2020
How much should the public know about COVID-19 cases? It depends who you ask
31 mars 2020
The line between transparency and privacy is one that public health officials across the country are wrestling with, according to Ian Culbert, executive director of the Canadian Public Health Association.
He said knowing more about the outbreak in their community could help people follow advice from public health.
80-year-old quarantine poster offers perspective
31 mars 2020
According to the Canadian Public Health Association, the first known outbreak of polio in Canada happened in 1910 after the death of a young girl in Hamilton, not far from Dunnville. She had been misdiagnosed with rabies, a sign of the difficulties polio would cause patients and public health officials for the next 50 years.
COVID-19: Keep calm and hibernate
30 mars 2020
The Canadian Public Health Association recently likened our nation-wide stay-at-home order to that of a bear at the beginning of winter, writing “When a bear goes into hibernation, they do it for the health of their community and themselves… Hibernation slows the spread of disease and viruses among other animals during a season when immune systems are lowered, and energy is limited.”
But there is also a mental health component to hibernation, as the CPHA put it last week: “When it is time for hibernation, the bear can finally relax. All the stress of finding food, territory and a…
What happens if you eat poop? Effects, in children, and more
26 mars 2020
Dog feces can also infect a person with Escherichia coli, Salmonellosis, and Yersiniosis, as well as a number of different parasites, according to the Canadian Public Health Association.
Toronto Sex Workers Supported By COVID-19 Relief Fund
25 mars 2020
Sex work itself is decriminalized in Canada, but the industry is socially stigmatized and often on murky legal grounds. Government aid that requires legal identification or background checks may be invasive or impossible to comply with for survival sex workers, Ade Kur notes, a term the Canadian Public Health Association defines as those who engage in sex work out of “extreme need.”
Public has power in fight against COVID-19
13 mars 2020
Meanwhile, provinces created chief officers that operate at arm's length from the elected governments that appoint them. That’s allowed jurisdictions to respond based on local needs, like whether to close schools, while still co-ordinating national responses and reporting the data centrally.
Ian Culbert, head of the Canadian Public Health Association, contrasts that with the United States.
The Trump administration has had the White House take over communication from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and local mayors have often been tasked with informing…
Coping with Covid, federal government pledges $1 Billion
12 mars 2020
Ian Culbert, is the executive-director of the Canadian Public Health Association. He explains how the money will be used, and the unique aspects of this ‘new’ virus.
Two MPs are challenging party messaging on abortion, drug use - and putting their leaders on the spot
5 mars 2020
Erskine-Smith pointed out that the Canadian Mental Health Association, the Canadian Public Health Association and public health officials in British Columbia and Toronto have all called for some form of drug decriminalization. He also questioned whether Wagantall's bill enjoys the same level of expert consensus.
A Trojan Horse at the gates: Alberta Court of Appeal finds federal carbon tax unconstitutional
26 février 2020
The Attorney General of Canada defended the constitutionality of the Act on one basis only; namely, that it falls within the “national concern” doctrine of Parliament’s POGG power. Canada characterized the matter of national concern as “establishing minimum national standards that are integral to reducing Canada’s nationwide GHG emissions.” The Attorney General of Canada was supported by the Attorney General of British Columbia, Climate Justice Saskatoon, Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, Assembly of First Nations, Canadian Public Health Association, the International Emissions Trading…
Tiny pest, massive impact
25 janvier 2020
Benita Cohen says people who work in public health are "very concerned" about mental health — but the sector is chronically underfunded. As a result, resources have often been focused on addressing legally mandated activities such as disease surveillance, communicable-disease control — including vaccination — chronic disease prevention and maternal-child health. An associate professor of nursing at the University of Manitoba and director with the Canadian Public Health Association, Cohen notes that typically, public health hasn’t been mandated to provide formal mental-health promotion…