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Government funding cutbacks and a distrust in public health authorities means the world is not ready for the next pandemic, according to a report released Monday by the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB). “We are at a crucial time in the history of pandemic preparedness as a global community,” GPMB co-chair …
Read More »About 1/3 of Canadians are obese, and researchers saw a steeper increase during the pandemic
About one-third of Canadians have become obese — with more weight gain happening during the pandemic, according to a new study. The research, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) Monday, found that 32.7 per cent of Canadians (10.6 million people) were obese in 2023 — an increase of …
Read More »Canada’s unemployment rate ticks up to 7% in May, highest in 9 years outside of pandemic
Canada’s unemployment rate rose to seven per cent in May, the highest it’s been in nine years outside of the pandemic, Statistics Canada said on Friday. In its latest Labour Force Survey, the data agency says the unemployment rate has risen to its highest level since 2016, with the exception of the high …
Read More »Global pandemic accord adopted by WHO amid U.S. absence
Members of the World Health Organization adopted an agreement on Tuesday intended to improve preparedness for future pandemics following the disjointed global response to COVID-19, but the absence of the U.S. cast doubt on the treaty’s effectiveness. After three years of negotiations, the legally binding pact was adopted by the …
Read More »Alcohol-related deaths and hospitalizations spiked during the pandemic. Could policy have made a difference?
The COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench in Dr. Peter Butt’s retirement plans. Not because of an influx in patients infected with the new virus — but because he pivoted to an inpatient addiction medicine consulting service, and so many more people needed his help with alcohol use. “What we saw was … potentially …
Read More »WHO marks 5 years since COVID-19 came on its radar — it became the worst pandemic in a century
On Dec. 31, 2019, the World Health Organization first learned about what ended up becoming the worst pandemic in over a century. That day, WHO’s office in China picked up a media statement by the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission from their website on cases of what it called “viral pneumonia.” …
Read More »Online child exploitation almost quadrupled in B.C. from 2021 to 2023
Online predators are becoming increasingly resourceful in trolling media platforms where children gravitate, prompting an explosion in police caseloads, said an officer who works for the RCMP Integrated Child Exploitation Unit in British Columbia. Data show the problem spiked during COVID-19 when children began spending more time online — but …
Read More »Survivors of a frog ‘pandemic’ could hold the key to species survival
To put a disease that’s ravaging ecosystems around the world into context, biologist Roland Knapp describes it like COVID-19 — if COVID-19 had a 99 per cent mortality rate. “If we can imagine that, we can get a sense of what the impact is on amphibians,” says Knapp, a research biologist …
Read More »Piece by piece: Pandemic puzzle exchange in Cambridge, Ont. still thriving
Looking over the incomplete 2,000-piece puzzle laid out on a desk in her Cambridge, Ont. basement, Yvette Bellaire wonders how much the hundreds of puzzles she’s built over the past few years might’ve cost. Hundreds of dollars? Thousands? That’s likely the case since she averages about two to three puzzles …
Read More »Home reno spending was up $300B over pandemic, Re/Max Canada says
A new report says a boost in spending on home renovations during the pandemic has helped contribute to higher prices for single-family homes despite downward market pressure. The report by Re/Max Canada looked at the evolution of housing stock and trends affecting home values in the Toronto and Vancouver areas, …
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