests. Ever since the temperature has been dropping, more people have wanted to buy them, he says.  “They go out so fast. We always have to order some every day, and we keep increasing the supply that we order, but they’re still all going,” he […]

Residents, chemists and firefighters are raising concerns about prevention and emergency preparedness after 15,000 kilograms of lithium batteries inside a shipping container caught fire at the Port of Montreal on Monday. “Around 6 p.m., I started smelling something chemical in my place,” said Lia Chauvel, who lives about two kilometres

This story is part of CBC Health’s Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here. Melissa Murray regularly ran 10 kilometres a day — until a serious bacterial infection caused her to nearly lose a leg.  Las

Health Four additional healthcare workers in Missouri who had contact with a hospitalized patient infected with bird flu developed mild respiratory symptoms but the virus was not confirmed in any of them, U.S. health officials said Friday. Missouri patient had no known contact with infected animals Thomson Reuters · Posted: Sep 27, 2024 12:50 PM ED

When Beth Marchant opened the email announcing that her ultrasound results were ready, the then-32-year-old was floored to discover it contained a breast cancer diagnosis.  “I saw the word carcinoma,” Marchant said in an interview in her home in Cambridge, Ont. “In an email — that’s not how you want to find out that you have

Veterans’ Affairs Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor now says that veterans on Canada’s Invictus Games team will get full health coverage by 2025, days after CBC News reported that veterans on the team have to buy their own health insurance. “We will continue to work with the Canadian Armed Forces, Soldier On, Invictus Games and oth

A growing number of people in the province are getting treatment virtually in hospitals through a program that began as a pilot about a year ago in Springhill. The CBC’s Gareth Hampshire got to see how it works.

Yogurt from Costco is being recalled for the second time in a month, after manufacturer Danone Canada said the product may contain a type of yeast that could lead to illness in immunocompromised people. The recall affects Costco’s Kirkland Signature Probiotic Yogurt that comes in a 24-pack of 100-gram servings, which was bought at its [&helli

Cash-strapped Millennials and Gen Zers have been grappling with soaring rents and rising costs of living, which means that to make ends meet, things like therapy are being treated as luxuries, mental health experts say. “If I had to spend $80 a week on therapy, I would not. I have too many other responsibilities,” said […]

The federal government is creating a new agency to improve Canada’s ability to handle rapidly spreading infectious diseases and protect Canadians from future pandemics. Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said the agency is meant to preserve the “top-gun team” of public servants that helped steer Canadians through COVID-

Shannia Hall says art was an outlet for her in some of her darkest moments as a former child in care. “You feel so alone, and the pain is heavy,” Hall said. “I was brought to this really dark place where the only option felt like self harm … but then my case worker introduced […]

The Quebec government has issued a new directive in an effort to clear up any confusion around the use of language in the health network: English speakers have the right to access social and health-care services in English in Quebec. The right was enshrined in Article 15 of the province’s law regulating social and health-care services in 1992

A new charter challenge set to get underway on Monday will test the constitutionality of a controversial Ontario law that allows hospitals to place discharged patients into long-term care homes not of their choosing or face a $400-per-day charge if they refuse. The Advocacy Centre for the Elderly and the Ontario Health Coalition argues the [&hellip

WARNING: This story contains distressing details. Two years after losing her only child, Maria Lopez says she takes strength from her necklace with a picture of 18-year-old Jeshennia. “She was an enchanting girl … a jokester, good student, good daughter, good advisor,” Maria recalled. Jeshennia “was everything.” The death of

White Coat Black Art26:30This school’s for family docs only The people behind a year-old medical school dedicated solely to turning out family doctors say the small program based in Oshawa, Ont., is disrupting traditional medical education in a way that could help solve Canada’s shortage of family physicians. “The big idea here is

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says a recall of Nutrabolics brand Feed Me Vegan Real Food Protein & Oats bars due to undeclared milk has been expanded. The most recent recall notice, which was issued Friday, says not to consume the recalled products if you are allergic or sensitive, warning they may cause a serious […]

