Health

A CAMH survey of more than 3,000 Ontario adults found that while long‑term alcohol use in Canada has declined, people who drink are consuming more than before the COVID‑19 pandemic, with increases in daily drinking and weekly binge drinking.

Ocado has launched a Weight Management aisle on its UK online store after research found nearly 73% of respondents wanted guidance on items that support preserving lean muscle when using GLP-1 medications. The aisle features products such as Holland & Barrett’s nutrient-dense range and M&S high-protein meals under 600 calories.

The Alberta NDP is urging Premier Danielle Smith to acknowledge overcrowded emergency departments as a crisis, citing warnings from doctors and the Alberta Medical Association.

Health officials issued a national recall for No Name frozen beef burgers after E. coli O157:H7 was detected in Canadian Food Inspection Agency testing; the CFIA reports no illnesses so far.

A Charter challenge in B.C. Supreme Court was launched by Dying With Dignity Canada and the parents of Sam O'Neill after she was transferred from St. Paul’s Hospital in 2023 to receive medical assistance in dying. The case questions a provincial exemption that allows publicly funded faith-based hospitals to refuse MAID on religious grounds.

The province says the number of Ontarians without a regular primary-care provider fell to 1.98 million from about 2.5 million in 2023, and more than 275,000 people were newly enrolled in the first nine months of 2025; officials also noted some of the change follows an agreed refinement in how unattached patients are counted.

A judge has ordered a mental fitness assessment for Jongwon Ham, who is charged with first-degree murder in the October 2022 death of Burnaby RCMP Const. Shaelyn Yang; the scheduled trial was adjourned pending the assessment.

Mattel introduced an autistic Barbie as part of a line focused on diversity and inclusion, developed with input from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. The doll includes features such as slightly averted eyes and articulated elbows and wrists intended to reflect some behaviors associated with autism.

Proceedings began in B.C. Supreme Court after the family of Samantha O'Neill, joined by Dying With Dignity Canada and a palliative care doctor, challenged a policy that requires transfers from Providence Health Care facilities for medical assistance in dying; the trial is expected to run about four weeks with closing arguments in mid‑April.

Site work has started at 1453 McGill Rd in Kamloops for a 55‑unit supportive housing project, with operators saying they expect to welcome residents in summer 2026.

Ontario's health minister said the province's flu season appeared to peak over the Christmas holidays and acknowledged it strained hospitals; critics noted the chief medical officer did not hold a public briefing to promote vaccination.

Researchers at The Lundquist Institute report that the gene PTRH2 helps the maternal heart adapt to pregnancy, and that loss of PTRH2 in mouse models caused severe postpartum heart failure and persistent heart enlargement.

A Centre for Addiction and Mental Health study reports overall alcohol use in Ontario fell slightly since 2019, but weekly binge drinking, daily drinking among drinkers, and symptoms of alcohol dependence remain higher than pre-pandemic levels.

A Nature Communications paper from The Lundquist Institute reports that loss of the PTRH2 protein in mouse models caused severe postpartum heart failure, and the authors describe PTRH2 as a previously unrecognized molecular safeguard in the heart.

Police say hospital security entered a room at Royal University Hospital after a reported firearm and a physical altercation followed; the patient, identified by CBC as Trevor Dubois, became unresponsive and later died, and the investigation is ongoing.

Sask. NDP says hospitals face growing safety concerns after a patient died following a physical altercation with hospital security at Royal University Hospital; Saskatoon police and the coroner's office are investigating and the SHA has declared the case a critical incident.

A constitutional challenge to a B.C. policy that allows religiously affiliated health providers to opt out of offering medical assistance in dying is proceeding to court; plaintiffs include the parents of a patient who was transferred to receive MAID in April 2023.

Ontario announced a four per cent increase in targeted funding for small and rural hospitals, but leaders in northeastern facilities say the allocations still leave them expecting deficits before the end-of-March budget deadline.

The Portfolio Diet is a plant-focused eating pattern endorsed by major heart organizations and supported by clinical trials showing substantial LDL cholesterol reductions; even partial adherence has been linked to measurable declines in LDL levels.

The Alberta Medical Association has asked the province to declare a public health state of emergency amid overcrowding in Edmonton hospitals; the provincial government says it is using available resources and does not view a public health emergency as useful.

A USOPC clinical psychologist, Emily Clark, is leading mental health and performance support for Team USA ahead of the Winter Games in Italy on Feb. 6; she emphasizes focusing on process and sleep as key elements of performance.

Researchers report an AI called SleepFM that was trained on about 585,000 hours of polysomnography and can use one night of sleep data to predict risk for many future conditions, including some cancers, dementia and heart disease.

Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy pill is the first FDA‑approved oral GLP‑1 medicine for adults with obesity and is now widely available in the United States. The starting self-pay dose (1.5 mg) is listed at $149 per month.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control announced a reduction in routine childhood vaccine recommendations from 17 to 11. Canadian health officials say Canada will continue its own evidence-based vaccine recommendations.

Ontario Provincial Police lifted a shelter-in-place in Simcoe and confirmed two people were taken into custody.

Innisfree launched Green Tea Ceramide Milk, a milky toner combining Super Green Tea™ extract and ceramides to boost hydration and support the skin's moisture barrier.

Provincial data show influenza activity in Ontario declined after a peak around Dec. 14–20, but test positivity remains high and ICU admissions for flu increased following the holiday period.

The province's online health data hub lists two influenza deaths from late 2025; health officials say flu activity rose earlier than usual and a variant of H3N2 has been noted.

Physicians across Alberta have asked the province to declare a state of emergency, saying emergency departments are overwhelmed and some patients have died while waiting; the government says it is using all available resources and that a public health state of emergency would add nothing.

Four avian flu outbreaks near Listowel led the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to humanely depopulate about 124,000 turkeys; officials report there are about 50 farm-based avian flu outbreaks in Canada, most in B.C.