2018
Old rules but new pollutants: scientists ask for changes in Canada's pollution laws
12 février 2018
Diamond was speaking on behalf of a group of 540 scientists and doctors from across the country who want the federal government to update CEPA. The letter is in response to a recent review of the Act conducted by the House of Commons standing committee on environment and sustainable development that made 87 recommendations to strengthen CEPA.Feds face limits in fighting meth crisis
11 février 2018
he Liberal government says it’ll do what it can to help curb Winnipeg’s growing meth problem, but a leading expert says Ottawa can only play a limited role. “There isn’t really a lot the federal government can do. (It doesn’t) have a lot of levers,” said Ian Culbert, executive director of the Canadian Public Health Association.Food Guide revamp encouraging plant-based, low-meat diet is good for people and the planet
11 février 2018
As representatives of organizations dedicated to human health, we believe that Health Canada's recommendation that we eat more plants and less meat positions Canada as a leader in both the health of people and of the planet. Strong support for these principles was one of the main recommendations of the jointly-produced Lancet Countdown-Canadian Public Health Association policy brief. Plant-rich, low-meat diets have been shown to have modest benefits in terms of all-cause mortality, to decrease our risk of colorectal cancer and cardiovascular disease, and to improve glycemic control in people with diabetes. Low-meat diets also reduce greenhouse gases, land use and water consumption by a median of 20-30 per cent across studies, which is critical to maintaining planetary health and sustaining our ability to feed ourselves as we move through the 21st century.Front-of-package symbols proposed for foods high in sodium, sugar, saturated fat
9 février 2018
Petitpas Taylor was accompanied at the news conference by representatives of health advocacy groups such as Diabetes Canada, Dieticians of Canada and the Canadian Public Health Association, as well as the Retail Council of Canada. They lauded the proposed warning labels. "We've all heard the troubling news that, in Canada, diet-related factors are now the leading risk factor of death," said Yves Savoie, CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation.Health Canada wants to make sure you know your food is high in sugar, sodium and saturated fat
9 février 2018
The Canadian Public Health Association and Heart & Stroke both applauded the regulations. “Millions of Canadians are living with diet-related disease, taking a huge toll on their health and their families,” said Yves Savoie, CEO of Heart & Stroke. “Adding a clearly visible and easy to understand symbol on the front of unhealthy food and beverage packages will help steer people away from these products and support them to make healthy choices.”Health impacts ignored
2 février 2018
And then there is health. In 2009, a major report determined that “climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21st century.” In 2017, a report by the Canadian Public Health Association included in its recommendations that “health impact assessments” should be integrated as a core component of the federal environmental assessment process. Can we trust the offshore petroleum boards to include health impact assessments? Do we trust them to protect our health, as well as the fossil-fuel industry? I certainly don’t! Their track record would point to “no.”Two Toronto Police officers suspended after allegedly consuming edibles at work
30 janvier 2018
We speak to a member of the Toronto Police Services Board about the suspension of two officers after they allegedly ate edible marijuana, hallucinated, and then called for backup. We also dig into the effects of edible marijuana with the head of the Canadian Public Health Association.The flu pandemic of 1918, a reported in 1918
15 janvier 2018
In October of 1918, the Canadian Public Health Association’s Public Health Journal reproduced a newspaper broadside from Chicago’s Commissioner of Health and the U.S. Surgeon General aimed at informing “every man, woman, and child” about the disease. There’s nothing here that sounds strange today: if you get sick, stay in bed and take plenty of liquids; seek medical attention if conditions worsen. Most people, after all, recovered after 3-4 days. Death usually came from complications, notably pneumonia. As a “catching disease,” severe attacks could be spread to others from the germs of someone who only manifested mild symptoms. (Cover your nose and don’t spit!) The term of art here is “germ.” “Virus” in its modern sense dates to Dmitri Ivanovsky’s 1892 discoveries, but the word does not seem to have been in general circulation.2017
When pot is legal, do fewer teens use it?
18 décembre 2017
"I'm not overly surprised that there's a decrease in use because there's an increased awareness of cannabis amongst parents and guardians and other adults," says Ian Culbert, executive director of the Canadian Public Health Association. "It is a positive upside of legalization, that we're talking about use and why people use and how you use," says Culbert. "When it's illegal, we don't necessarily have those conversations, we just say, 'It's illegal, it's bad, don't use it, end of conversation.'"Details starting to come out about how P.E.I. plans to handle legalized marijuana
17 décembre 2017
I also suspect actual marijuana use will be much higher when tourists start flocking to the Island next summer. With some clever marketing, Canada’s Food Island could also become Canada’s Pot Island. Eating lobster on the beach and watching the sunset with some P.E.I. bud – sounds like a plan. But it’s a non-starter. The government says it isn’t planning to advertise legal pot, consistent with the wishes of the Canadian Public Health Association.