This story is part of CBC Health’s Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here. Warren Kotler has outlived his prognosis.  Eight years ago, Kotler was told he had three to five years to live. The diagnosi

Sudden cardiac arrest hits some 60,000 Canadians out of hospital each year. The heart abruptly stops beating, blood circulation and breathing halts, and when it happens outside a hospital, it’s fatal in about 90 per cent of those cases. While there are sometimes prior warning signs, such as fainting when exercising, in many cases sudden cardi

Health Minister John Hogan says the Newfoundland and Labrador government is making headway in its recruitment of nurses. (Mark Quinn/CBC) Newfoundland and Labrador’s health minister insists the province is not holding jobs for internationally recruited nurses, despite what the nurses’ union president alleges.  Health Minister John Hogan

Health Canada said Thursday it has authorized Novavax’s updated COVID-19 vaccine for those aged 12 years and up.  The product, called Nuvaxovid, is a protein-based vaccine.  Health Canada said the vaccine was updated to target the JN.1 variant, an offshoot of Omicron. Nationally, the JN.1 group is currently the main lineage in Canada. The var

Ontario’s Minister of Sport Neil Lumsden said Wednesday he intends to one day donate his brain for concussion research, while announcing new funding for a provincewide study on traumatic brain injuries. Lumsden, the MPP for Hamilton East–Stoney Creek, played for 10 years in the Canadian Football League as a fullback and running back. He won [

The B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS is set to open smoking rooms designed for supervised drug use at its Hope to Health clinic in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Kate Salters, a research scientist with the centre, said the six new rooms, which will come into operation when a permit is granted by Health Canada, will offer users a space t

The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) is holding a ceremony in Victoria, B.C., on Wednesday to publicly apologize for harms the medical profession has caused Indigenous Peoples. “By offering this apology, we hope to build trust with and support Indigenous Peoples, communities and organizations and inspire medical learners, physicians and med

Health Canada authorized Moderna’s updated COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday to roll out in fall immunization campaigns. The federal vaccine portal lists approval of Moderna’s product. Provinces and territories plan fall immunization campaigns aiming to protect people from severe hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19. Guidance from the Na

As New Brunswick hospitals continue to struggle to find beds for patients, a group of professionals in the province say they could be playing a much larger role in preventing illness and improving mobility.  Natalie Arsenault graduated with a degree in science and kinesiology from the University of New Brunswick in 2020 and was only […]

Ontario is proposing to further expand pharmacists’ scope of practice by adding to the list of minor ailments they can assess, allowing them to administer more vaccines and order some lab tests. But while pharmacists see the proposal as an overdue solution to easing the burden on other aspects of the health-care system by leaning […]

Over a year and a half after two Vancouver Island emergency rooms halted overnight service, they remain closed at night with no concrete reopening plan due to a shortage of nurses.  In January 2023, the province announced the emergency rooms at the Port Hardy Hospital and the Cormorant Island Health Centre, located in Alert Bay, […]

The B.C. government has announced it will expand involuntary care for those with mental health and addictions issues, and will open “highly secure” facilities to house people detained under the Mental Health Act throughout the province. Premier David Eby announced Sunday that the government would open mental health units at correctional

White Coat Black Art26:30Healthcare at the food bank Every two weeks, tenants of a Toronto Community Housing high-rise benefit from an on-site food bank. It’s run by an embedded healthcare team, to build trust and get people the help they desperately need. Every second Tuesday, residents at the Toronto Community Housing apartment complex on A

White Coat Black Art26:30Hot as hell Britnee Miazek didn’t immediately make the connection between her periods stopping and her job as a second-year ironworker apprentice in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.  It was only after a three-month stint in 2023 working on top of the coke ovens used in the steel-making process that the 35-year-old began to noti

This story is part of CBC Health’s Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here. Nicole Williams often felt tired when she was in high school and university, relying on coffee to chase away fatigue. Then [

