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News Archive


2026 Ontario Health Coalition Health Action Assembly
Saturday January 24 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Sunday January 25 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Central YMCA, 20 Grosvenor Street, Toronto You can come in person or join by Zoom. Everyone must register to attend. Posted 8 Jan. 2026 By the Ontario Health Coalition THIS IS OUR MOST IMPORTANT MEETING OF THE YEAR. Hear local coalitions from all over the province report in on the fightback. Learn what the Ford and Carney governments have planne

Ontario Health Coalition
2 days ago


Ontario nurse calls recent patient deaths in Canada a ‘systemic failure’ of health-care system
Nurse Amie Archibald-Varley criticizes provincial leadership, saying promises to fix health care have gone unmet. Posted 2 Jan 2026 Devon Banfield, NOW Toronto Archibald-Varley warns healthcare delays are happening across the country, arguing that provincial governments must be held accountable, and privatization will only worsen the crisis. This comes after the recent deaths of Mandy Wood (left) and Prashant Sreekumar (right) who both died after experiencing delays in receiv

Devon Banfield
3 days ago


Dreaming of a bold and courageous health-care system for all
Don your scarves and pull your toques on tight. But is that winter frost or the bitter chill of progressive health policies put on ice? Dec 18, 2025 by Maddi Dellplain It’s been quite a year for Canadian health policy. Several controversial bills have come into play across the country, leaving many vulnerable patients and health-care workers wondering if they’ll be left out in the cold. This month, Alberta yet again invoked the “notwithstanding clause” to shield it

Maddi Dellplain
Dec 26, 2025


Canada doesn’t need another headline about doctors — it needs a plan
Dec. 22, 2025 “Canada’s problem is not a lack of potential physicians, but a failure of planning and foresight,” writes Dr. Debakant Jena. Dreamstime By Debakant Jena Contributor Dr. Debakant Jena is chief of orthopedic surgery at Medicine Hat Regional Hospital, associate professor at the University of Calgary and a first-generation immigrant to Canada. In May, 96-year-old retired teacher Dorothy Lamont placed a small classified ad in the Halifax Chronicle-Herald titled “See

Debakant Jena
Dec 23, 2025


Urge Minister Michel: Stop Alberta’s Two-Tier Health Care Law
December 11 2025 Canadian Health Coalition Alberta has passed dangerous legislation that threatens public health care across Canada. What's happening: Bill 11: The Health Statutes Amendment Act, 202 (No. 2 ) , allows doctors to charge unlimited fees at for-profit clinics for medically necessary procedures while also working in the public system. This is American-style health care that opens our system to private insurance corporations. Alberta is creating two-tiered

Canadian Health Coalition
Dec 13, 2025


The evidence is clear: universal pharmacare saves lives. Ontario needs to act
Dec. 10, 2025 By Robin Lennox and Adil Shamji Contributors Robin Lennox is MPP (NDP) for Hamilton Centre. Adil Shamji is MPP (Liberal) for Don Valley East. Both are physicians with experience caring for Ontarians. Dr. Robin Lennox, left, MPP for Hamilton Centre and Dr. Adil Shamji, MPP for Don Valley East, are part of a multi-party group of elected officials calling for universal pharmacare in Ontario. Alix Gould and Jenna Muirhead Across Ontario, too many people are making

Robin Lennox
Dec 10, 2025


Ontario to licence 4 private orthopedic surgery clinics next year: Jones
By Codi Wilson Published: December 08, 2025 at 1:44 PM EST Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones speaks at a news conference on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. The province says early next year it will be issuing licences to four new community surgical and diagnostic centres to perform orthopedic surgeries in Ontario. The move is part of the Ford government’s plan to spend $125 million over the next two years to ramp up orthopedic surgeries at private clinics , allowing the centres

Codi Wilson
Dec 9, 2025


Funding Cuts Plunging Public Health in Ontario into Crisis, Experts Warn
Ontario is facing a startling rise in infectious diseases, and public health inspectors say they know who to blame — Premier Doug Ford’s government. Public health nurse Betty Wu-Lawrence (left) and public health inspectors Merima Kostecki (centre), and Chris Eaton (right) speak to reporters at Queen's Park. Photo: CUPE by Richie Assaly November 26, 2025 Frontline public health workers are sounding the alarm about the state of sexually transmitted infections, waterborne il

Richie Assaly
Dec 8, 2025


Ontario forced to slow new medical school plans after ignoring warnings: AG
By Isaac Callan & Colin D'Mello | Global News Posted December 2, 2025 Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Medicine is seen, in Brampton, Ont., on Aug. 25, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sammy Kogan A lack of planning in the Ford government’s expansion of Ontario’s medical schools meant the province has created family medicine spaces more slowly than it had planned, the auditor general has found. As part of its plans to improve access to primary care, the government anno

