British Columbia’s top doctor says she is ending the public health emergency declared in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says after four years of mask mandates, gathering restrictions, vaccinations and hospitalizations, any remaining restrictions, including the vaccination requiremen

Doctors working to limit the spread of syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea — and their potential complications if left untreated — are turning to a promising new means of prevention.  It’s known as DoxyPEP, which stands for doxycycline (an antibiotic) post-exposure prophylaxis.  Some liken it to a “morning-after pill,” as you take i

Health Canada warns that  naloxone take-home kits (NTH kits) by Canadian Hospital Specialties Ltd. may contain incorrect naloxone dosing information on the “save me” instructional card. Following those instructions could impact the efficacy of the treatment when using the kits to reverse the effects of opioid overdose, Health Canada say

A confirmed case of measles in Moncton has prompted New Brunswick Public Health to issue a list of times and places where people could have potentially been exposed to the contagious disease. In a news release Friday night, the Department of Health said the case is likely the result of recent international travel. The release does not […]

Multivitamins and supplements sold in Canada under various brand names are being recalled due to concern they could contain metal fibres. The brands include Equate, Kirkland Signature, Life, Natural Factors, Option+, VegiDay, Webber Naturals, Wellness by London Drugs and Wellquest, according to Health Canada. The full list can be found here. The pr

Some dog owners say the temporary exemption Canada has received from the most onerous new U.S. rules for bringing dogs across the border doesn’t go far enough and the reprieve needs to be made permanent. Earlier this month the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that as of Aug. 1, dogs coming […]

Canada’s federal vaccine advisory body is now recommending a single dose of the HPV vaccine for children and youth, bringing the country in line with multiple others that have already reduced the number of required doses for young people. The new guidance, out Wednesday from the National Committee on Immunization (NACI), strongly recommends t

Janice Strickland says she’s grateful for the donations the family has received, which will allow them to bury her daughter Sarah. (Curtis Hicks/CBC) A grieving mother says she’ll be able to get her daughter out of a hospital freezer storage unit and buried with dignity, after an outpouring of community support has helped the family [&h

The sheer scale of the U.S. bird flu outbreak is hard to fathom.  More than 100 million farmed birds have been infected with H5N1 since 2022, followed by roughly 170 herds of dairy cows, along with virus detections in more than 200 other mammals — humans included. Recently, a handful of farm workers in Colorado were […]

More Quebec doctors are opting out of the public health-care sector than ever before, Radio-Canada has learned.  A total of 780 general practitioners and specialists left the public system in the past year — an increase of 22 per cent compared to the year prior, according to data compiled by the Régie de l’assurance maladie […]

Swallowing a handful of pills is a daily ritual for many people, from young adults coping with anxiety to older adults managing chronic conditions. Overall, 13 per cent of people in the U.S. take five or more prescription drugs. For those 65 and older, that number is 42 per cent. However, people taking multiple medications […]

A recent decision to drop some burdensome new border-related paperwork requirements for Canadians entering the U.S. with their dogs might only be temporary, Canada’s health minister says. Citing concerns about the potential spread of rabies, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced earlier this month that new measures would be put

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control will not require Canadians to fill out long forms before crossing the border from Canada with their dogs this summer. The agency had announced new rules in May that were aimed at keeping rabies out of the country. They stated that dogs needed to be microchipped, vaccinated against rabies and […]

Peter McQuaid was scheduled to die the following Monday, but first he wanted to see a priest. His wife, Connie, was apprehensive. The Catholic Church had staked its opposition to medical assistance in dying, the course Peter planned to take. As she put it, “MAID is not for everybody.” Still, she reached out to a […]

Danielle O’Hanley, from Toronto, runs early in the morning to avoid the heat. “I saw it was going to be 30 or 35 degrees after work, so I was up early and out running by 7 a.m. so that I could have a bit of a cooler temperature,” she told CBC News last week. She’s […]

Montreal The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is recalling a WeCook ready-to-eat meatball dish due to possible Listeria contamination. The recall applies to WeCook brand Swiss cheese meatballs with creamy mustard sauce, with a best before date of July 20. Recall applies to products with a best before date of July 20 The Canadian Press · […]

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday confirmed two additional cases of bird flu in Colorado poultry farm workers. Last week, Colorado reported four confirmed infections of H5N1 bird flu and was checking on the status of a fifth suspected case. The two new cases were in poultry workers with exposure to […]

A fake nurse who treated nearly 1,000 patients at medical facilities in Vancouver and Victoria wept Friday as she pleaded guilty to assaulting victims with the weapon of her would-be trade — an intravenous needle. Clutching a box of tissues as she appeared in front of a B.C. Supreme Court judge via video, Brigitte Cleroux uttered the […]

A German HIV patient who is in remission following a stem cell transplant from a donor with genes that are partially resistant to the disease is giving researchers new hope that more people could benefit from the treatment. The first step in a stem cell transplant for people with cancer involves wiping out a patient’s […]

Ahead of the new school year, P.E.I’s Chief Public Health Office is reminding post-secondary students to get a free meningitis B vaccine.  The provincial program administered 1,900 doses of the vaccine in it’s first year, which began in May 2023. Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison said she is very pleased with those number

The latest Listeria contamination involves some plant-based beverages in Canada. However, from pre-packaged salads to six-layer bean dips to mushrooms, this isn’t the first time food or drink products have been recalled due to the bacteria. Listeria monocytogenes, widely referred to as Listeria, can be found in soil, vegetation, sewage and wa

Ruth Winter tears up as she remembers learning she secured a space in transitional housing in Thunder Bay, Ont. “I just felt so much weight coming off my shoulders,” said Winter. “It’s home, where I can shower daily, where I can eat.” The member of Kingfisher Lake First Nation, an Oji-Cree First Nation about 350 kilome

Two people have died after being sickened with listeriosis, as part of a wider set of cases linked to plant-based beverages that prompted a recall. Health Canada reported the deaths in an advisory issued Wednesday night, which have occurred out of 12 listeriosis cases — 10 in Ontario, and one each in Quebec and Nova Scotia, according […]

Health Minister Mark Holland says he has secured concessions on the new rules being imposed by the United States on dog owners bringing their pets across the border, but he’s “concerned” about the forthcoming changes.   “I am quite concerned, if I’m honest, about the regulations that are being brought in by the United

As Ed Marshall stood in the doorway of a plane over Cayuga, Ont., preparing to parachute out, the 100-year-old said he had a fleeting thought.  “I don’t really want to do this,” he recalled thinking while halfway through the door. “But by that time, it [was] too late.”  Marshall’s jump on July 12 ended well thoug

