Experts, Liberal MP hope for full ban on sports betting ads as advocates cite mental health decline

This article is new today!

Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-10-30 14:50:39.0
Tags: [National, Ontario, Alberta, Quebec, Healthcare, Social Services, Governance]

Bill S-211, introduced in May 2025 by Senator Marty Deacon and sponsored in the House by MP Bardish Chagger, is currently before the House standing committee on Canadian heritage to restrict sports betting ads across Canada. Supporters including Liberal MP Michael Coteau and public policy think-tank Cardus cite a University of Toronto study showing gambling-related emergency room visits nearly doubled in Ontario, alongside a 161 per cent increase in helpline calls among males aged 15-24 since single-game betting was legalized in 2021. Provincial officials from Ontario, Alberta, and Quebec, along with the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, have raised concerns regarding provincial jurisdiction, overlapping regulations, and economic impacts on commercial operators like FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM.

New Metro Child Care Spaces to Support Recruitment and Retention in Health Care

This article is new today!

Source: Newfoundland & Labrador - Government Releases
Date: 2026-10-30 12:40:16.0
Tags: [Newfoundland and Labrador, Healthcare, Education, Social Services, Labour]

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is investing $1 million through the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement to fund up to 72 new child care spaces at the Unity Health Centre on Stavanger Drive in St. John's, operated by YWCA St. John's. Announced by Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Paul Dinn and Health and Community Services Minister Joedy Wall, the project provides priority access to all health care professionals to support workforce recruitment and retention. NL Health Services and YWCA St. John's endorsed the initiative, noting it will particularly assist workers requiring shift work and support gender equity in the labour market.

Canada Dental Care Plan working but costing more than expected: auditor general

Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-10-29 14:50:35.0
Tags: [National, Healthcare, Affordability, Finance, Social Services]

A report by Auditor General Karen Hogan found that Health Canada's Canadian Dental Care Plan exceeded its initial budget commitments by $1.1 billion during the 2024–25 and 2025–26 fiscal years, with an anticipated further shortfall of $2.4 billion by 2032 due to higher-than-anticipated claim payments per member. While the program successfully reduced average household out-of-pocket dental expenses from $536 in 2023 to $264 for users, the audit revealed persistent public confusion, with 560,000 members (16 per cent of those accessing services in 2025) receiving full coverage, while dental providers spent roughly an hour a day addressing coverage ambiguities and call centres struggled to meet quality metrics. In response, Health Canada engaged the Office of the Chief Actuary to provide quarterly actuarial forecasts to improve claim payment projections and financial planning.

P.E.I.'s mobile mental health program extended for another year

Source: Prince Edward Island - Regional News
Date: 2026-10-27 21:00:51.0
Tags: [Prince Edward Island, Healthcare, Social Services, Finance]

The federal and provincial governments have renewed funding for Prince Edward Island's mobile mental health program, extending the initiative through March 31, 2028. The program, operationally managed by Medavie Health Services, allows Islanders experiencing a mental health crisis to call and receive care from specialized professionals or dispatched mobile teams. Earlier in the year, provincial Health and Wellness Minister Cory Deagle noted that Ottawa was cutting over $29 million in health-care funding to P.E.I., which included $2.6 million for mobile mental health units and student well-being teams previously slated to end in March 2027. CUPE Local 3324 president Jason Woodbury praised the extension, noting the service helps reduce wait times for ground ambulances and emergency rooms.

Provincial Government Expanding Mental Health and Addictions Treatment and Supports Throughout the Province

Source: Newfoundland & Labrador - Government Releases
Date: 2026-10-27 16:25:55.0
Tags: [Newfoundland and Labrador, Healthcare, Social Services]

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador announced mental health and addictions system expansions under Budget 2026, highlighted by a $3 million investment to hire additional mental health professionals. Specific facility updates include four dedicated short-stay beds and six inpatient beds at the Humberwood Treatment Centre in Corner Brook, alongside recruitment for mobile crisis response teams in Carbonear, Burin, Clarenville, and Sheshatshiu. Furthermore, the province is expanding the Doorways program into schools, supporting Choices For Youth in developing Integrated Youth Services hubs, increasing funding for community partners like the Eating Disorder Foundation, funding sober living homes, and releasing the Hope and Healing Guide for suicide loss survivors.

