Canada Healthwatch 🍁

Andrew Johnson shares the story of four U.S. nurses that relocated to Vancouver Island, B.C., after being enticed by a grassroots campaign they saw on TikTok.

American nurses leave the U.S. for new lives on Vancouver Island https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/article/american-nurses-trade-us-lives-for-vancouver-island-careers/
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A New Brunswick doctor says the amount of paperwork she has every week is overwhelming.

New Brunswick doctor says medical paperwork has increased 90 per cent https://www.ctvnews.ca/atlantic/new-brunswick/article/new-brunswick-doctor-says-medical-paperwork-has-increased-90-per-cent/
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Dr. Vinay Prasad.

FDA vaccine chief to leave the agency for a second time https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fda-vaccine-chief-leave-second-time-rcna262170
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Nurse practitioner Angela McGraw of Saint John, who treats more than 1,000 clients in four provinces, says the new billing policy could be a barrier to practise for some.

On our radar:

Questions remain about private-pay Nurse Practitioner clinics ahead of April 1 deadline https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/questions-remain-about-billing-for-primary-care-9.7115682
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The latest European Code Against Cancer says homes should be kept free of smoke.

Tackling air pollution should be part of government work to cut cancer rates, scientists say https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/06/tackle-air-pollution-cut-cancer-rates-scientists
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Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Lena Metlege Diab is pictured in her Ottawa office in December. She talked to the Star about the department's priorities and her personal experience in a role for which she has come under fire. Spencer Colby/ The Canadian Press

Canada launches new program to grant 33,000 foreign workers permanent residence https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/ottawa-has-launched-program-to-grant-33000-foreign-workers-pr/article_3f788d97-9446-4377-ae78-54f42ee686ca.html @thestar.com
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The WHO designated semaglutide – sold to treat obesity under the Wegovy brand name and diabetes under the brand name Ozempic – as an essential medicine last year.

Weight-loss jab could be made for $3 a month, study finds https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/mar/06/generic-drugs-weight-loss-semaglutide-ozempic-wegovy-diabetes-obesity-study
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Andrew Chernysh, 52, was diagnosed with ALS five years ago. He is paralyzed from the neck down.

Can psilocybin ease distress in the dying? Research shows promise https://ottawacitizen.com/news/psychedelics-end-of-life ⦸ @egpayne.bsky.social @ottawacitizen.com
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Quebec family doctors say the province's health reform is driving graduates away, after most unfilled residency spots in Canada this year were in Quebec.

Quebec health reform leads to drop in doctor recruitment https://www.ctvnews.ca/montreal/article/quebec-health-reform-leads-to-drop-in-recruitment-doctors-say/ @stephgiroux.bsky.social
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Alberta's Bill 11 allows doctors to perform some medical care in both the public and private systems.

One to watch:

Groups call on federal government to review Alberta's Bill 11 health-care reforms https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/alberta-health-care-bill-11-9.7116512 @cassandrabell.bsky.social
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Johnson & Johnson signage adorns a building

U.S. FDA approves J&J's blood cancer drug after speedy review https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-fda-approves-jnjs-blood-cancer-drug-2026-03-05/ @reuters.com
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US Secretary of Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. listens as President Donald Trump holds a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, on February 26, 2025.

RFK Jr.'s anti-vaccine policies are "unreviewable," DOJ lawyer tells judge https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/03/rfk-jr-can-promote-getting-measles-with-impunity-doj-lawyer-tells-judge/
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Pfizer logo

China approves pfizer's glp-1 drug for weight management https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/china-approves-pfizer-glp-1-drug-weight-management-2026-03-06/ @reuters.com
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios

AI brain fry: How ChatGPT, Claude overuse could impact your health https://www.axios.com/2026/03/06/ai-chatgpt-claude-jobs-brain-fry ⦸
↷ canadahealthwatch.ca/featured 🍁

Manulife says only 13.1 per cent of women aged 45 to 65 made a claim for menopausal hormone therapy drugs in 2023.

Menopausal hormone therapy is free in B.C. and Manitoba. Why not in the rest of Canada? https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-menopause-hormone-therapy-women-bc-pharmacare/ ⦸ @picardonhealth.bsky.social
↷ canadahealthwatch.ca/featured 🍁

President Trump urged pregnant women to avoid taking Tylenol in a White House announcement in September 2025.