A nursing mother says she was left feeling embarrassed and overwhelmed after being told she wasn’t allowed to breastfeed her baby in or on the deck of a pool at a Nova Scotia military base. The 14 Wing Greenwood Aquatics PSP in Greenwood, N.S., has since publicly apologized for what happened to Kelsey Hutchinson, vowing to change […]

A 10-year-old girl from Swift Current, Sask., who attracted millions of followers while sharing her health story online has died.  Bella Thomson, who went by Bella Brave on social media, was born with several rare health conditions. Her mother, Kyla Thomson, confirmed to CBC Saskatchewan that Bella died on Sunday after being placed in a […]

More children were left out of critical vaccination drives for diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough last year as a rise in conflicts across the globe hindered the supply of life-saving shots mostly in strife-torn regions, the United Nations said on Monday. About 14.5 million children worldwide failed to get vaccinated in 2023, co

What happens after Canadian patients are prescribed addictive opioids in the emergency department for short-term pain? The answer from a new study is being called an “eye opener.”  The issue matters because of the overdose crisis, which has killed more than 44,000 people in opioid-related deaths since 2016, according to Health Canada. I

Is your office freezing? Do you need to keep cool to stay healthy? Should you set your thermostat based on recommendations from your utility? If you’re lucky enough to have air conditioning, there are a number of factors to consider when choosing the right temperature. Comfort and avoiding negative health impacts that come with heat exposure

A group of oral health-care providers have banded together against what they call misinformation about the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) being spread in part by the associations representing dentists. “I don’t understand how dentists are saying it’s an administrative burden when they haven’t even registered or tried to su

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. One morning in Sept. 2021, MaryAnn Harris felt strangely tired. She told her husband, Charles de Lint, that she needed to [&

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called on the federal government to shut down Montreal’s first supervised drug-inhalation centre while stopping in the city Friday, saying the site is a “drug den.” The Maison Benoît Labre drew criticism from residents before it opened in April and in the months following, with some parents say

A water main ruptured near the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) Glen site early Friday morning, causing the hospital to turn ambulances away, cancel surgeries and tell people to avoid its emergency rooms. At noon, the issue was resolving, according to hospital officials. Water pressure was returning to the hospital and clinical services were

As It Happens7:22His cancerous voice box was removed. Now he’s speaking again Only a few months ago, Marty Kedian of Haverhill, Mass., couldn’t speak a word — and he didn’t know if he ever would again.  But, in February, Kedian received a total larynx replacement following a laryngeal cancer diagnosis and years of surgeries. ̶

Canada is investing about $15 million toward the development of artificial intelligence in health care, which Federal Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne calls a “game changer” for improving the industry’s ability to serve patients. Champagne says the funding will be invested through the ministry’s Vancouver-base

9 hours ago News Duration 7:30 Dr. Vanessa Allen, a microbiologist and infectious diseases specialist, explains the dangers and illness brought on by listeria contamination and how it could have occurred in facilities that develop products like Silk and Great Value beverages, which were linked to nine listeriosis cases in Ontario and have resulted

Nova Scotia plans to follow the lead of other provinces in the way it screens for cervical cancer, but the switch from Pap smears to testing for HPV is at least two years away, the legislature’s health committee heard Tuesday. Dr. Robert Grimshaw, the medical director of Nova Scotia Health’s Cervical Cancer Screening Program, told the [

For the first time, the Canadian government has conducted a rapid analysis of a period of extreme heat and determined its connection to human-caused climate change. The analysis conducted by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) found that a heat wave in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada between June 17 and 20 was made two […]

Nine confirmed cases of listeriosis have been reported in Ontario as part of an ongoing investigation linked to recalled plant-based refrigerated beverages, provincial health officials say. On Monday, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced a recall affecting certain Silk and Great Value brands of oat and almond refrigerated beverages

The bird flu strain found in cows in the United States is not easily transmitted through the air among ferrets, a new study shows, although the scientist who led the work said it had shown some ability to spread this way. Ferrets are considered to be the best small mammal for studying influenza virus infection and transmission and are often used [&

As of today, oral health-care providers can treat patients under the Canadian Dental Care Plan on a case-by-case basis without officially signing on to the program. Ottawa introduced the measure in the hope that it would entice more dentists to take part in the new national public insurance plan. “You can just try it out, submit […]

Canadian doctors and brain injury experts believe Canadian Football League players should be encouraged to use Guardian Caps whenever they have the opportunity, but say the technology does not mitigate the risk of concussion. The CFL announced on May 15 that players will be allowed to wear Guardian Caps — protective soft-shell helmet covers — durin

Sidney Wood says he was evicted last month because he couldn’t pay his rent. Wood, 41, couldn’t afford the $1,620 per month for a basement apartment in Edmonton that he shared with his two teenage children. Not after he and his wife separated in March, and not on his CPP disability income that he says is $1,403 per month. So Wood, [&hel

An Edmonton doctor is set to become the first Canadian woman to be a commercial astronaut.   Dr. Shawna Pandya told CBC the opportunity will fulfil her childhood dream “I was lucky enough to be growing up in the ’90s watching Canada’s first female astronaut, Dr. Roberta Bondar, go to space,” Pandya told CBC’s Radio Act

An environmental charity is calling for access to energy-efficient heating and cooling systems to be protected as a right. In a recently released report, Ecotrust Canada makes several policy recommendations that would accelerate several existing policies and introduce new housing regulations.  In its report, released at the end of June, Ecotrust sp

A group of Christian doctors is fearful their position on medical assistance in dying will result in disciplinary action against them and lead to an exodus of like-minded doctors from Nova Scotia, but the province’s physician regulator called their remarks incendiary. The Dartmouth, N.S.-based Christian Medical and Dental Association of Canad

Concerns are growing in Alberta about the accessibility and affordability of Paxlovid, after the federal government ended its program supplying the COVID-19 treatment to provinces, which provided the drug for free to specific groups of high-risk patients. Paxlovid is an anti-viral medication used to treat mild to moderate COVID-19 in people at high

Disability advocates are set to gather in downtown Toronto Thursday morning to not only mark the historic win of the Canada Disability Benefit, but to gather support in improving it for people with disabilities. Brad Evoy, one of the organizers behind the rally, says they’ll kickstart the morning by making posters and listening to advocate sp

An Alberta judge is recommending the provincial government set standards for governing residential medical detoxification and addiction treatment programs after she examined the death of a 25-year-old man at a rural recovery centre. On the morning of Aug. 19, 2021, Joshua Corbiere was found unresponsive in his room at the Thorpe Recovery Centre, in