British Columbia has become the first province in Canada to sign a pharmacare agreement with the federal government that would help the province fund hormone replacement therapy and diabetes expenses. Federal Health Minister Mark Holland said B.C.’s portion of the $1.5-billion national plan is estimated to be $195 million, and under the memor

Raise your hand if you’ve ever fallen off the monkey bars and hurt more than your pride. It’s practically a childhood rite of passage. You climb, you swing, you push the limit, you miss, you cry. Maybe you dusted yourself off and limped back onto the playground. Or maybe you needed a trip to the emergency […]

British Columbia has become the first province in Canada to sign a pharmacare agreement with the federal government that would help the province fund hormone replacement therapy and diabetes expenses. Federal Health Minister Mark Holland said B.C.’s portion of the $1.5-billion national plan is estimated to be $195 million, and under the memor

British Columbia has become the first province in Canada to sign a pharmacare agreement with the federal government that would help the province fund hormone replacement therapy and diabetes expenses. Federal Health Minister Mark Holland said B.C.’s portion of the $1.5-billion national plan is estimated to be $195 million, and under the memor

An Ontario hospital network says it will conduct an “extensive review” of an incident in which an elderly Sikh patient was shaved last month without permission from him or his family and in violation of his religious principles. According to the World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO), a non-profit organization that represents Sikhs in

As It Happens7:39Man who received world’s 1st eye and face transplant says it changed his life Aaron James can’t stop looking at himself in the mirror. The 47-year-old U.S. military veteran and electrical lineman  was badly injured in a workplace accident in June 2021 that destroyed his left eye, chin, nose, lips and left arm, and [&hel

Guy Maisonneuve held back tears the day he dropped his 95-year-old mother, Aline Besner, off at a Gatineau, Que., care home on Feb. 26. Her room smelled like urine, staff wouldn’t make eye contact and no one would help transfer Besner into bed, he says. That was just within the first few days on the […]

Nancy Le, 25, has been using facial sunscreens since she was a teenager. But unlike people who buy sunscreen from stores, the Vancouver nursing student is one of many who use online retailers. That’s because the sunscreen she uses, which is made in Asia, contains ingredients that aren’t approved by Health Canada. “The other sunscr

An Edmonton fertility doctor who admitted to participating in a drug kickback scheme for more than two years will pay a $5,000 fine and serve a temporary practice permit suspension, following a College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta hearing last week. In a 2021 letter, Dr. Tarek Motan told patients who saw him between August […]

Catherine, Princess of Wales, says she has finished her chemotherapy treatment and will focus on staying “cancer-free” as she begins a gradual return to work this fall. In a video message released on Monday, Catherine said she was relieved to have finished her preventative treatment after an “incredibly tough” nine months fo

A years-in-the-making adjustment to guidelines covering how iron deficiency is measured in Ontario lab results will be a game changer for patients across the province, according to doctors who worked to make it happen.  A memo sent to physicians last week from Ontario Health says starting Sept. 9, the best practice guidelines stating the baseline o

The mother of Bella Thomson, the 10-year-old from Swift Current, Sask., who inspired millions of followers with her health journey before its tragic end in July, is carrying on her legacy of advocacy. Bella, who went by Bella Brave on social media, was born with several rare health conditions. Her mother Kyla Thomson said Bella was being treated [&

An educator at the Canadian Mental Health Association says the start of a school year can be stressful for students. (Shutterstock / Tero Vesalainen) A new school year can be a time of new beginnings, but it can also bring additional stress for students, says a mental health educator who’s urging people to take care of […]

Public health agencies are encouraging people who received a first dose of mpox vaccine over the last two years to make sure they get a second dose. Many people at risk for mpox exposure got vaccinated in Canada beginning in spring 2022, when a global outbreak of the virus was declared, Canada’s chief public health […]

