Health

B.C. announced it will not seek renewal of its three-year drug decriminalization pilot, which began in January 2023, and the province said the trial did not deliver the expected results. Opposition parties and members of the public reacted with differing critiques.

Alberta Health Services confirmed that 21 of 42 family medicine beds at the University of Alberta Hospital will be relocated to Leduc, and the provincial government has ordered a public fatality inquiry into a recent emergency department death.

The chart compares life expectancy at birth across the 30 largest economies, showing that the United States averages about 80 years while people in Japan live roughly five years longer on average.

FaceGym's Lightwear LED Face Mask lets users customize treatments across four facial zones and pairs with an app to select red, blue and near-infrared light settings for concerns such as fine lines or blemishes.

An off‑duty Kelowna paramedic stopped to assess a man on a downtown sidewalk who appeared to be overdosing and was reported as stable. Emergency Health Services recorded 165 toxic drug poisoning calls in Kelowna in December 2025, a 34 per cent increase from the same month a year earlier.

Virtual healthcare has expanded in recent years and is increasingly used for both physical and mental health services because it can improve access, convenience, privacy, and lower costs. The article reports research finding little to no difference in patient outcomes between online and in-person therapy.

Winnipeg police will assign more specially trained officers to conduct random traffic stops as part of an annual drug-impaired-driving campaign running until March 1; last year 97 drivers tested positive for cannabis during that campaign.

NIMA has launched a new portable gluten sensor with upgraded detection technology, enhanced LED illumination, and improved battery life. The device tests a pea-sized food sample and returns results in about three minutes.

Alberta health officials and the hospitals minister will give an update Thursday on hospital capacity and a recent death in an Edmonton emergency department; hundreds of physicians have called for system-wide fixes amid recent provincial health restructuring.

Mount Sinai is reported as the first provider in metro New York to offer an incision-free, MRI-guided prostate treatment using TULSA-PRO. The announcement also notes that Profound commercializes Sonalleve, a therapeutic platform with several regulatory clearances.

Mattel announced a new autistic Barbie developed with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network after more than 18 months of collaboration, and the doll includes accessories such as a tablet with symbol-based AAC apps, noise‑cancelling headphones and a fidget spinner. The design reflects community guidance on features like a slightly averted gaze and a loose-fitting dress.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control, under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., revised its childhood immunization schedule, reducing the number of vaccines listed as routine from 17 to 11 and moving six to optional status. Ontario's childhood immunization coverage is reported at about 75 percent for seven‑year‑olds, and Canada has lost its measles elimination status.

New Brunswick health officials report a rapid surge in influenza A (H3N2) cases with higher hospitalizations and outbreaks, and they say the dominant strain is evading some protection from this season's vaccine.

B.C. announced it will not seek a federal renewal of its decriminalization pilot, saying the program had not delivered the hoped-for results. The province said it will shift focus toward building up voluntary and involuntary treatment options.

British Columbia announced it will not seek an extension of its three-year exemption that decriminalized small amounts of drugs, and the pilot is set to end on Jan. 31.

An advocate who helped shape B.C.'s drug decriminalization pilot said she is greatly disappointed after the province announced it will not seek a federal exemption to continue the three-year pilot, which is slated to end Jan. 31.

Alberta plans to test drinking water for lead and copper in more than 200 provincially owned buildings; the request for bids closed this week and the province expects testing and reporting completed by next spring.

The Hadamamo Mist is a 60 mL compact insect repellent formulated with weak acidity similar to skin pH and four moisturizing ingredients; it is designed for daily and travel use and is reported to be sweat- and water-resistant.

British Columbia has ended its three-year drug decriminalization pilot and will not seek a federal renewal; officials said the pilot did not deliver the results hoped for and that other approaches will continue to address the toxic-drug crisis.

A survey of 1,055 family physicians in Ontario found female family doctors spend about 15–20% more time per patient—nearly four minutes longer per appointment—than male colleagues, and study authors say this contributes to extra work and a pay gap.

A Harvard study found that between 2011 and 2019 former NFL players died by suicide at about 2.6 times the rate of former NBA and MLB players, and authors said multiple health and reporting factors may contribute.

Health Minister Josie Osborne announced B.C. will not extend its three-year drug decriminalization pilot, which began Jan. 31, 2023 and is set to expire at the end of this month.

A modeling study of nearly 60,000 UK Biobank participants suggests that combined small improvements in sleep, physical activity and diet could add about one year of life, while larger combined changes were projected to add more than nine years; the authors note these are theoretical projections rather than proven causal effects.

A UBC study reports that physicians and nurse practitioners face complex, time-consuming hurdles when assessing Track 2 MAiD applicants, citing eligibility interpretation, specialist consultation gaps, and impacts on patients found ineligible.

New Brunswick's health minister is considering adapting a Northern Ontario 'virtual home waiting room' pilot that let eligible non-urgent ER patients wait at home and receive text updates; the Sault Area Hospital trial reported shorter in-hospital wait times and high user satisfaction.

Avricore Health announced plans to deploy its HealthTab™ platform to 70 additional community pharmacy sites across North East London as part of NHS-linked cardiovascular programmes with Barts Health NHS Trust, with deployment expected in the coming weeks.

The Government of Manitoba published a web application that shows animal samples requested for rabies testing since the province took over the rabies program on April 1, 2014, and says the provincial program is coordinated by Manitoba Rabies Central; the dataset will be updated quarterly.

Alberta is replacing routine Pap smears with an HPV-based screening test, initially offered to people aged 50 to 69 with plans to expand to ages 25 to 49.

Quebec plans to finish a provincewide rollout of a more sensitive HPV screening test by mid-2026, replacing Pap tests and offering screening every five years to people aged 25–65; Montreal is still completing a soft rollout.

P.E.I.'s chief public health officer says influenza may have peaked and should decline in the next few weeks; the province has reported 61 hospitalizations this season, with two thirds of those hospitalized unvaccinated.