2017
Marijuana advent calendar sales soar despite health warnings
November 26, 2017
It will not be tamper proof I’m quite certain meaning that it will be quite easy for children to get access to the cannabis-containing products inside. You don’t know what you’re getting in this package because there are absolutely no regulations. Stop trying to market inappropriate, unnecessary products to Canadians.Did a pot overdose kill a baby? Controversial paper on infant's death raises questions
November 21, 2017
And a letter in the most recent issue of the Canadian Journal of Public Health warns the addition of edibles to the market “will inevitably exacerbate the already significant and economic burden of food-borne disease in the Canadian population.”Daycares aren’t always serving the nutritious food they promise, Canadian study finds
November 14, 2017
But it is a problem elsewhere in Canada, according to a new Canadian study published Thursday in the Canadian Journal of Public Health. According to researchers at Université de Sherbrooke in Québec, the food children are being served at daycare centres may not always be as nutritious as parents are led on to think — especially in New Brunswick and Saskatchewan, a new Canadian study warns.New Brunswick child-care centres missing the mark on nutrition, study finds
November 12, 2017
The food served at New Brunswick child-care centres is not meeting nutritional recommendations, according to a new report published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health. Researchers analyzed the food served at 24 child-care centres in New Brunswick and 37 in Saskatchewan. "We saw lots of fries and chicken nuggets and fish sticks and elbow macaroni," said Stephanie Ward, a registered dietitian and one of the authors of the report, entitled "Lunch is ready … but not healthy."Inside the fight to label sugary, salty and fatty foods in Canada
November 9, 2017
The government and health groups were in favour of a simple design, modelled after a "stop" or "yield" sign. They brought up expert after expert who testified to the benefits of a clear, easy-to-understand symbol. But the food and drink industry reps were not having it. They termed it the "big, scary stop sign" and accused government of trying to "scare" Canadians. At the same time, they argued the designs were patronizing – overly simplistic, and not allowing for nuance or context. "Frankly, I think taking an approach like this is just not giving Canadians the respect they deserve," said Lewis Retik, a lawyer hired by the food industry to attend the meeting. "They're not idiots." As Mr. Retik continued to speak, one man who had been listening with growing consternation – Ian Culbert, the head of the Canadian Public Health Association – had heard enough. Video of the meeting shows Mr. Culbert shaking his head and grabbing the microphone to interject. Soon, both men were talking over one another with raised voices.How to resolve the planet's 'biggest health threat'
November 3, 2017
“Human symptoms of climate change are unequivocal, potentially irreversible and affecting the health of populations around the world today,” said the Canadian Public Health Association.Le changement climatique nous rend déjà malades, selon des experts
November 3, 2017
Le récent rapport du Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change avertit que si les symptômes des changements climatiques sont clairs depuis bon nombre d'années, les impacts pour la santé de la population sont bien pires que ce qu'on croyait auparavant. L'inaction au sujet de l'environnement met des vies en danger, tranche-t-il. C'est aussi le cas au pays, si l'on se réfère au volet spécifique au Canada qui accompagnait ce rapport mondial, auquel s'est alliée l'Association canadienne de santé publique. L'urgentologue canadienne Courtney Howard, qui exerce son métier à Yellowknife, est son auteure principale. Elle y fait état de plusieurs conséquences des changements climatiques qui portent atteinte à la santé des Canadiens.Is climate change making you sick?
November 2, 2017
Dr. Courtney Howard discusses her new report on how climate change is affecting Canadians' physical and mental health.Climate change is already making us sick
November 2, 2017
The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change report warns that “the symptoms of climate change have been clear for a number of years, with the health impacts far worse than previously understood.” These include increasing illness, injury and death from more frequent and intense heat, storms, floods, drought and wildfires, as well as the health fallout from crop damage and food insecurity, air pollution, water contamination, mass displacement and migration, and changing patterns of infectious diseases from animals and insects. The diagnosis is grim, the symptoms are worsening and no one is immune, says Dr. Courtney Howard, lead author of an accompanying Canadian policy brief. Global temperatures are set to rise up to 4.8 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, a level which would be disastrous beyond our ability to adapt. “This is about our survival, flat out, our survival to 2100 and beyond,” Howard says.What's the defining health challenge of this century? A group of doctors says it's actually climate change
November 2, 2017
What's the defining health challenge of this century? Heart disease? Superbugs? A group of doctors says it's actually climate change.