Ontario has recorded its first domestically acquired case of human rabies since 1967. The Brant County Health Unit said Friday that a resident of Brantford-Brant is currently hospitalized with the virus. The unit added that the suspected exposure was from a bat in the Gowanda area of the Timiskaming region just north of Sudbury. Dr. Kieran Moore, [

In an effort to get more drivers to slow down, Toronto has introduced advanced pedestrian signalling, increased its use of automatic speed cameras, rebuilt entire intersections and improved cycling infrastructure by adding more protected intersections and bike lanes — but advocates say the city’s efforts are not fast enough, as more people ha

As Nova Scotians grapple with the growing effects of climate change, new research is attempting to help clarify how those changes are affecting their lungs. Climate change can have a range of effects on lung health: wildfires fill the air with harmful particles; hot and humid conditions trap pollution close to the ground; longer growing […]

The Ontario government is facing a class-action lawsuit after it abruptly cancelled a basic income pilot project, a decision participants say hurled their lives into turmoil. CBC’s Nick Purdon explores the initiative’s impact and why some say a guaranteed paycheque is the way of the future.

Health Canada has told the provinces to pull existing supplies of the COVID-19 vaccine that targets the XBB form of Omicron, a spokesperson for Ontario’s health minister says. “Health Canada has directed all provinces to follow practices and processes for the withdrawal and destruction of all remaining supplies of XBB vaccines, starting

The brainwave-reading technology of EEG helps monitor people with epilepsy and can detect when we’re dozing off behind the wheel in a simulator. As scientists mark the 100th anniversary of the test, here’s why many in the field are excited about its future uses in medicine. Today’s electroencephalogram, or EEG, device consists of

Several years ago, Anthony DeVergillo was playing a video game that required him to point his controller at the screen to save.  The Bedminster, N.J., man, has Duchenne muscular dystrophy and couldn’t lift the controller. “It really frustrated me,” he told CBC Hamilton. “I could do everything else in the game, I just couldn&

Paxton Clarke, 13, sits upright in his bed as he yawns repeatedly and softly explains that he doesn’t remember an entire week of August. While memories such as squeaking chairs come back to him in fragments, his mother, Jennifer Weatherbie, recalls every painful moment of how he dipped in and out of consciousness and nearly […]

Emergency rooms at five Interior B.C. hospitals were closed over the long weekend due to staffing shortages. In separate news releases, Interior Health Authority announced that 100 Mile District, Nicola Valley, Lillooet, Cariboo Memorial and South Okanagan hospitals all temporarily paused emergency department services due to “limited physicia

Caldwell Lever first tried traditional Chinese medicine years ago “out of desperation,” while struggling with a chronic illness. “My back was to the wall,” he said. “Within 24 hours, I was a different person.” He was won over by an approach he described as more holistic than what he’d experienced before: pr

Dressed in her polio campaign vest, Dr. Tasneem Abu Al-Qambaz walks the streets of Deir al-Balah, stopping parents and administering an oral vaccine to their children, before marking each child with a black dot on their fingernail. Polio immunization rollout began in central Gaza on Sunday after Israel and Hamas agreed to brief pauses in the [&hell

Flavoured nicotine pouches are now only available for purchase in Canada from a pharmacist — but some former smokers say the new national regulations also make it harder for adults to reach a product that was helping them quit cigarettes. “I think the government should be doing whatever they can to limit youth from getting […]

At the clinic in Khan Younis, Dr. Tasneem Abu Al-Qambaz writes a prescription for a little girl with a fever. Her mother is concerned it might be polio after the first confirmed case in Gaza in 25 years was announced this week.  On Abu Al-Qambaz’s desk is a box filled with vials of the polio […]

This story is part of CBC Health’s Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here. The classic sound of whooping cough is grating and unmistakable: A harsh, deep hacking that’s often followed by a dist

Vermont’s health department is urging residents of several towns, including one bordering Quebec, to stay indoors from dusk to dawn to prevent the spread of a mosquito-borne illness. Certain towns are considered at high risk for eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), which the state’s health department describes as a rare but serious diseas