Tylenol use by pregnant women in U.S. ERs dropped after Trump autism warning https://www.npr.org/2026/03/05/nx-s1-5732929/tylenol-pregnant-women-autism-trump-warning
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Medical tools are pictured in an exam room at a health clinic in Calgary.

Doctors and health groups warn Alberta's plan for two-tier healthcare will worsen wait times https://www.ctvnews.ca/calgary/article/doctors-health-groups-warn-albertas-dual-practice-health-plane-could-worsen-wait-times/
↷ canadahealthwatch.ca 🍁

mumps virii under microscopy

Measles isn't the only disease making a comeback. Mumps is on the rise https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/05/health/mumps-virus-vaccine-wellness?Date=20260305&Profile=cnn
↷ canadahealthwatch.ca 🍁

Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch, played by Noah Wyle, stars in the HBO Max Emmy winning drama "The Pitt." HBO Max TNS

Want to understand Ontario's ER crisis? Watch 'The Pitt' www.thestar.com/opinion/cont... @casinoshiftmd.bsky.social @thestar.com
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The provincial budget, tabled late last month, includes $34.4 billion in total health care spending.

Alberta promises billions for health care, but new hospital towers are still years away https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-health-budget-hospital-towers-9.7115208
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BC wildfire photo

Contaminated drinking water can last months or even years after wildfires: Canadian study https://vancouversun.com/news/contaminated-drinking-water-wildfires-ubc-led-study ⦸
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A mother and child at a health center in Rwanda. The child's condition was assessed by a nurse using the new ePOCT+ digital tablet , aimed at reducing the overuse of antibiotics.

Can a digital tablet cut back a country's overuse of antibiotics? https://www.npr.org/2026/03/05/nx-s1-5732471/antibiotic-overuse-resistance-rwanda-digital-tablet
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"Immigrants have kept Canada's health care system standing by delivering critical bedside care," writes Iris Gorfinkel. "Over 1-in-4 family doctors and nearly 1-in-3 pharmacists in Canada were internationally trained in 2022." Mark Adams TNS

We're blaming our overstuffed ERs, excruciating surgery waits and family doctor deserts on exactly the wrong people www.thestar.com/opinion/cont... @drgorfinkel.bsky.social
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People walk by the steam clock in Gastown in downtown Vancouver in December 2019. Experts say permanent daylight saving time would cut morning light exposure when the body clock needs it most.

'Scientifically not a good idea,' says researcher whose work informed B.C.'s daylight-time decision https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/bc-daylight-saving-health-concerns-9.7114947
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Manulife says only 13.1 per cent of women aged 45 to 65 made a claim for menopausal hormone therapy drugs in 2023.

Menopausal hormone therapy is free in B.C. and Manitoba. Why not in the rest of Canada? https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-menopause-hormone-therapy-women-bc-pharmacare/ ⦸
↷ canadahealthwatch.ca 🍁

Despite lower nursing vacancies in Alberta, concerns persist over the pace of hiring compared to that of population growth. Getty Images illustration

Alberta poached almost 70 nurses from Philippines since 2022 — but was it enough? https://calgaryherald.com/news/agreement-alberta-hiring-nurses-philippines ⦸
↷ canadahealthwatch.ca/insights 🍁

Parkside Pediatrics providers Chandler Hash and Nathan Heffington assess a patient with measles symptoms in Spartanburg, South Carolina, on 30 January.

Trump administration is failing to address spread of measles, experts say https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/05/trump-administration-measles
↷ canadahealthwatch.ca 🍁

Maria Sarrouh reports on the strain facing Prince Edward Island's primary care systems as three more doctors leave the island.

Thousands of P.E.I. patients left looking for family doctors as physicians leave practices https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/article/thousands-of-pei-patients-left-looking-for-family-doctors-as-physicians-leave-practices/
↷ canadahealthwatch.ca 🍁

Illustration: Nate Kitch/The Guardian

The world wants to ban children from social media, but there will be grave consequences for us all https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/02/ban-children-social-media-biometic-data-surveilled
↷ canadahealthwatch.ca 🍁

A spokesperson for Vancouver Coastal Health said in a statement that a group of specialist obstetricians from B.C. Women's Hospital had been providing on-call emergency coverage at VGH, but they have now ended their agreement with the hospital. Since then, the health authority hasn't been able to find alternative coverage.

Vancouver hospital should 'never' be diverting pregnant patients, says trauma surgeon https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-pregnant-patients-vgh-diversion-9.7115404
↷ canadahealthwatch.ca/featured 🍁