Admins
Calgary clinic charging membership fees runs contrary to Canada Health Act: Health Canada
CBC News reported Monday that Calgary clinic was asking for nearly $5K a year for a 2-parent membership Health Canada says it has written to Alberta officials to inform them that the ability for patients “to purchase preferential access” at a Calgary clinic runs contrary to the Canada Health Act. “We are working collaboratively with the province of Alberta to ensure the clinic’s patients continue to receive medically necessary services free of patient charges,” the government department wrote in an email. On Monday, CBC News reported that a Calgary clinic had told its membersRead more
Day of ceremony planned ahead of dig for possible unmarked graves on Manitoba First Nation
Ground to be broken Tuesday on expected 4-week-long excavation under church WARNING: This story includes distressing details. Before the sun broke through the sky Monday morning, members of a Manitoba First Nation planned to start a month-long search in a good way. Spiritual advisers were to lead a pipe ceremony in Minegoziibe Anishinabe while a sacred fire was to be lit near where there may be graves of children who were forced to attend residential school. The sacred fire is expected to burn for the entirety of the estimated four-week-longRead more
Ottawa announces plan to phase out ‘inefficient’ fossil fuel subsidies
Environmental group says the plan still has loopholes Ottawa published its plan for eliminating inefficient fossil fuel subsidies today — making Canada the first country among wealthy, heavy-emitting nations to do so, according to the federal government. In 2009, the countries that make up the G20 publicly promised to “phase out and rationalize … inefficient fossil fuel subsidies” over the “medium term.” Such subsidies “encourage wasteful consumption, reduce our energy security, impede investment in clean energy sources and undermine efforts to deal with the threat of climate change,” said the G20 communique. Environment and Climate ChangeRead more
More storms could mean higher insurance premiums
Tornadoes likely covered as wind damage by most policies, says Insurance Bureau More frequent weather events in the national capital region will likely mean higher insurance premiums, but that’s an issue faced by communities coast to coast, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada. In recent years, the Ottawa area’s been battered by a flurry of storms, including last year’s derecho, six tornados back in 2018, and now one in Barrhaven that ripped shingles from roofs and left windows shattered Thursday afternoon. “These natural disasters are becoming bigger and more expensive in termsRead more
ERs face worse wait-times this summer, as ‘waiting-room’ medicine gets creative
No easy answer to the ER crisis, doctors say, as they adapt to challenges Staying in the ER for hours or even days waiting for a hospital bed should be seen by Canadians as unacceptable, says an emergency physician. But Dr. Catherine Varner, who is also deputy editor of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, recently wrote an editorial warning that emergency departments across the country face record-setting wait times and closures this summer. “There have been times over the last two years where I’m standing in our waiting room with many patientsRead more
Classic Hollywood cop car for sale by Ontario man who spent 20 years restoring it
Gord Pease has driven his 1981 Plymouth Gran Fury to car shows across Canada and the U.S. When you think of classic cars, you might imagine a Corvette Stingray, a Mustang Fastback or Dodge Charger. But not Gord Pease. The car enthusiast from Woodstock, Ont., went all in for a black and white, 1981 Plymouth Gran Fury that was once an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) cruiser. After two decades of logging thousands of kilometres driving it to car shows and festivals, Pease has put his beloved car up for sale. “It’s a very rare piece ofRead more
Demand for biofuels sparks Canadian boom. But will U.S. subsidies pull investment south?
Subsidies from U.S. Inflation Reduction Act will make it cheaper to produce fuel stateside Canada’s biofuel industry is seeing a major uptick in investment spurred on by growing global demand for biofuel and, in particular, the implementation of the country’s new Clean Fuel Regulations. In recent years, much of the investment in Canada’s biofuel sector has targeted the production of renewable diesel, a biomass-based fuel that is chemically equivalent to petroleum diesel and can either be blended with it or used as a replacement fuel. As that industry grows, so doesRead more
Spinach and sheep are showing us that solar farms aren’t solely for green energy
University of Alberta team grows plants under solar panels in laboratory test New work from the University of Alberta is looking to maximize the green energy that comes from the province’s solar farms. The practice is known as agrivoltaics — placing crops under solar panels, effectively doubling down on the efficiency of a booming solar energy sector. In this case, the crop is spinach. “In several ways it’s a win-win,” said soil scientist Guillermo Hernandez Ramirez, a professor in the U of A’s faculty of agricultural, life and environmental sciences. SolarRead more
Campfire ban in place for most of B.C., state of emergency for Stikine announced as wildfire numbers spike
British Columbia is imposing a campfire ban across the province, excepting only Haida Gwaii, as well as a state of emergency for the Stikine Region in the province’s northwest corner. “I think what’s clear to me is the climate crisis is here,” said B.C. Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Bowinn Ma during a media briefing Monday afternoon. “We are seeing more climate events, major fires and droughts. This is an extremely challenging time for people and communities. It is immensely stressful.” The campfire ban goes into effect at 3Read more
This single dad makes $75K a year. He can’t find affordable housing in Vancouver for him and his son
Karl Eaton says he needs a place to stay by July 31 Karl Eaton has been working since he was 16 years old. Today he has a full-time job with Telus, making approximately $74,900 a year, but the 55-year-old single father says his take-home pay isn’t enough to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Vancouver for himself and his son. “I’m gonna be homeless in probably 30 days if I don’t find a place that I can afford — reasonably afford — without it taking my whole salary,” he told The Early Edition hostRead more