The video shows an old, low-ceilinged basement, the dirt floor flooded with black and brown sludge. A broken cast-iron pipe is visible — the source of a leak spewing raw sewage into the basement of a home in New Glasgow, N.S., for about a year.   A plumber is walking through the mess, assessing the damage.  […]

Experts are warning Canadians not to heed misinformation spread online that sunscreen can cause cancer, stressing that proper use of the right lotions or sprays is, in fact, one of the best ways to prevent potentially deadly ailments like melanoma.  Quebec’s Order of Chemists warned last week against what it called a worrying trend circulatin

Dr. Brian Nadler outside the Ottawa Courthouse on Tuesday after he was officially acquitted of eight charges against him. (CBC) Dr. Brian Nadler, who formerly practised at a hospital in Hawkesbury, Ont., and faced eight charges in connection to the deaths of four patients, was officially acquitted Tuesday at the Ottawa Courthouse. Lawyer Brian Gree

U.S. officials have approved another Alzheimer’s drug that can modestly slow the disease, providing a new option for patients in the early stages of the incurable, memory-destroying ailment. The Food and Drug Administration approved Eli Lilly’s Kisunla on Tuesday for mild or early cases of dementia caused by Alzheimer’s. It’

This is a First Person column by Ummni Khan, who lives in Victoria. For more information about CBC’s First Person stories, see the FAQ.  The arrival of my first period was an eagerly awaited sign of adolescence. I wanted it all. Boobs. Pubes. Even breakouts seemed to carry a kind of angsty cool.  Four decades […]

A recent lawsuit over access to medical assistance in dying (MAID) in some hospitals in British Columbia has put the practices of religious health organizations in the spotlight.  Faith-based health organizations in B.C. are allowed to opt out of providing certain services if they conflict with their values and beliefs — including access to abortio

This First Person article is by Julie Green, a writer who was diagnosed with autism in her 40s. For more information about CBC’s First Person stories, please see the FAQ In 2012, my three-year-old son was diagnosed with autism. At the time, his diagnosis felt all-consuming.  It was the steepest of learning curves because the […]

Dr. Brian Nadler, who formerly practised at a hospital in Hawkesbury, Ont., and is facing eight charges in connection to the deaths of four patients, is expected to be acquitted on Tuesday, according to both Crown and defence counsel. Brian Greenspan said Saturday that his client will likely be acquitted of all eight charges against him — […

The Dose20:45What can I do to prepare for a summer medical emergency? As the parent of four very active children, Dr. Shaneka Kulasingham is no stranger to taking precautions to prevent medical emergencies while travelling.  And as an emergency physician at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton in Ontario, Kulasingham is also abundantly familiar w

The city’s public health unit and doctors are urging people to get vaccinated against a potentially fatal bacterial disease amid a rise in cases.  Toronto Public Health (TPH) has reported 14 confirmed cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) so far this year, more than double the previous average of six cases per year.  “This is a

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued a recall of a canned coffee product on Friday over botulism concerns, a move that follows a similar action in the U.S. The CFIA recall affects the Elevate Snapchill Coffee product distributed by in Canada by Alberta-based Eclipse Coffee Roaster. The product itself is made by Wisconsin-based Snapchil

Heidi Clarke says all the warning signs should have been evident and well-documented in the days before her 25-year-old daughter Brandi died from diabetic ketoacidosis in March 2023. That is, in essence, a death caused by a lack of insulin. As the body of someone who doesn’t have enough insulin burns off fat to create […]

Ottawa plans to expand eligibility for the federal dental program today to include children under the age of 18 and people who receive a disability tax credit. The government estimates 1.2 million more people will now be able to apply for the program. Critics have suggested that basing eligibility for people with disabilities on the […]

The head of the National Microbiology Lab (NML) in Winnipeg says he is stepping down to continue his medical work and take a position at  the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba, CBC News has learned.  Since 2020, Dr. Guillaume Poliquin has overseen Canada’s only Level 4 virology facility, which is equipped to deal with the most se

A unique online tool designed by University of Calgary researchers is helping refugees in Canada connect with key health care and settlement supports. The Canadian Refugee Healthcare System Atlas provides information and links for 146 organizations across the country, including primary care clinics treating refugees, public health clinics and settl

Vi Roden said she reads an average of 50 books a year, attends history lectures at her local seniors centre, and does yoga twice a week.  She’s 101, and still lives in her own condo in West Vancouver, B.C. “It never occurred to me that I would live this long,” said Roden, a former Air […]

Quebec’s chief coroner has ordered a public inquiry into the death of a quadriplegic man who sought medical assistance in dying (MAID) in the weeks after a hospital stay left him with a severe and painful bedsore.  Normand Meunier, 66, was stuck on a stretcher in an emergency room at the hospital in Saint-Jérôme, Que., for […]

Persistent staffing shortages in the health-care sector across Canada in the wake of the pandemic have led some organizations, including some provincial government agencies, to increasingly call upon temporary foreign workers to fill positions in clinics, hospitals and senior care facilities across the country. While health-care still represents a

Tick experts are warning Canadians to be on the lookout for symptoms of a tick-borne disease whose case counts have been steadily increasing over the past 15 years. Anaplasmosis is an infection contracted by humans and animals caused by the Anaplasma phagocytophilum bacteria and spread by ticks.  In the early 2000s, provinces and territories began

Tick experts are warning Canadians to be on the lookout for symptoms of a tick-borne disease whose case counts have been steadily increasing over the past 15 years. Anaplasmosis is an infection contracted by humans and animals caused by the Anaplasma phagocytophilum bacteria and spread by ticks.  In the early 2000s, provinces and territories began

Spark53:59Being Human Now 9 – Wellness It’s “scroller beware” on #mentalhealth TikTok, where content ranges from informed to misleading, and has the potential to be both helpful or harmful, mental health caregivers say. Jonathan Shedler, a psychologist and clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San

The Sunday Magazine17:43Worried about your posture? You can probably just relax If you do a web search for “back pain and posture,” you’ll be met with articles about the effects of poor posture on the body, guides telling you how to reduce your back pain with posture exercises, and ads for all kinds of posture-correcting […

White Coat Black Art26:30Health-care lessons from an unprecedented fire season The meals hadn’t even been served at the 2023 Physicians Appreciation Dinner in Grande Prairie, Alta., when Candice Edey stepped forward to deliver the bad news. “I had to go up to the microphone and, at this event that was supposed to be really appreciative

