Lobster fishers catch fewer market-sized lobsters, and see fewer fertile females, in areas close to fish farms in Nova Scotia, according to new research led by Inka Milewski, a research associate at Dalhousie University in Halifax. Lobster fishers working in Port Mouton Bay, Nova Scotia, keep detailed records of when and where they fish and how many […]
Canada
Was euthanasia dispute behind CMA–WMA split?
A long-running dispute over euthanasia between the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) and the World Medical Association (WMA) may have contributed to the CMA’s decision to resign from the global medical body, according to some Canadian doctors. Read more in CMAJ.
If Canada needs more doctors, why hasn’t medical school enrolment increased?
Enrolment in Canada’s 17 medical schools has remained flat over the past several years, at around 11,700. In contrast, enrolment in medical schools in the United States has risen by 30% since 2002–03 in response to concerns over a future shortage of doctors. So, it might seem that a simple solution to Canada’s doctor shortage […]
How many doctors do we actually need?
In many parts of Canada, there is a shortage of doctors. The New Brunswick Medical Society, for example, says the province has 39 vacancies for family physicians and 50 new positions are needed to meet demand. In British Columbia, family medicine is in “crisis mode” with shortages across the province, says Dr. Shelley Ross, cochair of Doctors […]
Telemedicine on the rise but lagging in Canada
With long waiting times and a shortage of family doctors, many patients are looking for an alternative way to access medical care. Private doctor-on-demand services are stepping in to fill the gap, even in countries with publicly funded health care, like Canada. Read more in CMAJ.
Deportations on the back of consumer genetic tests worry scientists
Canada’s border enforcement agency appears to be using genetic tests and DNA ancestry sites to determine country of origin for would-be deportees. Geneticists in Canada are raising concerns about the apparent use of direct-to-consumer genetic tests and ancestry websites by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to help determine the country of origin for people […]
Canadian scientists welcome new research integrity policy
The government says it will do more to protect federal scientists from political interference. The Canadian government has introduced a new model scientific integrity policy to protect its public sector scientists from political interference, and the country’s research community, including high-profile chemists, applaud the development. ‘The government is committed to science and evidence-based decision-making,’ said Canada’s science […]
Concern over future of science in Ontario
Province’s new premier cancels media subscriptions and revokes carbon tax. Scientists in Ontario, Canada’s most populated province, are concerned about the future of government science in the province following the election of Doug Ford as premier. Ford, brother of the late Toronto mayor Rob Ford, has a populist streak and has shown little interest in […]
Political expatriate
US ‘national drama’ drives theoretical chemist to move to Canada. Theoretical chemist Alán Aspuru-Guzik was among many US citizens who talked of moving to Canada after the November 2016 election of Donald Trump as US president. Now, Aspuru-Guzik has made good on his declaration, and will begin a new post in July. He explains how […]
CMA position against separate regulations for medical cannabis draws ire and insults
A bad-tempered exchange at a medical-cannabis conference has highlighted a strong disagreement between the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) and some of its members on how medical cannabis should be regulated when the drug becomes legal. Read more in CMAJ.