N.W.T. gov't working to reopen Yellowknife treatment centre for children with complex needs

Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-26 11:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Healthcare, Social Services, Infrastructure]

The Government of the Northwest Territories' Department of Health and Social Services is working to reopen the Territorial Treatment Centre at 5218 52nd Street in Yellowknife, which has been closed since late 2021 due to staffing shortages under former operator Unlimited Potential Community Services. Three contractors have submitted bids ranging from $255,408 to $450,000 to complete necessary renovations to the nine-bedroom residential facility, including bathroom, kitchen, flooring, and furnishing upgrades. The initiative aims to provide local psychiatric and behavioural support for children aged eight to 12, thereby reducing the need to send vulnerable northern youth to out-of-territory facilities in Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan.

Denny Rodgers named N.W.T.’s new health and social services minister

Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-21 23:04:42.0
Tags: [National, Healthcare, Social Services, Governance]

Denny Rodgers, MLA for Inuvik-Boot Lake, was appointed as the Northwest Territories' new Minister of Health and Social Services by Premier R.J. Simpson following an acclamation to cabinet in the N.W.T. Legislative Assembly. Rodgers assumes the portfolio previously vacated by former minister and Inuvik Twin Lakes MLA Lesa Semmler following her sudden resignation in mid-September. Lucy Kuptana, who managed the department on an interim basis, will return solely to her duties as Minister for Housing N.W.T. and Minister responsible for the Status of Women. Meanwhile, a by-election to fill Semmler's vacant legislative seat in Inuvik Twin Lakes is scheduled for November 24.

Twelve New Sober Living Spaces Open in Prince Albert

Source: Saskatchewan - Government News
Date: 2026-10-21 21:00:00.0
Tags: [Saskatchewan, Healthcare, Social Services, Indigenous]

Mental Health and Addictions Minister Lori Carr announced $556,000 in annual funding to the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) to establish 12 new second-stage sober living spaces housed in two fourplexes in Prince Albert. Client intake began on August 7, 2026, with full operational capacity achieved on October 1, 2026, providing structured, substance-free, and culturally responsive environments for individuals continuing their recovery journeys. This initiative contributes to the Government of Saskatchewan's broader target of adding 500 new addictions recovery spaces across the province under the Action Plan for Mental Health and Addictions, bringing the current total to 414 available spaces out of the 500 goal, backed by a record $674 million investment in the 2026-27 Provincial Budget.

Q&A | Rise in tuberculosis cases result of more detection efforts, Nunavut CPHO says

Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-13 18:14:32.0
Tags: [National, Healthcare, Social Services, Indigenous]

Nunavut's Department of Health reported 32 active cases of tuberculosis across seven communities in the first three quarters of 2026, compared to 26 cases the previous year, though Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Ekua Agyemang notes the figures remain down from 36 cases in 2024 and 67 in 2023. The territorial government, with support from the Canadian Red Cross, deployed mobile public health teams to establish TB clinics in Iqaluit, Kinngait, Kugaaruk, and Sanirajak, alongside outbreak-containment teams in Arviat and Naujaat. Dr. Agyemang attributed the recent uptick in detected cases to enhanced diagnostic screening capabilities rather than an overall programmatic regression, while emphasizing that persistent systemic drivers such as housing overcrowding and food insecurity—partially mitigated via food hampers provided alongside Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI)—continue to impact disease transmission.

Behchokǫ̀ woman fights brain cancer and an 8-year wait for housing

Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-09 10:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Housing, Indigenous, Social Services, Healthcare]

Phoebe Nadezo, a 49-year-old resident of Behchokǫ̀, Northwest Territories, has faced an eight-and-a-half-year wait for a social housing unit while battling brain cancer and homelessness since 2015. Housing N.W.T. reports that 168 applicants are currently on the social housing waitlist in Behchokǫ̀, where the average wait time is approximately two years. While Housing N.W.T. has cited recent initiatives—including five modular homes near completion, 10 units under construction, and a $480 million joint territorial-federal investment announced in July 2026 under Build Canada Homes for up to 560 units—local leaders like Monfwi MLA Jane Weyallon Armstrong point to systemic failures, such as over 10 boarded-up detached homes sitting empty due to a lack of repair budgets.

