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Canadian Public Health Association

In the news


2019

Saskatchewan's carbon tax court challenge launches today

February 19, 2019

Thursday will be devoted to the government's arguments, with interventions from British Columbia, the Assembly of First Nations, the Canadian Public Health Association and several environmental groups.


Toronto condo owners asked for their dog’s DNA to solve poop problem

February 18, 2019

Aside from the obvious ick factor, uncollected pet waste can pose serious health risks. According to the Canadian Public Health Association, pet poop is often carried away by spring runoffs or heavy rainfalls and ends up in rivers and lakes. It then affects water quality and can lead to the transmission of diseases such as E. coli and salmonellosis. It can also be harmful to other dogs, causing infections such as Giardia, a parasite that affects the gastrointestinal tract.


Mandatory treatment? Decriminalization? As opioid epidemic rages, Canadians seek extreme measures to save lives

February 15, 2019

Proponents hope that this would help to destigmatize drug use and create an environment where users are able to ask for help without fear of prosecution. Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto have called for decriminalization recently as has the Canadian Public Health Association. Opponents are primarily concerned that decriminalizing will lead to increased use, particularly among those who may have been dissuaded by criminal penalties.


Carbon tax legal battle: Court reserves decision in carbon tax case, where high stakes are only certainty

February 15, 2019

Nine interveners followed Canada and B.C. to defend the carbon tax on Thursday, countering Saskatchewan’s allies the day before.

A lawyer for the Canadian Public Health Association called climate change the “biggest global health threat of this century.”


Carbon tax fight: Canada makes its case at Court of Appeal

February 14, 2019

They included the Province of B.C., the Canadian Public Health Association, and the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation – which is arguing that not doing something about climate change would be a violation of treaty rights.


Ottawa, environmentalists to make their case for a carbon tax in Saskatchewan

February 14, 2019

Groups that support that position in Saskatchewan’s court challenge of the carbon tax include the British Columbia government, environmentalists, Indigenous groups and the Canadian Public Health Association.


Dog poop piling up on public paths and trails

February 13, 2019

As a dog lover she was concerned about the diseases that dog feces can spread to dogs as well as humans. The Canadian Public Health Association lists nine human diseases that can be transmitted by dog poop, including E. Coli and Giardia.


Health professionals frame climate change as a public health issue

February 8, 2019

It had an immediate impact on air quality, Ian Culbert, executive director of the Canadian Public Health Association, tells EcoLog News. The number of poor air quality days plummeted, and hospitals saw fewer admissions for asthma attacks, particularly among children and seniors.

“I don’t think people are making that connection between climate action and improved health outcomes,” he says. In a country with publicly-funded health care, that's a pocketbook issue.


Canada to say sorry next month for past abuse of Inuit TB patients

February 8, 2019

During that period, about one-third of the Inuit population living in Canada became infected with TB, the Canadian Public Health Association has estimated.


Statscan could fill public data gaps if Ottawa increases funds, chief statistician says

February 7, 2019

Frank Welsh, director of policy for the Canadian Public Health Association, urged the federal government to bridge some of the gaps by circulating a memorandum of understanding where provinces would agree to collect statistics using a common methodology in areas such as obesity, injury prevention and cancer. “What would be a great step forward is to identify a core set of health statistics across the provinces and territories and agree on some methodologies to improve them,” he said.