East West Information

Health Canada reviewing safety of controversial breastfeeding drug

Health Canada has launched a safety review of the psychological withdrawal symptoms associated with stopping or reducing use of a domperidone, a drug intended to treat gastrointestinal disorders but that's also used to help women breastfeed.

Jan 30, 2023

High costs and low rates are pushing B.C. providers who house people with disabilities past their limits

As the cost of living continues to soar, home-share providers are being financially stretched to their limit. And they're calling on the provincial government to raise room and board rates that have long remained stagnant.

Jan 30, 2023

Hay River, N.W.T., looks for ways to tackle deadly opioid crisis

Residents of Hay River, N.W.T., are answering fear with action in learning to manage the town's drug crisis. Last week, residents learned that six people in the town of 3,200 had died last year from opioid use.

Jan 30, 2023

WHO says coronavirus remains a global health emergency

The coronavirus remains a global health emergency, the World Health Organization chief said Monday, after a key advisory panel found the pandemic may be nearing an "inflection point" where higher levels of immunity can lower virus-related ...

Jan 30, 2023

Canadian doctors spend millions of hours on unnecessary paperwork each year: report

A report released Monday estimates doctors across Canada spend 18.5 million hours dealing with unnecessary paperwork. It highlights Nova Scotia's efforts to combat this and encourages other provinces to follow.

Jan 30, 2023

After 73 years of marriage, this couple is forced to live apart

An Ottawa couple has had to live in separate care facilities for 19 months, despite their children's efforts to reunite them, which one doctor calls a "human tragedy".

Jan 28, 2023

Doctors have nearly eradicated a 'terrifying' disease — without a cure or vaccine

When doctors first started trying to eradicate Guinea worm disease nearly four decades ago, more than 3.5 million people were infected. Last year, that number dropped to 13.

January 28, 2023

Jan 28, 2023

Baby with rare condition teaches lessons of resilience, unpredictability

When she was born in October, the doctors gave Amadea Dempster an hour to live. She was missing the top of her skull, had no visible nose and her brain was unusually structured. But she survived.

January 28, 2023

Jan 27, 2023

2 Vancouver Island area ERs to close overnight for foreseeable future

Two emergency rooms in B.C. will be closed overnight for the foreseeable future until the province can recruit enough staff to return to 24-hour operations.

Jan 27, 2023

Edmonton paramedic sentenced after narcotics stolen from Alberta Health Services

An Edmonton paramedic has been found guilty of stealing narcotics from Alberta Health Services facilities, while a second member is awaiting trial on similar allegations of theft from the provincial health authority.

Jan 27, 2023

Sask. woman gives birth on floor of a townhouse after being sent away from hospital

A Stockholm, Sask., couple says they will be skeptical about taking their three children to Yorkton Regional Hospital after their experience being turned away shortly before the birth of their now-one-month-old child.

Jan 27, 2023

With N.L. health-care in crisis, some MUN nursing students worry about what they're getting into

Some say they're wondering whether they want to join a system strained to the breaking point.

Jan 26, 2023

First Nations groups upset with exclusion from health-care funding talks

First Nations groups are criticizing their exclusion from an upcoming meeting between federal, provincial and territorial governments aiming to reach a funding deal to improve the country's ailing health-care system.

Jan 26, 2023

Flu, COVID declining in Ontario but new variant gaining ground, top doctor says

Ontario's top doctor says even though COVID-19 and flu activity is declining, the province "must remain vigilant" as a more transmissible variant gains ground.

Jan 26, 2023

COVID-19 misinformation cost at least 2,800 lives and $300M, new report says

The spread of COVID-19 misinformation in Canada cost at least 2,800 lives and $300 million in hospital expenses over nine months of the pandemic, according to estimates in a new report out Thursday.

Jan 26, 2023

The COVID emergency might end after 3 long years — but the virus is still a threat

On Friday, a World Health Organization committee is meeting to consider whether the COVID-19 pandemic still represents a global public health emergency. Multiple experts say that regardless the decision, this virus will remain a threat for years to ...

