Canadians with disabilities ‘left behind’ say advocates after Ottawa spends $797-million in targeted COVID support
The federal government spent approximately $797-million on one-time payments of up to $600 to help people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Public Accounts of Canada for the 2020-2021 fiscal year. That’s compared with $3-billion for the Canada Emergency Student Benefit, $2.9-billion for the Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit, and $2.5-billion in emergency […]
MPs say Canadians feeling ‘exasperation,’ ‘frustration’ with pandemic, and Graves says national outlook ‘unsurprisingly quite dark’
The COVID-19 pandemic that has come to define the day-to-day lives of Canadians for nearly two years now continues to stubbornly stick around with the emergence of the Omicron variant, with MPs saying their constituents are frustrated, exasperated, and confused with the public health crisis that seemingly has no end in sight. And Frank Graves, […]
Digital health tools must remain a core part of Canada’s post-pandemic health care delivery system
Paper health care records have been a danger to both patients and providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. I have been able to get my 85-year old mother’s banking and bills online to keep things up to date. I could even do her taxes and basic government functions online. I should have been able to help […]
Canadians undecided on Trudeau as a ‘leader or laggard’ on Omicron response after 12-day break, say strategists
After a 12-day break from public appearances, the prime minister was back in the spotlight Wednesday attempting to deliver a message of hope in the face of surging COVID-19 cases, but politicos say his government’s actions in the coming weeks will be more important than political messaging. “He tried to reassure Canadians, but he said […]
Northern countries need to avoid COVID colonialism
University of Ottawa epidemiologist Raywat Deonandan proposed recently that the world undertake a global ‘Manhattan Project’ to flood the world with COVID-19 vaccines. This sounds like a rich country’s plan, with low-income countries as the ‘target.’ After decades of ‘development’ strategies for developing countries, we know that top-down approaches fail because they do not consider […]
Invest now to create a world of better care
As we look ahead to 2022, we must not let our exhaustion blunt our sense of urgency. It is critical that we remember the lessons of early COVID-19, when so many came together to help and support each other—and celebrate frontline workers. We witnessed the devastation and loss of life caused by the lack of […]
Omicron Grinch almost stole Christmas
OTTAWA—The Omicron Grinch almost stole Christmas. But the common sense of Canadians intervened. Notwithstanding multiple warnings that we should stick to small gatherings, Canadians have taken this year’s pandemic warnings less literally than in the past. The country has gone from COVID fatigue to burnout, with the majority of us absorbing conflicting transmission information with […]
Fragile supply chain faces risk without delay to January cross-border vaccine mandate, warns trucking industry
Canada’s trucking industry and other stakeholders with economic concerns are warning the Liberals of harmful impacts to Canada’s supply chain if the federal government moves forward with plans for a vaccination requirement starting in mid-January that will affect truck drivers entering Canada. “We’re already talking about a supply chain that is under significant stress, and […]
Path to a stronger, more resilient Canada starts with equity
COVID-19 will not take a break this holiday season, so we must remain focused on slowing its spread and on addressing the undercurrent that lies beneath each wave. Just as global vaccine inequity puts us all at risk by leaving billions unprotected, unfairness here at home continues to threaten health. While we focus on omicron’s […]
Canada can’t afford to leave research out of the innovation conversation
Over the course of Canada’s late summer election, it was promising to see innovation featured on the agenda of our federal leaders as action is long overdue. We’ve been hearing for too long about how Canada is underperforming on this front, and remedying it is becoming ever more necessary in a world plagued with complex […]