This First Person article is written by Kerry Yang, a first-year medical student in Calgary. For more information about First Person stories, see the FAQ. When the plaques started appearing on my knees in Grade 1, my mom thought it came from all the kneeling I did on the carpet during reading time. “Aiya! You […]

McMaster Children’s Hospital has cancelled roughly 100 tonsil and adenoid surgeries since the death of two children. The hospital paused all tonsil and adenoid surgeries for patients 17 and under on June 4, shortly after the death of a second child who had undergone the routine procedure. The children died, one in May and the other in June, a

WARNING: This article contains details of abuse. With a stifled sob, Mary Tuktudjuk says she’s spent all of her life thinking about her father. Decades ago, he was among a number of Inuit patients brought south to be treated for tuberculosis at the Parc Savard Hospital, a former sanatorium in Quebec City, and never came […]

The federal government unveiled details of a new national school food program Thursday that it hopes will be providing meals to more kids in more schools before the end of the next school year, but Families, Children and Social Development Minister Jenna Sudds cautioned that it will take time for organizations to scale up their existing operations.

A program in Fort McMurray that pairs police officers with nurses to help people experiencing mental health crises has expanded after seeing early success. The Police and Crisis Team (PACT) program, a partnership between RCMP and Alberta Health Services, was started in 2022. It began with one mental health nurse and funding for one year. Now [&hell

When Michele-Marie Beer was trembling, dizzy on a Toronto streetcar, she never imagined the driver might save her life. But Beer says that’s exactly what Monique Blake did when she insisted Beer stay on her streetcar until help arrived. It turns out Beer, the passenger, needed brain surgery to remove a life-threatening tumour that had [&helli

As heat warnings spread across North America this week, new Canadian research is shedding light on the health risks from exposure to unusually warm temperatures — particularly in cities with more renters. The study, released Wednesday by Statistics Canada, found higher-than-average risk of death during extreme heat event days in the majority of Can

Health Minister Mark Holland is accusing the Conservatives of trying to “sabotage” the government’s dental care program by calling up dental associations and “bullying” them — accusations the Tories are calling “unhinged.” The Liberals began covering dental care services for seniors last month as part of a

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a bid by anti-abortion groups and doctors to restrict access to the abortion pill, handing a victory on Thursday to President Joe Biden’s administration in its efforts to preserve broad access to the drug. The justices, two years after ending the recognition of a constitutional right to abortion, ruled 9-0 [&he

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. Cleaning contaminated surfaces in hospitals is critically important to protect patients from drug-resistant superbugs, which

The Dose22:22How can mindfulness help athletes? Read transcribed audio Any athlete knows that being in top form is as much a mental as a physical game.  The Edmonton Oilers — approaching Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals Saturday — are relying on George Mumford to help them stay in good shape mentally.  The sports […]

First Nations women in northern Ontario are advocating for better access to menstrual products at the Kenora District Jail. Longtime community advocate Tania Cameron has held menstrual product drives in the past, but after hearing that a female inmate was in tears about inadequate access to such supplies, she decided to go to the Ministry of the So

The Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) says it will never again work with Big Tobacco after getting an earful from angry members who read a CBC News: Go Public investigation last week. The story featured a B.C. woman speaking out about a sponsorship deal CARP accepted from Canadian tobacco company Rothmans, Benson & Hedges (RBH).  [

Quebec’s Health Ministry and family doctors have reached an agreement to continue a service that helps connects patients without a family doctor to health-care professionals. The Guichet d’accès à la première ligne (GAP) program, launched in 2022, goes further than the traditional 811 phone service by allowing people to speak with a nur

Michelle Fuller lost her right eye, cheekbone, some upper teeth and part of the roof of her mouth to cancer. A medical device made of metal and plastic allows her to speak, swallow and eat. The prosthetic, called an obturator, is overdue for replacement but Fuller doesn’t know who will perform the surgery or who […]

More than 400 patients have been forced into Ontario nursing homes they did not want to go to and the rate of those moves is increasing, The Canadian Press has learned. There were 424 discharged patients who moved to a nursing home not of their choosing out of 20,261 patients who were moved to long-term […]

Alberta’s seven supervised consumption sites lack something advocates say would save lives — a room where users can inhale drugs, with trained staff ready to intervene if someone ingests a poisoned batch that could kill them.  The sites in Grande Prairie, Edmonton, Lethbridge, Red Deer and Calgary only have space for people who inject drugs,

A plastics plant in southwestern Ontario that was ordered by the province and federal government to reduce emissions of the cancer-causing chemical benzene now says it will permanently close by June 2026.  The Sarnia facility, which employs about 80 people directly, has been shut down since late April, after members of nearby Aamjiwnaang First Nati

Dalhousie University has pulled all medical students and post-graduate trainees from any cardiac training at the Saint John Regional Hospital and New Brunswick Heart Centre after some complained about alleged harassment and the learning environment, CBC News has learned. Students and trainees were notified nearly seven months ago of the “paus

Canada’s privacy commissioner is teaming up with his U.K. counterpart to investigate a data breach discovered last year at 23andMe. Philippe Dufresne’s office says the joint investigation with U.K. Information Commissioner John Edwards will aim to determine the scope of the October 2023 breach at the direct-to-consumer genetic testing c

A diet promoting plant-based protein to help the environment now has a more human argument: It may lower your risk of dying from several major diseases.  “It wasn’t just one cause of death. It was right across the board,” said Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public [&helli

The Current9:00Why your approach to back pain could be all wrong Aidan O’Leary, 77, has suffered with back pain brought on by a hip replacement, but says he’s found great relief by staying active at his local swimming pool.  “Everything moves when I swim. It’s not like walking or using a gym machine or anything,” OR

Ideas53:59Smell: The Invisible Superpower When Jessie Cabot lost her sense of smell in 2021, the absence that hit her hardest was the scent of the sea. Aromatic sea breezes used to bring her back to childhood summers on the beach. Now, when she visits her parents on the New Zealand coast, the air has no […]

Three pharmaceutical companies are recalling various tablets due to concerns about the tests used to demonstrate their efficacy, Health Canada announced. Accel Pharma, Mint Pharmaceuticals and Pharmascience are recalling the following: Accel-Ondansetron ODT (4 mg and 8 mg tablets). Mint-Betahistine (8 mg, 16 mg and 24 mg tablets). PMS-Pirfenidone (

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. A cursory glance at Canada’s wastewater trends for COVID-19 reveals a messy, unpredictable picture: Viral loads ebb an

