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Report reveals ‘alarming trend’ of private staffing agencies in Ontario hospitals

New report reveals growth in government funding on Ontario’s public hospital systems has been significantly outpaced by spending on private staffing agencies.

Constant recruiting, training makes it harder for Monarch to provide client support

“It seems like we are continuously posting for new people because we really are viewed as a stepping stone,” says Roxane Zuck, Monarch Recovery Services' Chief Executive Officer.

Municipal funding helps but staffing challenges remain

Michelle Spencer gets emotional when she speaks about the passion of the team she works with at the District of Kenora Homes and Community Support Services.

‘The pressure is on the recruitment side’: Wage gap a challenge for Algonquin Family Health Team

Chief Executive Officer Janine van den Heuvel says the Algonquin Family Health Teams' has largely managed to avert staffing shortages and turmoil caused by a steep wage gap in the community health sector – so far.

‘It’s not about greed, it’s about need’: Wage gap reduces patient access at primary care clinic

Amanda Rainville, a nurse practitioner and executive director at a rural primary care clinic in Capreol, Ont., says she feels the impact of the wage gap in the community health sector on a daily basis.

Wage gap boosts ‘make it that much harder to recruit’

Competition for qualified staff willing to work on the front lines of the community support services is growing fiercer, says Janet Williams, Vice President of Human Resources, CHATS-Community & Home Assistance to Seniors.

LifeLabs strike highlights risks of foreign ownership in Canadian health care

The months-long strike at British Columbia’s LifeLabs has raised questions about foreign ownership of medical services and Canadians’ health data.

How health care works in Canada: What to know ahead of the federal election

With voters heading to the polls on April 28, we figured it’s time for a refresher on how health policy is made and where the parties stand.

End of substance use and addiction program funding ‘very, very short-sighted’

On March 31, the federal funding for 22 safer supply initiatives across the country expired. Unless provinces step in, many patients will be left with few options.

Health care and the Canadian election: What experts are hoping to hear

Canadian health-care leaders will be listening closely to what our federal politicians have to say on the campaign trail. This is what they hope to hear from candidates this election.

Canada’s first Clade I mpox case a wake-up call for public health

Canada has an opportunity to prevent sustained Clade I mpox transmission, but only if decisive action is taken now.

Failing those in need 

Health care for undocumented people living in Canada is fractured. We need a comprehensive plan to help the most vulnerable among us, otherwise they will fall through the cracks.

Pregnancy with HIV: Breaking down barriers and overcoming stigma

Maria's experience highlights the need for better training on HIV management in maternity care. No woman should feel like an outsider or unwanted during the very time when she is bringing life into the world.

Death ‘is not a medical process. It shouldn’t be made one’: Suicide pod stirs controversy among right-to-die proponents

Sarco, the world’s first suicide pod, is stirring up controversy amongst right-to-die proponents as an ongoing criminal case takes place.

The Innocents Aboard (a bike)

I imagine what it will be like for drivers when bike lanes are gone and seeing cyclists will be a surprise. As a physician, I worry I will be the first to see the aftermath of these decisions.

‘I wish he would have just hit me’: Bill criminalizing ‘insidious’ form of domestic abuse dies with prorogation

Coercive control, a form of intimate partner violence, was nearly criminalized in Canada before parliament was prorogued on Jan. 6. Will new Parliament revive it?

‘Nobody prepares you for this part of the journey’: Four women discuss life after breast cancer

Breast cancer rates are increasing for women in their 20s to 40s. Four women share how life looks after breast cancer and how they contended with challenges they never saw coming.

Guelph braces for ‘devastating impacts’ as supervised consumption site set to close

As Guelph’s only supervised consumption site prepares to close March 31, advocates warn people will die and the surrounding community will suffer.

Charity fills the gap in pet fostering services for struggling community members in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside

For The Homies - Downtown Eastside Pet Support Society is a new grassroots organization offering much-needed pet fostering and other pet services for community members and their furry friends.

‘The first time students see a patient of colour should not be in hospital’: The need for diverse patient actors

Advocate groups say increasing patient actor diversity is crucial to prepare Ontario’s future doctors to care for the province’s increasingly diverse patient population.