Online startup wins press freedom award for coverage of COVID’s impact on ‘neglected’ Peel Region
The Local freelance reporter Fatima Syed and editor Tai Huynh have been named joint winners of the 2022 Press Freedom Award for their coverage of the effects COVID had on immigrants and frontline workers in Ontario’s Peel Region, just outside of Toronto. Syed and Huynh, who is also publisher of the Toronto-based journalism startup, were […]
China and COVID: the cost of infallibility
LONDON, U.K.—Even the Pope claims to be infallible only on matters of faith and doctrine. On the chance of rain or the speed of a racehorse, he will freely admit that he is just as fallible as you and I. Whereas secular dictators, and especially ones who are building a personality cult, are implicitly claiming […]
Canada Disability Benefit needed now
Arguably, our country has made great progress over the past century with respect to disability rights, accessibility, and inclusion. For 100 years, Easter Seals has been advocating for progressive change that creates opportunities and strengthens independence for people living with disabilities from coast to coast to coast, from helping families obtain mobility devices for their […]
As the Conservative Party goes full MAGA, we all lose
OTTAWA—The Conservatives have removed their patina of integrity and propriety to go full MAGA. Finally. They’ve been swirling around this bowl for a while. If former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole, who infamously defended the residential school system, was their great moderate hope, they have some serious problems. We are at a crossroads in this country. […]
Liberals can’t delay on post-COVID recovery in health care
The pattern from the Liberals to delay until things reach a breaking point before taking any action has proven ineffective at managing the pressures on Canada’s health system. Since the start of the pandemic, whether it was ensuring our health-care workers had proper personal protective equipment, securing vaccines, and now last to lift unscientific mandates, […]
There is no health care without health-care workers
Like many nurses in Canada, I welcomed last week’s announcement that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh had reached an agreement with health care at its heart. As nurses, we have long advocated for national pharmacare, long-term care standards and dental care, and we recognize affordable housing as an essential social determinant […]
Nurse retention crisis requires action plan to address workplace violence, says nursing organizations
Health-care organizations are pushing for the federal government to step in with an action plan to address a workforce retention crisis, which has been worsened by escalating verbal and physical abuse directed towards health-care providers during the global pandemic. “Unfortunately, workplace harassment and violence is not a new issue for health-care professionals. It’s something that […]
Catching up on the next pandemic: how the government can address the mental health epidemic in Canada
It’s no secret that there is a brewing mental health crisis in Canada, and governments at all levels need to be prepared to meet the increased needs of the millions of Canadians who are seeking mental health supports. Two years of lockdowns, isolation, uncertainty, and stress in the face of COVID-19 means that more Canadians […]
Timely access to mental health care must be a top priority
While we provide our comments in a post-federal government budget world, it is clear that we still have some way to go before we can say we are living in a post-pandemic world. As we continue to do all that we can to ensure our families and friends and society-at-large are safe and well, we […]
Post-pandemic health and science: preparing for the next one now
As Canada moves out of the COVID-19 pandemic and into a COVID-19 endemic mitigation state, it would be wise to take into account some highly regarded and sober advice. Writing in the medical journal The Lancet, a panel of international experts recently recommended that all countries conduct “urgent and comprehensive risk assessments” of the current […]