Canadians flying to popular locales like Cuba are being warned to take precautions against insects that spread the rare and potentially deadly Oropouche virus, also called Oropouche fever. This week, U.S. officials announced 21 cases of Oropouche virus disease among travellers returning from Cuba as of Aug. 16. Most got better without treatment, wh

Two Regina wheelchair basketball players hope their years of experience playing together will help Team Canada get to the podium at the 2024 Paralympic Games.  This is the second time Nik Goncin, 32, and Garrett Ostepchuk, 24, will be teammates representing Canada at the Paralympics. Goncin made his Paralympic debut with Team Canada in Rio de Janei

The B.C. government is expanding access to drug-addiction treatment by launching a free telephone line for people to get medication and same-day care.  The Opioid Treatment Access Line can connect people in need with a team of doctors and nurses seven days a week to prescribe opioid agonist medications.  “When people struggling with opioid ad

A subscription service being offered by a Regina health clinic is coming under fire from critics and one of its patients for appearing to offer privatized health services.  Cecilia Rands says that about a week or two ago, she received an email addressed to her seven-year-old daughter from Albert & Parliament Primary Health Care, a clinic at [&h

Health Canada told CBC News they’ll finish reviewing updated COVID vaccines by “early autumn” on the heels of the U.S. approving two updated vaccines to protect against hospitalizations and deaths.  As COVID looms over the Paralympic Games in Paris that start Wednesday following outbreaks among Olympic athletes, new subvariants of

Whooping cough cases are on the rise in Canada, with some provinces reporting sharp increases compared to pre-pandemic averages. More than 11,670 cases have been reported in Quebec so far this year, a significant jump from the annual average of 562 cases between 2015 and 2019. The majority of whooping cough patients are between the […]

A 10-month-old baby in war-shattered Gaza has been paralyzed by the type 2 polio virus, the first such case in the territory in 25 years, the World Health Organization said on Friday, with United Nations agencies appealing for urgent vaccinations of every baby. The type 2 virus (cVDPV2), while not inherently more dangerous than types 1 […]

When Mianh Lamson moved to Cape Breton, N.S., a few years ago, she wasn’t planning on working as a midwife, but people she met around her community of Inverness kept telling her she ought to. “We heard this really strong voice of more interest in access to women’s health care, newborn and postpartum care, and […]

When Andrea Weagle and her family sat down to discuss her father’s deteriorating health in March, they decided end-of-life care would be the most comforting option for him.  She contacted Fishermen’s Memorial Hospital in nearby Lunenburg, N.S., where the province had announced a palliative care unit with five beds in 2021.  But Weagle s

WARNING: This story contains details of female genital mutilation/cutting Shamsa Sharawe was six years old when she became convinced her family was going to kill her.  “It felt so violent and so … just horrific,” she said. “I just thought, why? Like, if you’re not trying to end my life, why would you do this?” [&

The Current19:40People will die if safe consumption sites close, warns advocate Dr. Sharon Koivu says a decision by the Ontario government that will shutter 10 supervised drug consumption sites across the province was disappointing — though not a total shock. “I am very concerned about the decision to shut them down [but] I’m not surpri

More than five years after she was expelled from caucus in the fallout from the SNC-Lavalin affair, former Liberal health minister Jane Philpott is leaving the door open to a possible return to politics. Philpott was asked about her future in an interview airing Saturday on CBC’s The House. “If a door ever opened that was the right [&he

The regional health board overseeing Laval, north of Montreal, re-introduced masking across its facilities Friday in response to an increase in cases of COVID-19 among employees and the city’s population as a whole. In an internal memo sent to staff and viewed by CBC News, the CISSS de Laval called on workers to wear a […]

WARNING: This story contains discussion of intimate partner violence. Brett Broadfoot never imagined fighting against intimate partner violence would become such a focal point in his life.  The London, Ont., father admits he didn’t know much about the issue and its prevalence until his daughter was killed last month. Now, Broadfoot and his fa