Ontario Expanding Access to Dementia Care in Long-Term Care Homes

Source: Ontario - Ministry of Long-Term Care
Date: 2026-10-08 16:00:00.0
Tags: [Ontario, Healthcare, Seniors, Social Services]

The Ontario Ministry of Long-Term Care is investing nearly $13 million to expand the Improving Dementia Care Program (IDCP) and increase Behavioural Specialized Unit (BSU) capacity. Specifically, $3 million will fund the IDCP expansion to 13 additional long-term care homes—including Villa St. Gabriel Villa in Sudbury, which receives $247,545—connecting up to 1,300 additional residents to emotion-based dementia care models by 2027-28. Additionally, the province is committing $9.82 million annually in 2026-27 to fund up to 153 new BSU beds across five long-term care facilities to provide person-centred therapies and divert dementia patients from acute care hospitals.

Ottawa to indefinitely extend MAID exclusion for people solely suffering from mental illness

Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-10-07 16:45:05.0
Tags: [National, Healthcare, Justice, Social Services]

Federal Justice Minister Sean Fraser announced that the Government of Canada will introduce legislation this fall to indefinitely extend the Criminal Code exclusion of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) for individuals whose sole underlying condition is a mental illness. The upcoming government bill will also introduce provisions allowing for advance consent for MAID in cases where an incurable illness will eventually eliminate a person's decision-making capacity, while the government simultaneously opposes Conservative private member's bill C-218 for failing to address advance consent and using overly broad terminology regarding mental disorders.

Health Canada outlines plans for $144.8M in N.W.T. health care

Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-05 17:04:20.0
Tags: [National, Healthcare, Infrastructure, Indigenous, Social Services]

Health Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories announced a bilateral health funding agreement totaling over $144.8 million, making the Northwest Territories the first jurisdiction in Canada to renew its ten-year national health accord. The funding includes $51.2 million under the Working Together stream directed toward physician training and recruitment, primary health-care team integration, and mental health programming over the next seven years. Additionally, $70.2 million in federal funding matched by $23.4 million in territorial funding will support 16 infrastructure projects across 12 communities, including an MRI machine space at Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife, a CT scanner in Inuvik, six health cabins in remote communities, a community wellness centre in Délı̨nę, and specialized spaces for an Indigenous clinic.

Ontario Opens Kingston HART Hub, Replacing Last Remaining Provincial Drug Injection Site

Source: Ontario - Ministry of Health
Date: 2026-10-02 14:00:00.0
Tags: [Ontario, Healthcare, Social Services, Public Safety]

The Government of Ontario has opened the Kingston Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub at 661 Montreal Street, marking the final deployment of all 29 provincially funded HART Hubs supported by an overall investment of more than $560 million. Lead agency Addiction and Mental Health Services — Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington (AMHS-KFLA), alongside partners including Kingston Health Sciences Centre and Peer Support South East Ontario, will operate the facility to provide integrated care, primary health services, and over 50 transitional and supportive housing units. This opening officially replaces Ontario's last remaining provincially funded drug injection site, fulfilling a provincial policy shift prohibiting safer supply, supervised consumption, or needle distribution at HART Hubs while complying with 2024 legislative restrictions banning drug injection sites within 200 metres of schools and child-care centres.

Inuvik program to provide housing, transitional supports for men after addictions treatment

Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-02 12:28:10.0
Tags: [National, Housing, Social Services, Indigenous, Healthcare]

The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation is preparing to open the Transitional Housing and Recovery Program (THARP) in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, featuring a four-bedroom house with eight beds. The facility aims to provide men returning from southern addictions treatment with safe housing, employment readiness training, after-care recovery support, land-based healing, and independent living skills. Program staff are completing training and navigating final government guidelines, with a projected opening as early as the end of the month.