A man who contracted bird flu in Mexico died due to chronic diseases and not the virus, Mexico’s health ministry said on Friday. Earlier this week, the World Health Organization reported the first laboratory-confirmed human case of infection with A(H5N2) avian influenza in Mexico. In a Friday press conference in Geneva, WHO spokesman Christia

After spending nearly a solid month alone in a jail cell in Hamilton, Cedar Hopperton remembers how the deafening quiet and isolation impacted her.  “The main thing that strikes you is the silence … it definitely aggravated feelings of anxiety and fear, like listening to every little sound in this totally silent environment, just being really

The federal Liberals are moving to streamline and secure health data across jurisdictions with a bill that imposes new rules on technology vendors. Health Minister Mark Holland tabled the legislation in the House of Commons on Thursday morning. The bill would require vendors to ensure that health information tech they license, sell or supply as [&h

Lawyers and judges are scrambling to expedite the case of a Calgary woman who was approved for medical assistance in dying (MAID) but is, instead, starving herself to death.  The 27-year-old woman, who can only be identified as M.V. because of a publication ban, was set to receive MAID in February but her father, known […]

Health The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that a man in Mexico has died from a subtype of avian influenza, in the first laboratory-confirmed human fatality from the strain globally. Globally, this is the 1st lab-confirmed human case of infection with A(H5N2) subtype of bird flu Thomson Reuters · Posted: Jun 05, 2024 5:17 […]

A Calgary woman whose access to medical assistance in dying (MAID) is currently blocked by the courts is starving herself to death and expects to die within a few weeks, according to court documents. The 27-year-old woman, who can only be identified as M.V. because of a publication ban, is asking the Alberta Court of […]

A 50-year-old woman would suddenly fall asleep multiple times while getting ready for work, slurring her speech and falling. She went to emergency departments seven times in two years and was diagnosed with alcohol intoxication. But she hadn’t had alcohol in years, which her family confirmed. This week’s issue of the Canadian Medical As

Children under 18 and people with disabilities will be eligible for the federal government’s dental plan starting June 27, federal ministers said Monday. Minister of Citizens’ Services Terry Beech announced the date, adding the newly eligible group accounts for 1.2 million additional Canadians who will be able to access the program. The

The popular weight-loss drug Wegovy has been available in Canada since early May, but anybody hoping to use it will have to shell out about $400 a month.  One advocate says that lack of coverage will hurt the country in the long run. “There is a cost of inaction in terms of not providing care, right? More people showing up to […]

An Ottawa man who has spent the past five years trying to get his old-style Ontario health insurance card updated has been told he needs proof he was denied coverage to begin the process. But a face-to-face meeting with Service Ontario to potentially get that proof is precisely what Jorg Santowski says he’s been denied. A Canadian […]

WARNING: This story contains discussion of suicide and traumatic events. Firefighter Rob Leathen says he was haunted by the memory of a woman he was trying to save. Leathen is one of the nearly two-thirds of Canadians to experience a traumatic event like a car crash, which is the most common type of traumatic event Canadians say […]

This is a First Person column by Matthew Heneghan, who lives in Falkland, B.C. For more information about CBC’s First Person stories, please see the FAQ. My name is Matthew and I’m an alcoholic. An addict. That sullen string of words has taken me a long time to say aloud, let alone write and lay […]

When Trent and Seana Tatomir looked at their bank account right before Christmas 2023, they were shocked.  “Merry Christmas,” Trent said. “Here’s a kick in the teeth.” Trent, 32, was injured in a workplace accident and for the past four years has relied on payments from Alberta’s Assured Income for the Severely H

The Current18:35Seniors are using cannabis — and ending up in the ER Many seniors are turning to cannabis for recreational or medicinal use — but a new study suggests some are ending up in the ER with accidental cannabis poisoning. Matt Galloway speaks with Dr. Nathan Stall about how to help seniors reduce the risk […]

Another Michigan dairy worker has been diagnosed with bird flu, the third human case associated with an outbreak in U.S. dairy cows, health officials said Thursday. The patient reported a cough and eye discomfort, unlike the other two workers, who had only eye symptoms, health officials said. The farmworker was quickly provided antivirals and is [&

A 51-year-old Calgary man who suffers debilitating cluster headaches has won a Federal Court battle forcing Health Canada to reconsider his bid for legal access to psilocybin to treat his extreme pain.  Ottawa Federal Court Judge Simon Fothergill, on May 24, granted an application for judicial review of Health Canada’s denial of Jody Lance

It all started with a few text messages in late April. Several well-known Canadian scientists — Toronto-based infectious diseases specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch, Saskatoon-based virologist Angela Rasmussen and Winnipeg-based microbiologist Jason Kindrachuk — were all chatting about the unprecedented outbreak of H5N1 bird flu in U.S. dairy cows. By the

Federal Health Minister Mark Holland said Wednesday he needs new powers to unilaterally take dangerous products off the shelves if they’re hurting people and are not being used as intended. Holland is defending provisions in the government’s budget bill, which will allow the minister to put conditions on the sale, advertising, manufactu

More older adults are becoming homeless in Canada and relying on shelters, straining an already under-resourced system, a group of Toronto doctors says in a new report published by the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ). They say greater collaboration between public health, housing and community agencies is urgently needed to help seniors

One in eight pregnant people in Ontario has a disability, but many face barriers to accessible care and disrespect from health-care providers, a new report published Tuesday says. People with disabilities have been overlooked in reproductive health care partly because of false societal assumptions that they aren’t sexual and won’t have

Tina Olivero says bringing in life-saving naloxone kits to schools is a good step to combating drug addictions but more needs to be done. (Mark Quinn/CBC) Drug-related deaths in Newfoundland and Labrador nearly doubled in 2023 over the previous year, according to the latest numbers, with cocaine being the main culprit. According to documents from [

A wall of flames met David Matear when he finally stepped outside of the downtown Fort McMurray hospital, after the final patient was hurried out of the building and into a waiting bus. “You couldn’t see the trees. You just saw fire,” said Matear, the senior operating director for the health system in northern Alberta […]

When Dr. Meaghan Labine met Monica Kehar in 2018, they almost instantly became friends. The two women had been elected to sit on the national body representing the College of Family Physicians of Canada and appeared to have a lot in common. Both had gone to medical school and were doing their residencies to become […]

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. When U.S. dairy cows began falling ill with a dangerous form of bird flu, many scientists were struck by an unusual [&hellip

Allergy Quebec is recommending the removal of peanut bans in schools, favouring education and awareness like other provinces have done.