Starting next week, the federal government will impose new restrictions on nicotine pouches to make it illegal to sell them anywhere but from behind a pharmacy counter. Beginning August 28, the pouches, which go by the brand name Zonnic, will be completely banned from convenience store and gas station shelves. Berry Frost and Tropic Breeze flavours

Advocates in Thunder Bay say the Ontario government’s move to close a number of safe consumption sites (SCS) will be detrimental to people living with addictions. Health Minister Sylvia Jones announced Tuesday the province is banning the sites within 200 metres of schools and child-care centres, meaning 10 locations in the province, including

An app billed as a “one-stop shop” for accessing health records and booking appointments has been most popular among Nova Scotians ages 50 to 80, a figure that’s been encouraging to the province’s health minister. The province said that demographic represents 75 per cent of YourHealthNS users since the app was rolled out las

Ontario has banned supervised drug consumption sites within 200 metres of schools and child-care centres. Ten facilities across the province will be forced to stop providing safe consumption services by March 2025, and they will be given the option to transition into “treatment hubs.” Health Minister Sylvia Jones announced the decision

Nearly 12 per cent of tested spice samples failed to meet quality and safety standards, according to data obtained by Reuters of tests by Indian authorities after several countries took steps over contamination risks in two popular brands. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India conducted inspections, sampling and testing of mixed spice bl

As the new school year approaches, thoughts are turning to back-to-school supplies — but keeping children’s vaccinations up to date is something else parents and guardians should have on their to-do list, British Columbia’s top doctor says.  “Getting your children vaccinated is the best way to protect them from vaccine-preventable

A man who says he suffers from chronic and worsening mental health issues is among those pursuing a court challenge of the assisted dying law, which excludes people suffering solely from a mental disorder. An application filed by Dying with Dignity in Ontario Superior Court on Monday argues that it is discriminatory for the federal […]

Mpox first made global headlines in 2022 when the virus suddenly exploded around the world, spreading rapidly through sexual networks into dozens of new countries outside Africa. The World Health Organization labelled it a public health emergency of international concern that same year. The global outbreaks overwhelmingly impacted men who have sex

A new study shows “enormous” differences around Ontario in wait times for common surgeries, with the average patient at some hospitals waiting as much as 15 times longer than patients referred elsewhere for the same procedure. The study analyzes the time patients wait, from the doctor’s decision to operate until the actual date of

Kevin Konnyu spent a decade navigating the health-care system before he was approved recently for financial assistance through Ontario’s disability support program. But even though his province recognizes his disability, that’s not enough on its own to qualify him for coverage under Canada’s new national public dental insurance pr

This story is part of CBC Health’s Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here. In mid-July, when Doug Moore’s daughter fell and hurt her wrist at the family’s property in northern B.C., he ru

The Current19:23$100,000 signing bonus? How some towns are luring doctors Canadian municipalities are offering family doctors thousands of dollars and other benefits to work and live in smaller cities and towns, health-care recruiters and municipal leaders say. More than six million Canadians lack regular access to primary care physicians, a proble

Canadians have seen a lot of hopeful headlines about psychedelics in recent years, as evidence indicating they can help people suffering from treatment-resistant conditions continues to grow. One woman with chronic pain is fighting to get her insurer to cover ketamine treatments in Halifax. In Manitoba, there’s a waiting list for people seeki

The Public Health Agency of Canada says it was only after multiple Listeria cases emerged in Ontario in June that it recognized a broader outbreak that had started back in August 2023. Questions have swirled around why it took nearly a year for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to announce a national recall of several […]

Helen Malone-Babineau has escaped not one, but two wildfires in the past eight years. Now, she’s starting over again in Halifax. “Having experienced Fort McMurray and Yellowknife, both being isolated places with one road out, I said I think I will go somewhere a little bit, you know, with more routes to escape,” she said […

