Government efforts to fight COVID-19 misinformation get mixed reviews as ‘infodemic’ persists
The government has done a lot to fight the problem of COVID-19 misinformation, and while experts and MPs are positive on what’s been put in place, they say there’s still more to do, particularly in the area of vaccine hesitancy. Since the start of the public health crisis, false claims have circulated widely in what […]
‘Parallel pandemic of racism’: Asian-Canadian advocates call for House study on resurgence of anti-Asian hate
Asian-Canadian advocates are calling on Parliament to convene a committee study to examine the “disturbing rise” of racially motivated physical, verbal, and online attacks against Asians since the pandemic started. In a report released March 23, the Chinese Canadian National Council’s (CCNC) Toronto chapter found that a majority of those targeted reported it was because […]
Post-pandemic recovery plan must include national Indigenous entrepreneurship strategy
The pandemic has severely impacted Indigenous businesses and requires an whole-of-government to prevent further loss, and to support the prosperity and well-being of Indigenous people. In collaboration with leading national Indigenous organizations, Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) undertook two COVID-19 Indigenous business surveys to understand its impact. The first, conducted in spring 2020, suggested […]
House Health Committee MPs vow to continue to press for vaccine contracts
Opposition MPs on the House Health Committee say the committee has been essential to ensuring government accountability during the pandemic, and are pushing the government to release the vaccine delivery contracts, saying they won’t let be letting it off the hook. “We want to see the contracts,” said Conservative MP Chris d’Entremont (West Nova, N.S.). “We […]
Closure of HuffPost Canada another hit to already battered Canadian media landscape
The closure of HuffPost Canada and HuffPost Québec earlier this month is just another gut-punch to an already battered news industry in this country following the economic wreckage of the COVID-19 pandemic. And Zi-Ann Lum, one of the reporters at HuffPost Canada, told The Hill Times that although she’s been “overwhelmed with support” following the […]
From disorientation to lockdowns to recovery: my year reporting on COVID
Following the one-year mark of the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve noticed more and more folks on social media asking and answering this question: ‘on what day did the pandemic really and truly start for you’? For me, it was March 16, 2020, when I checked into a hotel just off Elgin Street for the first of […]
A year into the pandemic, nurses are angry, exhausted
As the anniversary for March 11 anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring COVID-19 a global pandemic has come and gone, nurses across Canada are at their breaking point. We are exhausted, burned out—and angry. Nurses are on the front lines of the pandemic and our health-care system every day. We see its problems in […]
Swift federal action needed to close the agri-food sector’s digital divide
The changes facing Canadian society in this historic era cannot be understated. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced widespread adoption of technology to keep our economy moving and has increased Canadians’ appreciation for sectors, services, and workers that are deemed essential. But while most Canadians have increased their reliance on technology to stay connected, reliable high-speed […]
LGBTQ2 capacity funding a good start, but groups say it needs to be consistent and continued
A new capacity-building fund for LGBTQ2 community organizations has the potential to solve many issues the community faces as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, but some concerns remain among recipients, including over the lack of guaranteed future funding to maintain the capacity to be built. Announced Feb. 11 by Diversity and Inclusion […]
Feds’ investment in university infrastructure comes with environmental benefits
A year of social distancing has given many of us a closer look at where our homes could use an upgrade—a leaky tap wasting water, a drafty window sending heat outside, a furnace that rumbles through the night. Picture that on a much larger scale where a campus is home to thousands of students, faculty […]
