Inequity

Backlash against call for equity in medicine is misguided

A backlash against EDIA (equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility) is gripping Canadian medicine. The reasons for this backlash are complex but ultimately misguided.

Financial side-effects of treatment can be devastating in our ‘free’ health-care system

Health-care providers must also begin to take proactive steps to ensure that patients are not only aware of the medical side effects of their care and treatments, but the financial side effects, too.

Financial toxicity: The relationship between cancer and poverty

Beating cancer doesn't always mean patients will lead healthy and fulfilling lives. They also face the challenge of staying out of the poverty cycle and debt traps throughout the course of their treatment.

A comprehensive approach is needed to address Canada’s food insecurity crisis

Food insecurity impacts nearly 7 million Canadians. There may not be a single “best” approach to addressing household food insecurity, but it is time for a more comprehensive approach to one of our most complex and urgent societal problems.

‘This place keeps me fed’: Langars coping with surge in users

Much like food banks, across Canada Sikh gurdwaras have been feeding an ever-growing number of people in recent years.

It’s not all pretty in pink: To prevent breast cancer, let’s stop missing the forest for the trees

Breast cancer rates, even among young people, are on the rise. For this Breast Cancer Awareness month, there's more we could be doing to prevent the disease before it starts.

Smiling to death: The hidden dangers of being ‘Nice’

Gabor Maté's new book, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture, explores how pushing down our anger and prioritizing the needs of others before our own are leading causes of chronic illness.

‘Data is powerful’: Demographic questionnaire adds transparency to Match Day

This year, the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) with the support of Dalhousie University, rolled out its pilot questionnaire to collect much-needed demographic data on residency placements across the country. Information gathered on race and Indigeneity, immigration, ability, gender, sexual orientation and household income of students could go a long way in ensuring equity among med students.

To tackle food insecurity, school adds hunting and fishing to reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic

Faced with rampant food insecurity in the Eel Ground First Nation, New Brunswick, one elementary school principal started the Kelulk Mijipjewe food program to provide nutritious meals and teach students about Indigenous food culture.

‘As a matter of policy, kids were hungry in residential schools’: The dark history of Canada’s food guide

Canada's Food Guide has its roots in controversial experiments conducted on Indigenous children and adults in the 1940's and 50's.

The Time is Now for LGBT+ Health Equity

Creating inclusive environments for LGBT+ clients has not occurred on a broad scale in Canada or elsewhere. The onus is on the health-care system and its leaders, from the local level to the federal government, to address LGBT+ health inequity. The lives of millions of people depend on it.

College must act to ensure equitable health-care outcomes for women, marginalized communities

Differences in surgical outcomes between men and women may be part of a larger gendered public health crisis.

Lessons learned in the collection of disaggregated ethno-racial data

COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on racialized groups has catalyzed calls for the systematic collection of data disaggregated by race. So we're sharing five key lessons we learned from collecting ethno-racial data for COVID-19 case management in B.C.

Ontario’s position on midwifery puts rural and Indigenous communities at risk

For the Ford government, midwives' demands for equitable pay are unacceptable. But instead of using tax dollars to fight midwives in court, Ford should recognize gender-based inequities, address the pay gap and invest in rural and northern midwifery programs.

COVID-19 and the starving student

Food insecurity among post-secondary students is not new, nor has it been caused by the pandemic. Rather, it has been a severe issue in Canada for quite a while. The image of the starving student has, in fact, been romanticized for decades.

‘We had to find our way in the dark’: Physician helps remote Sioux Lookout First Nations navigate through pandemic

Lloyd Douglas worked as part of the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority to protect Indigenous communities in northern Ontario from COVID-19. We're profiling him as a Pillar of the Pandemic.

Community advocate ‘unrelenting in making good trouble’

Angela Robertson, executive director of Parkdale-Queen West Community Health Centre in Toronto, is a determined advocate for homeless, racialized and disadvantaged communities. We're profiling her as a Pillars of the Pandemic honouree.

Vaccine Hunters looks forward to the day it isn’t needed anymore

During the pandemic, Vaccine Hunters Canada became a household name because the group worked around the clock to help Canadians get vaccinated. We're profiling the group as a Pillars of the Pandemic honouree.

Musician, aspiring writer – and one of Ontario’s toughest medical officers of health

Lawrence Loh, Peel Region’s medical officer of health, worked tirelessly to promote public health in one of Ontario's worst-hit COVID-19 hotspots. We're profiling him as a Pillars of the Pandemic honouree.

‘We’re doing this together’: Researcher advocates for transparency and community involvement

Kate Mulligan, member of the Toronto Board of Health, has kept the public informed of discussions and debate at the board while also helping empower front-line community health leaders. We're profiling her as a Pillars of the Pandemic honouree.