The World Health Organization (WHO) has named mpox a public health emergency of international concern for the second time, on the heels of a continental emergency declaration from African health officials as the region remains gripped by outbreaks of the virus. Known for causing painful, pus-filled lesions, and in some cases severe illness or death

As cases of mpox skyrocket in Africa, health officials there have declared the continent’s first-ever public health emergency as a “call to action” for more global support. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) made the declaration at a Tuesday media briefing, one day before a World Health Organization

The Public Health Agency of Canada says a third person has died in a Listeria outbreak connected to Great Value and Silk plant-based milks. The agency says there are now 20 confirmed cases of listeriosis in Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Alberta. Ontario’s ministry of health has confirmed the first two deaths happened in that province. It&#

This is the third story in CBC Sudbury’s Lifelines series exploring access to health care in the communities of Lake Huron’s North Shore. You can read the other stories in the series here and here.  Cathy Marshall knows every bend and dip of Highway 17 between Sault Ste. Marie and Blind River in northern Ontario because […]

Up To Speed7:53The science behind step counts Your Fitbit tells you to aim for it. Your mom touts it as age-old wisdom. Your doctor might even say it’s what’s best for you. But why is taking 10,000 steps per day the default goal? It might be surprising to know that the number was chosen at […]

As It Happens5:32Blind musicians and teachers communicate through vibration using Canadian-made device A PhD student in Ottawa has developed a device that allows blind and low-vision students to feel music cues, replacing the need to see them.  Instead of having to follow a conductor’s baton, or a teacher’s hand gestures during a lesson

Several cancers may be affecting millennials and Gen-X more than they did baby boomers, according to a new study based out of the U.S. The study, published in The Lancet this month, found that 17 of the 34 most common cancers diagnosed between the ages of 25 to 84 are on the rise in younger […]

At least three Quebec Liberal MPs have raised concerns with federal ministers about a new provincial directive they say limits access to health care in the province for patients who do not communicate in French. The 31-page directive published by Quebec’s health department last month says health-care practitioners in the province may provide

The first time Devon Cantwell-Chavez had a long-lasting form of birth control inserted — an intrauterine device, or IUD — it was a smooth, painless experience. That was in 2018, through her gynecologist in Salt Lake City, Utah. Cantwell-Chavez was provided painkillers, along with a low dose of an anti-anxiety medication with sedative properties. &#

More than 70 per cent of dentists are now accepting patients through Canada’s new public dental insurance program — a significant increase over the 50 per cent participation rate reported a month ago. The federal government attributes the higher uptake to changes it introduced on July 8 that allow dental clinics to submit claims without offic

A study by researchers at McGill University has found that a microscopic air pollutant generated from vehicles and industry plays a role in the deaths of an estimated 1,100 people in Canada’s two biggest cities each year. Their study, published recently in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, finds that long-term ex

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says the recent Listeria contamination of several plant-based milks occurred in a Pickering, Ont., factory. It says the contamination happened on a “dedicated production line” at Joriki, which is a third-party beverage packaging facility used by plant-milk manufacturer Danone Canada. The agency says t

More than three decades after Indigenous leaders in northern Alberta began asking for funding to better understand if pollution from the oilsands was making their people sick, the federal government is funding a study to do just that. “This should have been done 32 years ago, maybe 40 years ago,” said Mikisew Cree First Nation […

When Belarusian-born Sveta Kipatkova first heard about a Quebec program that could reduce her daughter’s exposure to radiation, she jumped at the opportunity. Every summer, from the end of June until mid-August, Séjour Santé Enfants Tchernobyl (SSET) brings Belarusian children to the province to give them a healthy break from the polluted env

A controversial American government decision to impose new requirements on dogs entering the U.S. was prompted by a “dramatic increase” in falsified documents and fraud — including cases of people using Canada to bring dogs from countries with high rates of rabies into the U.S. A lengthy notice from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control