Ottawa must renew mental health and home care funding, health ministers say

Source: Global News Politics
Date: 2026-10-02 12:23:46.0
Tags: [National, Manitoba, Healthcare, Social Services, Seniors, Finance]

Provincial and territorial health ministers from across Canada are raising concerns over the impending expiration of $1.2 billion in dedicated federal funding agreements for mental health, addictions, and home care set to sunset in March 2027. The funding stems from a broader $200 billion 10-year health care funding pledge made in the 2023 federal budget, which included $4.8 billion targeted specifically for home care, community care, and mental health services over four years. Officials, including Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara and Canadian Mental Health Association president Marion Cooper, warn that failing to renew these targeted agreements will result in a fiscal cliff, leading to reduced community services and job losses in the health sector.

New federal petition calls for permanent health funding for residential school survivors

Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-01 21:42:25.0
Tags: [National, Indigenous, Social Services, Healthcare, Justice]

Winnipeg Centre Member of Parliament Leah Gazan submitted a House of Commons petition containing 930 signatures calling on the federal government to make health resource funding permanent for Indian Residential School survivors. The petition specifically targets the Indian Residential Schools Resolution Health Support Program—established in 2006 under the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement—which provides cultural, emotional, and mental health counseling and is currently scheduled to sunset in March 2028. Additionally, the petition demands permanent federal funding for the Residential Schools Missing Children Community Support Fund, which assists Indigenous communities in conducting archival research and locating unmarked graves. The initiative also renews legislative calls to criminalize residential school denialism via a private member's bill initially re-tabled in October 2025.

Provincial Government Expanding Humberwood Treatment Centre for Improved Access to Addiction Treatment and Recovery Supports

Source: Newfoundland & Labrador - Government Releases
Date: 2026-10-01 13:15:25.0
Tags: [Newfoundland and Labrador, Healthcare, Infrastructure, Social Services]

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador announced an $8.25 million multi-year expansion of the Humberwood Treatment Centre in Corner Brook, backed by a $3.75 million investment in Budget 2026. The project, designed by CORE Engineering, will be executed in two phases: first, establishing four dedicated short-stay beds for community-based detox and same-day or next-day withdrawal management starting this fall, followed by adding six additional in-patient treatment beds. Once completed, the facility will expand from its current 12-bed capacity to provide a total of 18 in-patient treatment beds and four community-based detox beds, aligning with recommendations from the All-Party Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Addictions and the Provincial Alcohol Action Plan.

'Massive structural blindspot': Alberta provides $300,000 to the Oxford House to support new pre-treatment beds in Edmonton

Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-09-29 22:11:53.0
Tags: [Alberta, Healthcare, Social Services, Housing]

The Alberta government is providing $300,000 to the Oxford House Foundation to support two new pre-treatment homes in Edmonton, helping approximately 140 Albertans annually. Announced by Mental Health and Addiction Minister Rick Wilson, the funding forms part of a broader $10-million provincial investment aimed at expanding pre- and post-treatment housing infrastructure. The houses will offer 24-7 onsite supervision, addiction counsellors, and recovery coaches to bridge the critical gap between medical detox and formal addiction treatment.

Provincial Government Delivers on Commitment to Strengthen Hospice Care in Central Newfoundland

Source: Newfoundland & Labrador - Government Releases
Date: 2026-09-29 15:30:40.0
Tags: [Newfoundland and Labrador, Healthcare, Social Services, Seniors, Finance]

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador announced an additional $400,000 investment in Budget 2026 for the Lionel Kelland Hospice in Grand Falls-Windsor, bringing total provincial funding to $2.7 million for the 2026-27 fiscal year. The funding builds upon an existing annual baseline allocation of $2.3 million to support specialized, around-the-clock end-of-life care, pain management, bereavement programs, and family support services. Operated in partnership with NL Health Services, the facility aims to provide community-based hospice care and relieve operational pressure on regional hospital resources.