NDP pharmacare bill gets its moment in the sun
The Liberal government has promised to deliver universal pharmacare, and the opposition New Democrats are giving them a chance to write a pharmacare program into Canadian law. NDP MP Peter Julian (New Westminster-Burnaby, B.C.) has introduced a private member’s bill into the House of Commons that would create what he calls a legal framework for […]
Zero-emission transportation key to a post-COVID recovery
Access to safe, reliable, affordable, zero-emission transportation will be critical to a green recovery and a sustainable economy. Unfortunately, the pandemic has seen our public transit infrastructure weakened, and with parts of it abandoned all together. As we plan for a post-pandemic green recovery, we need bold ideas to tackle issues such as the limited […]
Coming months will be a race to beat the ‘third wave’ of COVID-19, say experts
Experts are sounding the alarm that a ‘third wave’ of the pandemic may be headed our way as variants of the COVID-19 virus have been detected across the country, while some regions are easing lockdown restrictions and Canada’s sluggish vaccine rollout continues to dominate news headlines. Over the next few months the new variants of […]
A week of frosty strolls and dire variant warnings
Public health officials say early data show ‘high’ protection from first shot
Canada’s public health officials are in “live” discussions but not offering a position on doling out single doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, rather than planning for the two shots at the recommended interval, amid vaccine scarcity and new evidence suggesting strong protection from the single shot. One dose of Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine had an efficacy […]
Pandemic must reorient Canada’s pharmaceutical policy away from market-based approach
The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a harsh light on Canada’s capacity to respond to a public health crisis. Indeed, many Canadians were shocked to learn that our country would receive sporadic access to COVID-19 vaccines because we lack the manufacturing capacity to produce doses domestically. This dependence on imports has also made Canada vulnerable to […]
COVID-19 innovations hold lessons for national policy
As the COVID-19 pandemic erupted in early 2020, we witnessed an unprecedented mobilization of the world’s scientific community to develop solutions. Canadian researchers and companies are making vital contributions to these efforts, especially in the area of therapeutics and vaccines. These accomplishments should be celebrated, but also studied, as they can teach us a great […]
COVID-19 driving change in Canada’s urban centres
Cities are the economic engines of the country. As such, they are also centres of innovation: places to test out new ideas, spaces to combine new ways of thinking and doing, and sites to advance new technologies. COVID-19 has temporarily turned our urban worlds upside down and has made dense urban life seem dangerous rather […]
We must ensure that innovation leaves no Canadian behind
As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. For instance, back at the beginning of the pandemic, we never imagined that the world would produce several effective COVID-19 vaccines in less than a year. Whether it is telemedicine, vaccines, rapid tests, or automation, the urgent needs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have given […]
New quarantine measures won’t affect hotel industry’s bottom line, but may create more stress, say stakeholders
Hotel industry stakeholders say that Canada’s new quarantine measures for incoming air travellers aren’t likely to have too much of a financial benefit on business, but may put strain on an already strained industry. Introduced Jan. 29, the new rules state that all air passengers returning from non-essential trips abroad must quarantine within a government-chosen […]