Organized crime groups have shifted their efforts away from importing the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl and are now producing it primarily on Canadian soil. A briefing note prepared for the deputy minister of Health Canada — obtained by CBC News through an access to information request — lays out the changes law enforcement agencies have observe

As small communities across Ontario struggle to recruit doctors and nurses, one town has landed on a strategy that appears poised for success: giving them “a bag of money up front.” That’s the incentive on offer in Huntsville, Ont., where local authorities say they will give an $80,000 signing bonus to any family physician who [&h

Nestlé Canada has issued a voluntary recall on a type of its Gerber baby cereal sold online and in stores across the country due to possible bacterial contamination, the company said in a statement on Sunday. Certain packages of its Gerber oat, banana and mango baby cereal are being recalled due to concerns over Cronobacter bacteria, the […]

What On Earth27:39Awkward! How to have that cringe convo about climate Conversations about climate change can get really uncomfortable, really quickly, whether they’re happening in a meeting room or at your family’s annual summer barbecue. It’s enough to make even those who are really concerned about the problem want to steer clea

Recent studies show that a common antibiotic could reduce the risk of getting syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea in some high-risk people. It’s part of a preventive strategy called DoxyPEP. But who can get it and how does it actually work?

JAMP Pharma Corporation is recalling its digoxin tablets because some bottles may contain an incorrect dose, Health Canada announced in an advisory. The drug-maker said its 0.0625 and 0.125 mg digoxin tablets with certain lot and expiry dates may weigh more or less than they should while looking normal-sized. Digoxin is a prescription drug used by 

Heat is the leading cause of climate-related deaths in Europe, according to the World Health Organization. In an update on Friday, the UN health agency said heat claims more than 175,000 lives every year in WHO’s European region, which includes Europe and Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan. “Temperature extremes such as those we

Simone Biles isn’t the only one making a comeback at the 2024 Olympics. COVID-19, the virus behind the pandemic that led to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics being postponed to 2021, is once again infecting athletes and influencing athletic performance. But COVID’s impact seems to have dropped significantly since Tokyo. The Paris Olympics continu

More than two years after Quebec lifted most of its COVID-era public health measures, the province has only recouped a little over one-third of the $68 million it issued in pandemic-related fines. Quebec had some of the strictest public health measures in the country during the pandemic and was the only province to impose a […]

Ontario is officially ending its COVID-19 wastewater surveillance program today in a move some public health experts call shortsighted. Dr. Fahad Razak, the former scientific director of the COVID-19 Ontario Science Table, says the province’s decision is “incredibly disappointing.” Wastewater testing gives an early indication of w

Two new risk factors for dementia — vision loss and high cholesterol — have been identified in a sweeping new report in a leading medical journal. The 2024 Lancet Commission on dementia lists 14 risk factors for dementia, many of which can be influenced by lifestyle changes. Among them, untreated vision loss and high cholesterol stand out […

Dominique D’Anjou is one of the hundreds of thousands of Quebecers waiting to see a medical specialist. Her family doctor referred her to a neurologist and a pulmonologist. A year later, she’s still waiting for her appointment. “It’s stressful, of course, because you don’t know what’s wrong with you. You wonder i

A Listeria outbreak linked to plant-based drinks has grown to 18 known infections and more than a dozen hospitalizations, though no additional deaths have been reported, say federal health officials. On Tuesday, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) announced the number of cases has hit 12 in Ontario, four in Quebec, one in Alberta […]

A report into a massive E. coli outbreak at Calgary child-care facilities that saw hundreds fall ill says it was likely tied to meat loaf at one meal, but how it got there can’t be determined for sure. The report released Monday by Alberta Health Services (AHS) says it’s not possible to say if the […]

The rate of high blood pressure disorders in pregnancy has risen over the last decade in Canada, a new study suggests. The research, published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, found that rates of hypertension and pre-eclampsia increased by 40 per cent between 2012 and 2021. “Blood pressure remains a cornerstone of maternal