Weed or feed? A Canadian food security issue
In December, the University of Guelph and Dalhousie University released the 9th edition of Canada’s Food Price Report, and while the report paints a generally rosy picture of 2019 food prices, partly due to decreasing meat prices and small increases across most food categories, a sobering statistic from the report was that overall food prices are expected to increase by 1.5 to […]
Cannabis
Policy debate on substance use is a lot like groundhog day
While Canadians are dying in record numbers from substance use and substance use disorders, instead of embracing successes of the past, many of Canada’s public- and private-sector leaders appear to be starting over to find solutions that already exist. For almost a decade, beginning in 2007, I had the privilege of serving the board of […]
James Travers foreign correspondent fellowship to be revealed this week
The recipient of the 2019 R. James Travers Foreign Corresponding Fellowship will be announced on Dec. 11 in Centre Block. The recipient will get $25,000 to cover travelling, reporting, and research expenses, as well as a payment. It will go to a Canadian journalist who is working in any medium to work on a piece […]
World Toilet Day come and gone with little acknowledgment by media
Everybody poops; a universal human reality. But almost a billion people have no choice but to do so in the open, in fields and streets. Aside from the lack of dignity, this places women at risk of violence as they seek the cover of darkness alone. Such lack of sanitation also leads to widespread contamination […]
Niki Ashton to meet Bernie Sanders in Vermont
NDP MP Niki Ashton is travelling to the Green Mountain State–Burlington, Vermont, to be exact–on Nov. 29 to Dec. 1, to attend a gathering of progressive leaders at U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders‘ think tank. Ms. Ashton will participate in an international roundtable at the Sanders Institute Gathering with Mr. Sanders, as well as former Greek […]
Toilets save lives, people without them deserve our help
World Toilet Day was Nov. 19. The United Nations feels that proper sanitation is such an important issue it has dedicated a day to the subject. We get up in the morning and most of us do not give a thought to the fact we have a toilet. We use it, then we flush it […]
Let’s scrap self-harm from military offences
For too long, self-harm has been an epidemic within the Canadian Armed Forces. While this is an issue that has to be addressed within society at large, the military is a special case. Our women and men in uniform do difficult and dangerous work on our behalf each and every day. The Canadian Armed Forces […]
Prioritizing a nation-wide diabetes strategy a strong return on investment
Less than a year from the next general election, all federal parties in Canada are now busy preparing for the campaign to come and formulating the policies that will make up their platforms. Today’s governments are expected to do more now than at perhaps any time in our history, and always in the context of […]
Nurse practitioners are the innovative solution to Canada’s health care woes
It was recently national Nurse Practitioner Week, but you would be forgiven if you’ve never heard of nurse practitioners. Most Canadians haven’t—and most don’t know their value to our health-care system. You may be even more surprised to learn that nurse practitioners could be the innovative solution—or at least, a critical part of it—to Canada’s […]
