POLICY - HEALTH
Stronger social policies needed to boost resiliency, combat future pandemic threats, says Tam
‘To help us better prepare for any future pandemic, it’s about addressing health inequities, ensuring that our population is sustained and can be resilient to future threats,’ says Dr. Theresa Tam.
The new legislation must come into effect by Dec. 18 in order to meet the deadline imposed by a Quebec court after the September 2019 Truchon case and subsequent appeals by both the federal and Quebec governments.
Canadians elected MPs to act in their interest, or, at the very least, protect their interests. They are accountable and should be pressing to solve this problem and get rapid tests to Canadians.
It goes without saying that, with the second wave of the pandemic roaring ahead, Canadian leaders need to work much harder to reinforce the message that individual responsibility is the key to holding back COVID-19.
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The federal government's latest COVID response bill has $116-million to expand virtual care and mental health services. While Parliamentarians welcome the investments, some are saying it doesn't match the scale of the mental health problem facing Canadians. 
A national suicide prevention strategy, like those implemented in countries around the world, could go a long way in preventing the 4,000 deaths by suicide every year in Canada. Quebec's provincial strategy nearly halved the province's suicide rate. 
The view that opioid addiction is a moral weakness must be replaced with the realization that it is a treatable condition and one that is often the result of medically prescribed pain reduction strategies.
Eating healthy, keeping the alcohol consumption low, and exercising have been must-dos for me. Whenever I've felt I need an exercise pick-me-up, I binge watch The World’s Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji. It makes the virus just seem like a pimple on the arse of life.
The mental health and substance use workforce is severely understudied. As Canadians' mental health needs increase during the pandemic and beyond, measuring this crucial sector's capacity is key to matching mental health services with mental health needs. 
Access to mental health and well-being should not be the privilege of only the most wealthy or well-supported workers, argues Senator Kim Pate, who says a guaranteed livable income can help decrease poor mental health.
When our own lives are not in crisis, we fail to see how our neglect, self-absorption, disdain for others weakens the structure as a whole. 
Four Liberal MPs and health experts recently penned an op-ed arguing that challenge trials are worth the risk.
We have the ideas, the ability, and the social will to make positive change for our children, but it has to start now, before it’s too late. 
The racial and ethnic disparities in health care and unequal health burdens of refugee populations put them at disproportionate health risks from COVID-19.
Studies out of Trinity College Dublin in Ireland suggest 'there is essentially no correlation between received signal strength and distance' of two phones. 
'The core operating ideal within ... Ottawa is evidence-based policymaking and there are clearly other jurisdictions out there besides the U.S. that have done a better job in containing [the virus],' says Eric Miller.
With so much essential cross-border movement—including in the agricultural sector and to keep factories supplied—there will inevitably be some imported infections, despite continued tight restriction on non-discretionary travel.
Despite the tragedies of COVID-19, the recovery phase gives us an opportunity for significant policy renewal to help Canada’s sick. 
The committee noted that the Public Health Agency of Canada has yet to revise or finalize its guidance for long-term care homes in light of concerns about its current relevance. More policy stories
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