White Coat Black Art26:30The kidney transplant waiting game Judith Morrison is keenly aware of the state of her kidneys. She has polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and needs a kidney transplant. Over the last five years, she’s watched their function drop to five per cent. “It’s so scary watching it slowly decline,” she told Dr.

Janet Nevala has walked for exercise her whole life, but about 10 years ago she added a new element to her jaunts — walking backwards.  “Every time I walk, I just do a little twirl and walk backwards for a bit, and I’ll do it just a few times during my walk,” said the 62-year-old […]

Shirley Bremault was shocked when she found out the family doctor who visits her Calgary retirement community once a week is closing up shop at the end of August.  “Seniors need that care and now we don’t have it,” said Bremault. “We’re very upset.” Bremault lives in United Active Living’s Fish Creek locati

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a multi-million dollar funding commitment to build a vaccine plant in Montreal to churn out Canadian-made COVID-19 shots by the end of 2020. Four years later, not a single vial of usable vaccine has rolled off the line. The publicly owned Biologics Manufacturing Centre (BMC)

1 day ago News Duration 8:12 The impact of Canada’s primary-care crisis is being felt acutely in Sault Ste. Marie Ont., where 10,000 people will be cut off from their family doctor at the end of May. CBC’s Nick Purdon breaks down the Group Health Centre’s de-rostering and what it means for patients.

A new study from the University of Western Ontario suggests mercury contamination in northwestern Ontario’s English-Wabigoon River has been made worse by ongoing industrial pollution. Contamination of the river system dates back to the 1960s and 70s, when the pulp and paper mill dumped an estimated nine tonnes of mercury into the water. The m

A Michigan farm worker has been diagnosed with bird flu — the second human case associated with an outbreak in U.S. dairy cows. The patient had mild eye symptoms and has recovered, U.S. and Michigan health officials said in announcing the case Wednesday. The worker had been in contact with cows presumed to be infected, and […]

Victoria Levack remembers how she felt the day Nova Scotia passed the Accessibility Act seven years ago: hopeful.  “I thought, oh good, they’ll finally do something,” she said in a recent interview about the provincial legislation designed to remove barriers by 2030 for people with disabilities. “It’ll be slow, because

In a new report, a think-tank within Employment and Social Development Canada cites 35 “plausible” global disruptions that could reshape Canada and the world in the near future. The Policy Horizons Canada (PHC) panel drafted the list and then asked more than 500 stakeholders within and outside government to suggest which ones were more

A chemical plant in Sarnia, Ont., that has been shut down over benzene emissions says complying with certain conditions set out by the provincial government can’t be done safely and will cost up to $50 million. INEOS Styrolution is now appealing the government’s actions and wants the province to reverse new, stronger emissions restricti

Last year’s record-breaking wildfire season forced Canadians to become familiar with the scale of air pollution as hazardous smoke drifted across the country. Environment Canada’s colour-coded Air Quality Health Index (AQHI), designed to help people understand health risks associated with contaminated air, was closely watched under hazy

The B.C. Supreme Court has ruled that the province’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health-care workers was justified, based on the significant risk posed by the virus when the province’s mandate was renewed in October 2023. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry had first imposed the orders  on all workers in B.C. health-care setting

On his YouTube channel, Anand Munje interviews entrepreneurs, academics and artists. He communicates with them even though his cerebral palsy makes it hard to speak, but it’s possible thanks to the software his brothers Arun and Amit Munje developed — AIHEARU.  It’s pronounced “I hear you,” and it takes Anand’s words a

Canada’s vaccine advisory group said Friday it recommends building toward immunizing all infants from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The common and highly contagious virus normally causes cold-like symptoms. But for more vulnerable populations such as infants and older adults, it can lead to more serious illness like pneumonia and bronchi

The Current24:02Top chef says hospital food can be tasty — and healing You might be familiar with some of the less-than-appetizing meals that get served in hospital if you, or a loved one, has ever had an extended stay. But a recent pilot project at a Vancouver hospital aimed to replace unappealing mush with something that’s […]

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. An Ontario child’s death from measles this year offers a grim reminder: When vaccination rates drop and this virus rea

The federal government has rejected a request from Toronto to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of illegal drugs for personal use within the city. Mental Health and Addictions Minister Ya’ara Saks rejected the request due to lingering concerns about safety, according to a statement from Health Canada released Friday. “She ha

A child under five years old has died of measles in Ontario, according to the province’s public health agency. In a report published Thursday, Public Health Ontario said the child was not vaccinated against the highly infectious respiratory virus. It did not indicate when or where the child died, or their specific age.  Measles has been on [&

Lorraine Sherren says what’s holding her together as she and her husband grieve the death of their 40-year-old son is knowing he was able to donate his heart, with some out-of-the-box thinking. Robbie Sherren, 40, was a Special Olympics bowler, Trekkie and computer whiz, his parents said. What started as a trip to the emergency […]

WARNING: This story contains discussion of suicide. Marien de Freitas has seen one too many friends die by suicide. De Freitas started at the University of Waterloo in the fall of 2020, right at the peak of the pandemic. Classes were all online, and the isolation amplified anxiety and other mental health issues for her […]

After abysmal Quebec nursing exam results in 2022 and 2023, 92 per cent of candidates passed this spring. A total of 1,702 candidates passed the test, meaning they scored a minimum grade of 57 per cent. The exam was held on March 26 and was open to all candidates, regardless of how many times they […]

Residents of The Maples, a social housing building in Kenora, Ont., say they don’t feel safe due to the city’s escalating drug crisis.  While some have threatened to take matters into their own hands through acts of vigilantism, others are calling for a more collaborative approach between the city and community agencies. Coun. Lisa Monc

Early tests on milk being sold in Canada found no signs of the virus that causes a dangerous form of bird flu, federal officials say. Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) laboratories have tested 142 retail milk samples from “across Canada,” reads a Tuesday statement from the agency.  To date, all samples in the CFIA’s interim r

Cape Breton University is pushing ahead with plans for a new medical school in Nova Scotia despite concerns by local doctors that they are too busy to take on new teaching duties. The doctors say they are already overworked and understaffed and CBU has not shown them a clear plan for potential instructors at the […]

Ontario will need 33,200 more nurses and 50,853 more personal support workers by 2032, the government projects — figures it tried to keep secret but were obtained by The Canadian Press. The government recently won a fight in front of the Information and Privacy Commissioner to keep those figures under wraps after denying Global News […]

Massive cavities, mouthfuls of broken teeth, bleeding gums and abscesses — they’re just some of the serious dental issues Dr. Melvin Lee has treated in less than two weeks of providing care under Canada’s new public dental insurance plan. “I’ve seen a lot of patients that have infections. Not just dental emergencies, but bor

