Alberta’s private surgery push drains the public system
Outsourced surgeries have surged, and so have wait times.
Why it’s important: A new report says Alberta’s push to expand private surgical contracts has diverted scarce staff and funds from the public system, worsening conditions for complex patients. Since 2019, provincial spending on private surgeries has nearly tripled.
Cancer surgeries, which are done only in public hospitals, face longer delays as anesthesiologists and other staff move to higher-paying, simpler work in private clinics. Health Minister Adriana LaGrange dismissed the findings as ideological. But public ORs are sitting idle while resources flow to easier, higher-margin cases.
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23andMe is bankrupt. Millions of DNA profiles are in limbo
The company’s most valuable asset — genetic data — is up for sale.
Why it’s important: Genetic testing giant 23andMe filed for bankruptcy in the U.S., triggering concerns over what happens to its trove of health data.
The company collapsed after a 2023 breach leaked DNA-linked profiles of nearly 7 million users. Its data, already used by pharma companies for drug-discovery, can now be sold to new buyers for new purposes. While 85 per cent of users agreed to research use, experts say it's unclear how future owners might use the data. California's attorney general encouraged anyone with a profile to delete their data. In Canada, a privacy probe launched last year is ongoing.
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Other professionals could ease Canada’s doctor shortage, if we let them
Not every primary care issue needs a doctor. But public coverage still says otherwise.
Why it’s important: With 6.5 million Canadians lacking a family doctor, some experts say expanding public coverage to nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and other providers could unlock faster access and better care.
Alykhan Abdulla, a family doctor and board director with the College of Family Physicians, says the system clings to a 40-year-old model that funnels all care through MDs. Policy introduced in the waning days of the Trudeau government comes into effect a year from now, treating services by “physician-equivalents” as billable under the Canada Health Act.
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Ontario’s nurse practitioners are burning out — and speaking out
As Ontario asks NPs to save primary healthcare, more than half surveyed say they’re thinking of quitting.
Why it’s important: With pan-Canadian licensing expected in 2026, the stage is set for a predictable exodus of NPs to higher-paying provinces. Ontario NPs in publicly-funded clinics earn about 25 per cent less than their counterparts in B.C.
In a survey of 437 NPs, few reported being being “very satisfied” at work — just over 12 per cent. Advocates blame underfunding, low pay, and a lack of support, even as workload expectations sharply rise. “We’re doing much more with less,” says NP Aliya Hajee. She says NPs aren’t just supporting the system, but helping to hold it together.
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RFK’s public health purge will fuel outbreaks beyond U.S. borders
Sudden, sweeping layoffs at U.S. health agencies devastate disease surveillance and outbreak response — posing clear risks to Canada.
Why it’s important: Speaking at the bi-annual Canadian Medical Association summit, former CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden singled out measles, pertussis, and drug-resistant TB as major threats. “It may take time to see the damage,” he said, “but it’s really quite substantial.”
Frieden said the U.S. had a history of neglecting francophone countries in Africa with its foreign aid efforts, and that Canada could be very helpful in this respect. Senior New York Times health reporter Apoorva Mandavilli, who also spoke, said the gutting of domestic HIV-prevention efforts in the U.S. will affect Canada.
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‘I feel like I’m practicing medicine again,’ says US doctor who’s moved north
“Patients come in and they just talk to you, about doctor things. That’s a profound relief.”
Why it’s important: This firsthand account by a U.S. emergency physician now practicing in B.C. has struck a chord with patients and providers alike. Since we published it, it’s been widely shared by Canadians who recognize themselves in his reflections, and in what he left behind.
The piece explores how “defensive medicine” distorts care in the U.S., and how trust between doctors, patients, and the systems of which they are a part shapes the work. “Canadian doctors care for their fellow citizens in a system designed — however imperfectly — for the public good,” he writes. “That idea still holds power.”
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