Jan 25, 2023

Care hasn't improved after Ontario's 2021 PSW changes, advocates say

Personal support workers and people who rely on them say 2021 legislation meant to create regulations and consistency in training has had no effect on the care they receive.

January 25, 2023

Jan 25, 2023

Immigration requirements are driving new doctors away from N.S., says medical resident

A family medicine resident from India says the requirement for medical graduates to become permanent residents before beginning a residency in the province is a barrier for many aspiring doctors.

January 25, 2023

Jan 24, 2023

New Brunswick seeks nurses from Quebec amid health-care worker shortage

A widespread shortage of health-care workers increasingly has provinces competing with one another to try to attract qualified nurses, but experts say trying to hire from elsewhere in Canada will not address the root cause of staffing shortages.

Jan 24, 2023

Cape Breton doctor says some patients risking health by avoiding ER

A Cape Breton doctor says some patients are taking big risks by choosing the urgent treatment centre over the emergency department in Sydney, N.S.

Jan 24, 2023

Alberta Health redirects thousands of orthopedic surgeries to independent clinics to tackle backlog

Alberta Health Minister Jason Copping says more than 3,000 publicly funded hip and knee surgeries will be done at Canadian Surgery Solutions, an independent health-care facility.

Jan 24, 2023

Hangover headaches are the least of your worries. Scientists say drinking can be hard on the brain

It’s no secret that a night of drinking can rattle your head. But what does science say about how it affects your brain? Research suggests alcohol can negatively affect mental health conditions or hike the risk of cognitive issues and dementia — and...

Jan 23, 2023

Federal minister reports 'a lot of progress' in health-care talks with provinces

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Monday that ongoing federal-provincial talks on the Canada Health Transfer are going well — and there could be a summit between the prime minister and the premiers in the coming ...

Jan 23, 2023

Her kidneys are failing. Why this woman isn't counting on Ontario's organ wait list

In an effort to avoid dialysis and the province's organ wait list, Simcoe, Ont., resident Christina Meyer, who was diagnosed with kidney disease at 18 and is now 50, has taken her search for a living donor to social media.

Jan 23, 2023

I am not a wheelchair

Lisa Freeman is tired of having to speak up when people refer to her as "a wheelchair" — the inanimate object she uses. She writes about why language and treatment of people in wheelchairs matters.

Jan 23, 2023

Public opinion pushed provinces, Ottawa into alignment over health care, N.B. premier says

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs says rising pressure from the public was a key force in driving provinces and the federal government toward a deal on health-care funding.

Jan 22, 2023

Quebec health minister apologizes for end-of-life care for Robert Bourassa's widow at St. Mary's Hospital

The regional health board that oversees Montreal's St. Mary's Hospital says it will investigate the treatment Andrée Simard received there after her family said she suffered needlessly in her final days.

January 22, 2023

Jan 20, 2023

Ontario to pay tuition for more nurses, paramedics, lab technicians who work in underserved areas

An Ontario government program that pays for tuition and books for nurses who agree to work for two years in the city where they studied is expanding to include similar funding for paramedics and lab technicians, Premier Doug Ford said in London on F...

Jan 20, 2023

Family doctor says he's overworked and overregulated, and $400K in debt

Dr. Jamil Sawaya, a family physician in Saskatoon, says an often overlooked part of the problem of Canada's family doctor shortage is that for people coming out of medical school, family medicine is a much less appealing choice than other options. ...

Jan 20, 2023

Get your booster dose as new Omicron offshoot spreads: Canada's top doctor

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, urged people to get their booster shots Friday as COVID-19 activity continues to fluctuate in the country.

Jan 20, 2023

Feds are 'confident' there will soon be a deal on health-care funding

Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said Friday there's been a breakthrough in ongoing federal-provincial talks on the future of health-care funding.

