'Most of the city is evacuating': Gridlock on Alberta highway after evacuation order in Fort McMurray
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
An emergency room physician is urging governments to address the country’s shortfall of health-care workers in light of the recent temporary shutdowns of emergency departments and the staffing downsizing at others.
The Canada Day long weekend saw two Ontario hospitals shut emergency room doors owing to a staff shortage, while other hospitals across the country struggled with “bed block,” where there were more patients than beds to send them to.
Dr. Lisa Salamon says that a backlog of surgeries, along with increased demand from patients after two years of avoiding hospitals, are overwhelming hospitals. For example, at Toronto’s Michael Garron Hospital, more than 300 people a day are seeking medical help, an increase of 40 to 50 per cent from pre-pandemic times.
“I'm seeing such astronomical volumes come through our emergency departments … 10 to 20 per cent more than you know, even at peak flu season, never mind in the summer in June and July, where we usually have lower volumes,” Salamon told CTV’s Your Morning on Wednesday.
“It's higher than we've ever seen before.”
New Omicron sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5 might cause a fresh wave of infections in the upcoming months, potentially increasing the number of hospitalizations, especially among unvaccinated individuals and those with limited immunity, epidemiologists have warned.
Salamon says that without immediate government support, patients can expect to continue to see emergency room closures and long wait times for ‘quite some time.’
“There are proposals for … independent ambulatory centres to help with the backlog of surgical procedures, but that's going to take some time and the government needs to act right away,” she said.
“We have a new government-elected health minister (in Ontario), and they really need to partner with our organizations in order to solve this problem. You know, pretty quickly.”
But as bad as the wait times currently are, Salamon says they are a symptom of a deeper problem that is system-wide across the country.
“A lot of people don't have family doctors and that's a huge problem,” she said.
The Canadian Medical Association has also raised this issue and say that the cracks in Canada’s primary care system stemming from a lack of family doctors is leading to more patients seeking care at emergency rooms.
“I think really probably the No. 1 priority that government needs to focus on is really trying to fix the family doctor shortage. And also make sure that every Ontarian has a team along with their family doctor to take care of their health.”
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
Saskatchewan RCMP have revealed that a historic sexual assault investigation has led to the discovery of alleged crimes against children dating back to 2005.
Less than a week after two public sculptures featuring a livestream between Dublin, Ireland, and New York City debuted, 'inappropriate behaviour' in real-time interactions between people in the two cities has prompted a temporary shutdown.
After a final frame that saw the visiting Vancouver Canucks claw their way back and tie the game late, a slap shot from the point by Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard with 38 seconds left (until what seemed like certain overtime) iced the 3-2 victory for Edmonton to knot the series.
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker railed against Pride month, working women, President Biden's leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and abortion during a commencement address at Benedictine College last weekend.
King Charles III has unveiled the first portrait of the monarch completed since he assumed the throne, a vivid image that depicts him in the bright red uniform of the Welsh Guards against a background of similar hues.
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
The province has released more information on its plan to break up Alberta Health Services and replace it with four sector-based health agencies.
The Biden administration has told key lawmakers it is sending a new package of more than US$1 billion in arms and ammunition to Israel, two congressional aides said Tuesday.
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
A $200 reward is being offered by a North Vancouver family for the safe return of their beloved chicken, Snowflake.
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
YES Theatre Young Company opened its acclaimed kids’ show, One Small Step, at Sudbury Theatre Centre on Saturday.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.