Legislative, Regulatory & Legal

Are Ontario doctors better represented now than four years ago? The jury is out, and the priority shouldn’t be less democratic representation. While we know that well over 90% of doctors don’t pay any attention to medical politics, their well-being can and will be affected by the quality of how their interests are represented.

A Kentucky man could face a fine of up to $750,000 or six months in jail for allegedly violating a quarantine order in the Alberta Rockies in late June. John Pennington, 40, was initially given a $1,200 ticket on June 25 after staff at a Banff hotel called the RCMP saying they believed the United States citizen was violating the Alberta Public Health Act during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A human rights adjudicator has ruled that the Manitoba government discriminated against a disabled Indigenous boy by not providing adequate health care. The province has been ordered to pay the boy and his mother $42,500. The case centres on Alfred (Dewey) Pruden, who was 16 years old when his human rights complaint was heard last year.

The Liberal government taking steps toward promised changes to federal drug policy, while looking at how to reduce opioid-related deaths during the pandemic. The federal government launched a national consultation on supervised-consumption sites this week, saying they would be seeking comments from a variety of Canadians, including those who operate the sites—and those who use them.

This past weekend marked the fourth anniversary of the defeat of the 2016 tPSA (tentative Physician Services Agreement) at the Ontario Medical Association (OMA). It marked the culmination of the efforts to mobilize almost two-thirds of the membership to vote against the deal, despite heavy pressure from the then board to approve it. In the aftermath of that agreement, there have been some significant and rather seismic changes at the OMA, and it’s worthwhile looking back to see what’s different, and what still needs to be done.

The Winnipeg Free-Press and the CBC have reported that the CEO of St. Boniface Hospital is not self-isolating after travel in apparent violation of Manitoba's current public health orders. A spokesperson for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority told CBC that Martine Bouchard returned to work at the hospital in Winnipeg on Aug. 10 from her home in Quebec where she'd gone in April and worked remotely.

Under pressure over his pandemic back-to-school plan, Premier Doug Ford ratcheted up his attacks on teachers' union leaders Tuesday, as critics said his government is trying to shift blame over the province's controversial restart strategy. During his daily COVID-19 media briefing Ford criticized the province's teachers' unions who have been critical of his plan to reopen schools, alleging it violates the province's own health and safety laws.