A rare 911 dispatch service in Ontario’s Niagara Region that includes nurses as part of the team responding to emergency calls has resulted in fewer ambulances rushing to scenes, say program staff.  Niagara Emergency Medical Services has included the nurses since 2019, one of three emergency services in Canada to do so, said Marty Mako, comma

Two days after Ashley Thomassen gave birth to her first baby, she and her husband checked into a Toronto hotel.  Not just any hotel.  For the next two weeks, they had 24/7 help acclimating to life as new parents. When they needed help breastfeeding, a staffer appeared in minutes. When they needed rest, they could […]

In Ontario, the average wait time for the thousands of prospective patients on the province’s list looking to be connected to a family doctor is, according to the government, around 90 days. But that, of course, is the average. And depending where one may reside in the province, the wait time can be significantly longer. “In some places

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. While there’s no sign a dangerous form of bird flu has gained the ability to transmit between humans, the steady sprea

Scientists in the U.S. and Canada are watching wastewater for early signs of H5N1 as an outbreak of bird flu among American dairy cattle keeps growing. With cases confirmed in dozens of herds across nine states — and roughly 300 people being tested or monitored for symptoms after the detection of one human case — […]

It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. About CBC Accessibility Accessibility Feedback

Employers need to be more proactive in helping workers maintain their psychological well-being, including by being more cognizant of suicide prevention strategies, a mental health summit in Grande Prairie, Alta., heard this week. A two-day mental health summit, hosted this week by Northwestern Polytechnic and the Resource Centre for Suicide Prevent

An outbreak of avian flu in U.S. dairy cattle has federal officials in Canada and the U.S. testing milk sold in stores to ensure pasteurization and other food safety measures are working.  Cows sickened with H5N1 in the U.S. produced milk that was abnormally thick and yellowish. The first known outbreak of this form of H5N1 […]

AstraZeneca says it is withdrawing Vaxzevria, its vaccine to protect against COVID-19, from global markets. The vaccine was used early on in the pandemic in many countries, including Canada. In an update on the European Medicines Agency’s website on Wednesday, the regulator said that the approval for Vaxzevria had been withdrawn “at the

Minister of Addictions and Mental Health Ya’ara Saks said Tuesday the federal government has approved the B.C. government’s request to recriminalize the use of illicit drugs in public spaces. The province is just over a year into a pilot program that allows adults to carry up to 2.5 grams of drugs for personal use without […]

Warning: This story contains distressing details and discussions of sexual violence. Glorieuse Uwizeye believes it was a miracle that she and her family survived the 100-day genocide in 1994 against the Tutsis, a minority group in Rwanda.  Thirty years later, Uwizeye is an associate professor in nursing at Western University in London, Ont., and st

WARNING: This article references sexual assault and suicidal ideation, and may affect those who have experienced​ them or know someone affected by them. The high-profile case of a Brantford, Ont., woman who was rearrested while serving house arrest for faking pregnancies and duping doulas may be unique to the public, but scams targeting workers in

Quebec’s Laurentian health authority is putting in place corrective measures in the Saint-Jérôme hospital weeks after the death of Normand Meunier, who developed a severe bedsore during his four-day hospital stay in January. The 66-year-old quadriplegic Quebec man chose assisted dying in March after developing the horrific pressure sore — whe

In the U.S., the growing role of private equity firms in health care is coming under heightened scrutiny, with Senate committee hearings and a cross-government public inquiry launched earlier this year.  “When private equity firms buy out health-care facilities only to slash staffing and cut quality, patients lose out,” said Federal Tra

The Dose347:46:40How do ultra-processed foods affect my health? Sandra Elia is intimately aware of how prevalent ultra-processed foods are in the Canadian diet.  As a recovering food addict, Elia struggled for years to control her intake of ultra-processed fried foods, heavy in refined sugar and flour.  She’s not alone; Canadians get nearly h

The Current23:09What dying people see in their dreams As Charlotte Good was dying of pancreatic cancer in a Toronto hospital in 2007, she experienced a dream or vision of her own mother — who had died years before. Charlotte’s daughter, Cynthia Good, was staying over that night and sensed that she’d sat up. “I got […]

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. As early as 1997, just a year after H5N1 was first discovered, there were warning signs this form of avian flu […]

Sandra Langlois has no other choice but to get her left foot amputated on Monday. For a year, she’s had a bedsore that just won’t heal. “It’s very debilitating,” said Langlois, who is paralyzed from the waist down. She says she’s come to terms with it, but it took time. “There was a period when […]

Ontario midwives can now prescribe more drugs and administer routine vaccinations, which the provincial government says will reduce the need for additional medical appointments for patients. Health Minister Sylvia Jones announced the expanded scope for midwives, saying it will connect more people to convenient care and reduce the need for referrals

Crouched inside her makeshift tent at a camp in Rafah, Samah El-Nazli fidgets as she recalls what her living conditions have been like since the war began. The mother of four is among millions of Gazans struggling to access food, water and sanitation in the overcrowded camp after losing their own homes in the strip. […]

Family doctors frustrated with writing sick notes have created a template letter for patients to give to their employers, explaining that the notes place an unnecessary burden on physicians during an ongoing primary-care crisis.  They are also calling on the province to restrict when and how employers can ask for sick notes.  The template, addresse

The debate in Parliament about British Columbia’s experience with drug decriminalization was already operating at extremes before Pierre Poilievre used the term “wacko.” During question period on Monday, the Conservative leader said the Liberal government had unleashed “drugs, disorder, death and destruction.” Other Co

WARNING: This article references sexual assault and suicidal ideation, and may affect those who have experienced​ them or know someone affected by them. A Brantford, Ont., woman sentenced in February to house arrest for faking pregnancies, harassment and fraudulently seeking the services of numerous doulas is in custody and facing new charges, Hami

The family of Candida Macarine, an 86-year-old woman who was found dead on the floor of a room in the ER at Lakeshore General Hospital in 2021, is suing the agency that oversees health care on Montreal’s West Island for $1 million. The lawsuit also names an ER doctor and a nurse at the Lakeshore […]

Members of the body that advises Alberta Health Services about 2SLGBTQ+ health care were surprised by Premier Danielle Smith’s proposed transgender policies announcement earlier this year, according to internal records obtained by CBC News. In a video posted to social media on Jan. 31, Smith laid out a host of proposed policies focused on tra