Colin D'Mello
Dec 5, 2025


Ford government not cracking down on doctors’ overcharges and failing to fix doctor shortage, auditor finds
Watchdog Shelley Spence diagnosed a lack of effort to crack down on an estimated $1 billion in potential overcharges by physicians — including 59 who billed for more than 24 hours in a day. Dec. 2, 2025 By Rob Ferguson Queen’s Park Bureau, and Robert Benzie Queen’s Park Bureau Chief Ontario’s auditor general Shelley Spence speaks to media following the release of her annual report at the Ontario legislature in Toronto, on Dec. 2, 2025. Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press Premi

Rob Ferguson
Dec 4, 2025


Fighting for public health care
Tracy Glynn, Canadian Health Coalition November 28, 2025 With unprecedented attacks on Canada’s public health care system, hear from frontline defenders of public health care in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and B.C. who are using various strategies to protect Canada’s universal public health care system. From going to court to filing complaints, mobilizing experts and local activists, these champions of public health care are leading the charge for better Medicare. Monday, Decem

Tracy Glynn
Nov 29, 2025


Canadian doctors predict government actions will reduce access to health care
Hospital News Published on November 27, 2025 New data from the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) show that Canadian physicians are sounding the alarm over government decisions threatening the health care system. The findings reveal doctors’ widespread concern about the impact on patient care, workforce stability and physician morale. Recent government actions, such as Alberta’s Bill 26 and Quebec’s Bill 2, which interfere with doctors’ abilities to take care of their

Hospital News
Nov 28, 2025


Is pharmacare on ice? Health minister says no new deals with provinces in the works
Carney government's recent budget missing cash for nationwide expansion Marina von Stackelberg · CBC News · Posted: Nov 21, 2025 Only B.C., Manitoba, P.E.I. and Yukon have signed deals with the federal government to have contraceptive and diabetes medication paid for by Ottawa. With just four pharmacare deals, only about 17 per cent of the Canadian population is covered. (Amber Bracken/The Canadian Press) Canada’s public pharmacare program appears to be in limbo, with the fed

Marina von Stackelberg
Nov 21, 2025


Study links health-care privatization with higher mortality rates
CBC News | 20 Nov 2025 A new analysis from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives looked at 25 countries and found those with more privatized health care fared worse on seven mortality indicators. The report comes as several provinces pursue privatizing some health-care services. Mortality and health care privatization: A comparison between countries Written by Anne Plourde , Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives "The main finding of this analysis is unequivocal: there

Waterloo Region Health Coalition
Nov 21, 2025


Ontario's new residency rule dashes hopes of internationally trained doctor
He was the cream of the crop of medical graduates in India. When he came to Ottawa, the geriatric specialist was left applying for jobs at Tim Hortons. By Elizabeth Payne Published Nov 18, 2025 Ashok Kumar Biswas is an internationally trained doctor with a lot of experience who has been volunteering and working toward applying to be a resident in Ontario. A recent rule change that makes it harder for international physicians to apply has dashed his hopes. Photo by TONY CALDWE

Elizabeth Payne
Nov 18, 2025


Three lessons Canada can learn from Australia’s healthcare system
A recent international comparison of healthcare systems ranked Australia as the top performer—Canada was ranked seventh. Jason M. Sutherland 11/11/2025 Creator: AlexLMX | Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto Emergency department closures. Long wait times for surgeries and specialist appointments. Millions of Canadians without a primary healthcare provider . Healthcare systems across Canada are struggling to provide timely and equitable access to healthcare services—at a time w

Jason M. Sutherland
Nov 17, 2025


Comparing private and public surgery models in England, Scotland could inform Canada, experts say
CBC News: The National 11 Nov 2025 Video Length 2:10 minutes As some Canadian provinces outsource certain surgeries to for-profit clinics, new research comparing the models in England and Scotland suggests shifting to private clinics can lead to longer wait times, reduced hospital capacity and increased inequality to access to care.

CBC News
Nov 13, 2025


Budget signals lower increases to health transfers, end of funding deals
The signal from the budget is that health transfers, social transfers, equalizations — those things are not going to change. There’s no room for negotiation.

Sarah Ritchie
Nov 12, 2025


What the federal budget 2025 means for public health care
Canada cannot afford to not invest in public health care. Carney's first budget, released on Nov. 4, has money for hospitals and beds but fails to support the retention of health care workers.

Canadian Health Coalition
Nov 10, 2025


Join In the Fight to Stop Ontario’s Ford Government from Privatizing Our Health Care Services
The Canada Health Act bans user fees and extra-billing, but it only works if we demand that the federal government enforces it so that provinces that violate the bans are shamed into coming back into compliance.

Doug Draper
Nov 10, 2025
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