Primary Care

We are taught to fix the system – then forced to waste time in it

Every year, medical students across the country must resubmit the same forms verifying their vaccine history. Redundant paperwork like this is a symptom of a system which bureaucracy overrides basic logic.

Black mistrust is logical and rational: What public health policymakers must learn from Black communities

Black communities are not hesitant just for the sake of it. They are hesitant because of memory. They need structural change built from trust, not just crisis.

Rethinking mental health and substance use health solutions

What if you or someone you know needs mental health and substance use health care right now? Do you know exactly where to go to get what you need?

We can no longer afford the wrong leadership for our medical organizations

Choose leaders for what they can do, not where they come from. The right competencies will carry the profession – and the health system – forward.

Training more doctors is a start. Let’s make sure our health system is ready for them

If we want to build a resilient, equitable health-care system, we need to reimagine how we recruit, train and retain the next generation of doctors.

Building capacity to attach all Ontarians to primary care: The Patient Core Team

As the province works toward attaching all Ontarians to primary care, it’s time to re-imagine how we build teams to support this new objective.

Calgary has won its latest skirmish, but the fluoride battle isn’t over

Medical experts in Canada and globally agree that fluoridation is a safe, effective way to help prevent tooth decay, especially in children. Yet, strong opposition to the measure persists.

Beyond funding: Why money alone won’t save primary care

As a physician who has witnessed this crisis unfold over 40 years of practice, I believe we need to examine why increased funding alone may not be sufficient to address the depth of our current crisis.

Health care’s domino effect: Turning challenges into building blocks

The very system meant to save our lives is quietly collapsing. This isn’t just a slow-motion crisis. It’s a domino chain already falling.

Beyond the signature: Is consent truly informed?

Moving forward, making informed consent truly informed – rooted in both equity and accessibility –  needs to be a priority, not just an ideal.

Healing the healers: Servant leadership and moral injury

In medicine, service and skill are not opposing forces. They’re inseparable. One without the other leads to harm. Together, service and skills just might help us heal.

Approved but denied: Canadians with neuromuscular diseases face unequal access to treatment

We are told health care in Canada is equal for everyone. But it is not. Particularly for patients with neuromuscular diseases, what you get depends on where you live.

Fluoride IQ studies relying on individual urine measures are worthless

Despite claims from U.S. officials like RFK Jr., studies have found no relationship between IQ and community water fluoridation.

Managing the Pitt. Experts discuss how to cope with the stresses of emergency medicine

Rates of burnout among emergency physicians are still on the rise. Here's how some experts are managing the stresses of the job.

We all deserve high-quality primary care. Help us measure how we’re doing

People across Canada have told us what they want in a better primary care system. This survey will help us understand how far we’ve come – and what still needs to change to make their vision a reality.

The potluck cure: Sharing meals, swapping stories in the doctors’ lounge to ease burnout

We must remind ourselves that historically through food and drink, medical professionals had built-in ways to connect and get social support throughout our workday.

Better together: Where are the pharmacists in Ontario’s primary care plan?

We have said it before. We will say it again. Pharmacists in Ontario are well-prepared for an expanded role in our health-care system.

Competency-based leadership: A critical imperative for Canadian health care

Canada is in a moment that demands more – more wisdom, more rigor, more courage. Medical associations, like the government itself, are being asked not just to manage systems but to transform them.

How to keep pushing forward: Lessons learned as CMA president

"The CMA presidency has been one of the most challenging, and humbling, roles of my career, but also one of the most rewarding and inspiring. These lessons are a call to action."

Cannabis education missing in Canadian health care

The legalization of cannabis was a watershed moment for Canada’s health-care system – but legalization without education has left patients vulnerable to misinformation.