Three women who were diagnosed with HIV after getting “vampire facial” procedures at an unlicensed New Mexico medical spa are believed to be the first documented cases of people contracting the virus through a cosmetic procedure using needles, federal health officials said. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said

The federal minister for addictions and mental health says it’s too early to draw conclusions about drug decriminalization after British Columbia asked Ottawa to scale back its pilot to help curb concerns about public drug use. Ya’ara Saks noted Monday that the province is only a year into its three-year pilot project, which began in ea

A mother in Sudbury, Ont., says her family has had months where they didn’t pay their phone bills so they could afford formula for her infant. “So we’re at this point now where sometimes we do have to sacrifice and, you know, we will do that happily to feed our kids,” said Kaitlyn Tann, mother of a […]

After weeks of troubling stories about problematic street drug use in hospitals, parks and at bus stops, the province of British Columbia announced plans to recriminalize the use of drugs in public places Friday — radically altering a pilot program aimed at addressing the toxic drug crisis. In a statement, Premier David Eby insisted that […]

The Sunday Magazine23:20How to talk to your aging parents about their future Talking to aging parents and family members about their future can be tricky, but Megan Johnson says the sooner, the better. The Halifax-based research assistant, 36, is a secondary caregiver to her father, who is in the late stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Navigating

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. A dangerous type of bird flu virus discovered in the lung of a U.S. dairy cow that didn’t show symptoms. Viral [&helli

The Dose22:46How can I safely stay active while injured? <p>While we tend to think rest is the key to recovering from an injury, physicians recommend keeping the body moving, if possible, but at a lower intensity. Sport medicine physician Dr. Laura Cruz explains why “motion is lotion” and provides some low-impact exercises that ca

Poultry producers will be required to bring salmonella bacteria in certain chicken products to very low levels to help prevent food poisoning under a final rule issued Friday by U.S. agriculture officials. When the regulation takes effect in 2025, salmonella will be considered an adulterant — a contaminant that can cause foodborne illness — when [&

As she prepared to return home from Montreal’s Lakeshore General Hospital earlier than expected, Danielle Lacasse was given a smart watch and a cell phone last Friday. “A virtual nurse will see all the information, such as your blood pressure, saturation, your temperature and respiration,” Sharon Dubiel told Lacasse. Dubiel is hea

Inside a garage in an established Edmonton neighbourhood, animals were being slaughtered and the meat was advertised for sale to consumers, a CBC News investigation has learned. Police entered the rented garage in the quiet residential Woodcroft community in February 2023. Images shared with CBC News show piles of goat carcasses, tubs of blood and

Ontario says it will force employers to scrap requirements for sick notes as part of an effort to cut down on paperwork for family physicians. The change will be part of new legislation tabled by the minister of labour in coming weeks, a government official says. The amendments would eliminate the need for a doctor’s note from […]

A Kingston, Ont., nightclub must meet a list of specific conditions if it wants to host another foam party, following an investigation by public health officials into several cases of eye irritation. Ten people had their eyes flushed by staff at Kingston General Hospital’s emergency department overnight on April 7 and into the next morning [&

The last time Martha Twibanire had a mammogram, she had to call three different clinics before finding one that would accommodate her wheelchair. That was more than four years ago. The experience was so bad she hasn’t booked another since. Twibanire said staff first tried to make her stand up rather than stay in her […]

This story is a collaboration between the Investigative Journalism Foundation and CBC Saskatchewan. Newly obtained internal data shows the Saskatchewan government knew COVID-19 was spreading at an “exponential” rate in the fall of 2021, providing new insight into what officials knew before a devastating COVID-19 wave hit the province. T

Systemic racism and inequity in health care may be contributing to why First Nations patients in Alberta disproportionately leave emergency departments without being seen, or against medical advice, according to a new study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. The peer-reviewed paper builds on a previous one that found nearly seve

Suzanne Kuchinka, mayor of the village of Macoun in southeast Saskatchewan, says it’s been a struggle for years to keep family doctors, because they retire or move elsewhere. In Lloydminster, a city on the Saskatchewan-Alberta boundary, Mayor Gerald Aalbers says doctors who want to work in his community are facing roadblocks. These are some o

When eight-year-old Emma English discovered her younger brother would have to wait up to three years for an autism assessment, she took it upon herself to raise funds for a faster, private diagnosis.  A Sunday lemonade stand held in front of the family’s Kamloops home earned a total of $1,500, surpassing Emma’s initial goal of […

A chemical plant in Sarnia, Ont., announced on Saturday that it is temporarily shutting down for maintenance and to “address a mechanical issue” following complaints from a nearby First Nation whose members say they’ve become ill from the plant’s emissions. “At INEOS Styrolution, ensuring the health and safety of our e

When Nicole Lukas-Mckenzie tells her clients she knows what they’re going through, she means it. At People Advocating for Change for Empowerment (PACE), a drop-in centre on Thunder Bay, Ont.’s south side, she sees people experiencing homelessness, addiction and the stigma that comes with facing complex social challenges. “I was in

Health Canada says it will end a long-standing policy that blocked all men who have sex with men from donating to sperm banks. The move lifts a blanket ban that has been in place for more than 30 years. “After a review of the latest scientific evidence and feedback received from recent consultations, Health Canada is […]

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. If you consider yourself at a higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19 — because of your age, or maybe due […]

A safe place to consume drugs is vital to saving lives, but even more crucial in the harm-reduction approach is providing a safe supply of drugs, says a Winnipeg mom whose son died from fentanyl poisoning. “We won’t change things enough unless we do something about the supply. That’s the most important thing that we […]

As It Happens6:33Hundreds of websites are selling fake Ozempic, says cybersecurity company Dr. Sean Wharton was not surprised to learn about a surge in shady websites selling what are alleged to be counterfeit versions of popular weight-loss and diabetes drugs like Ozempic. Whenever a new drug dominates the market, he says, whether it’s for c

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre delivered a fiery speech Thursday that depicted the government’s latest budget as a threat to the country’s future, and suggested a number of new social programs will get a second look if he leads the next government. He also claimed Ottawa’s push into pharmacare could dismantle private drug in

Aamjiwnaang First Nation in Sarnia, Ont., is calling on all levels of government to shut down a facility after data indicated high levels of a harmful chemical were present in the air.  In a news release, the First Nation said it sent its employees homes Tuesday as they were complaining of headaches, nausea and dizziness — symptoms associated with

The federal government announced Wednesday that oral health care providers who provide services to Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) clients can bill the insurance company directly without formally signing up for the program. In early April, provincial dental associations told CBC News that Ottawa was requiring dental care providers to sign contract