Jan 20, 2023

First responders prepared to strike at noon after 'serious move' by employer, union leader says

First responders with eight ambulance services owned by one man are prepared to walk off the job today, after what they call a "serious move" by their employer "against one of our members."

Jan 20, 2023

Hidden camera investigation finds Canadian man peddling unproven cancer treatments in Mexico

The self-described "Doc of Detox" was exposed nearly 30 years ago for selling fake HIV cures in Toronto. Now, he's peddling unproven and harmful treatments for everything from chronic pain to cancer, according to a Marketplace investigatio...

Jan 19, 2023

How untreated hearing loss can affect the health of Black Canadians

Audiologist Dekota Clayton is holding an information session in the Preston Township next week to talk about how untreated hearing loss can affect members of Black communities.

Jan 19, 2023

Premier says new plan will speed up process for health-care workers moving to Ontario

Ford says the legislation, coming next month, will get rid of 'bureaucratic delays.'

Jan 19, 2023

Documents show Quebec has known about problems at Lakeshore ER for years

The Quebec government was made aware of an array of problems at the Lakeshore General Hospital emergency room in Montreal’s West Island prior to the pandemic but failed to move quickly to address them, documents show.

Jan 19, 2023

Report supports centralized Alberta EMS dispatch, but communities still have concerns

A report released by the Alberta government has done little to assuage the concerns of municipalities in Alberta who have been opposing the centralization of EMS dispatch.

Jan 19, 2023

Dad of B.C. man who died after leaving psychiatric hospital asks why care team didn't involve family

Family and friends of an entrepreneur from Squamish, B.C., are speaking out about what they see as a failure of a policy meant to ensure relatives are included whenever possible if their loved ones are hospitalized during a mental health crisis.

Jan 19, 2023

P.E.I. behind national benchmark for cataract surgery wait times

Pierre Filion still has enough eyesight to read, though he sometimes has to use a magnifying glass for prescription labels and other small type.

Jan 19, 2023

Alberta now offering accelerated licensing for internationally trained doctors, specialists

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta has announced a five-year pilot project to bring more doctors to the province faster, amid an ongoing shortage and strained emergency departments.

Jan 19, 2023

Rural Sask. lacking support for drug users, says woman in recovery

The executive director of a safe consumption site in Saskatoon says all drugs being tested by users are coming back positive for fentanyl. But treatment beds and drug testing strips are among the supports that are difficult to access in rural Saskat...

Jan 18, 2023

Air Canada lost her stepdad's custom wheelchair. One advocate says it's 'not a one-off'

A Brantford, Ont., man has been stranded in Chile without his custom wheelchair after his stepdaughter says Air Canada lost it.

January 18, 2023

Jan 18, 2023

Family of Stephanie Warriner files $16M lawsuit against hospital, guards over alleged 'reckless' force

The family of Stephanie Warriner, who died after being restrained chest-down by security guards at a Toronto hospital in May 2020, has filed a $16-million lawsuit against the hospital network and the guards involved — alleging her death was the dire...

January 18, 2023

Jan 18, 2023

Health officials to announce changes to emergency departments

A news conference this morning will announce changes coming to emergency departments aimed at improving care.

January 18, 2023

Jan 17, 2023

Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital ER closed overnight after nurse sit-in

The Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital's emergency room was closed overnight Monday, with only the most urgent cases being accepted. It is set to reopen at 8 a.m. Tuesday morning.

January 17, 2023

Jan 16, 2023

Honour late lieutenant-governor David Onley by making Ontario accessible, advocates, friends say

Friends and fellow advocates of former lieutenant-governor of Ontario David Onley say honouring his legacy is not only about remembering the man that he was, but taking on his fight for increased accessibility in the province and Canada at large.

January 16, 2023

Jan 16, 2023

Trudeau suggests 'positive' news on health-care talks with provinces could come soon

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday he hopes to announce "positive steps forward in the very near future" on health care — suggesting the years-long standoff between Ottawa and the provinces over health-care funding may be resol...

January 16, 2023

Jan 16, 2023