Ontario gave parents more than $1B in cash over 2 years. Here's where the money went
During the pandemic, the Ontario government started to hand out cash to parents to help offset the cost of at-home learning while schools were shuttered.
Five years after Canada's move to legalize the recreational use of cannabis, researchers say the policy's impact has had mixed success on public health goals and justice reform since 2018.
According to a report by the Canadian Medical Association Journal published Tuesday, trends over the last few years have seen fewer incriminating activity related to cannabis use as well as increasing health concerns.
"Cannabis legalization in Canada appears not to have been the public health disaster anticipated by some of its opponents, but it cannot be described as a comprehensive or unequivocal success for public health either," the study authors wrote.
While the daily use of cannabis among users has remained stable since legalization, Statistic Canada reported an overall increase of cannabis use from 22 per cent to 27 per cent among Canadians aged 16 and older between 2017 and 2022. Use among Canadian youth, meanwhile, has remained at similar levels as 37 per cent of 16 to 19 year olds reported using cannabis in 2022 compared to 36 per cent in 2018.
Since legalization, one report found emergencies related to cannabis-linked disorders and poisoning among youth in Ontario and Alberta rose to 20 per cent. A separate report analyzing unintentional cannabis poisoning from edibles among children in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec found these emergency visits increased substantially since edibles were legalized in 2019.
A total of 581 pediatric hospitalizations were reported since 2015 — 105 were reported during the first 14 months of legalization and 356 were reported during the first 19 months of the legalization of edibles.
Health Canada has previously warned cannabis users and those with children to be aware of edible products that look like ordinary candy or pastries and are packaged into colourful, sometimes familiar-looking snacks to most.
However, there have been some improvements to the frequency of Canadians purchasing illegally produced cannabis since legalization, as data has shown two-thirds of users purchase cannabis products from legal sources now.
Additionally, levels of driving impairment over cannabis use has slightly decreased or stabilized in most parts of the country, except for British Columbia, where rates of impaired drivers increased between 2018 and 2020 in comparison to 2013 and 2018.
A separate report from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction also reported a drastic 97 per cent reduction in cannabis possession charges among youth between 2015 and 2019. Additionally, trafficking and sales charges among youth also decreased from 12 to eight per cent.
The study authors noted that while Canada's legalization of non-medicinal cannabis has resulted in a mixed outcome, the last five years can't summarize the policy's full impact on Canadians.
"Robust ways to integrate diverse data when evaluating policy outcomes are also needed to inform evidence-based adjustments to regulatory parameters that may be necessary to more effectively serve and achieve the declared public health objectives of cannabis legalization in Canada going forward," the authors wrote.
During the pandemic, the Ontario government started to hand out cash to parents to help offset the cost of at-home learning while schools were shuttered.
A shooting on a street in Akron, Ohio, killed one man and wounded 26 other people early Sunday morning, according to reports by local news outlets.
Research shows that art experiences, whether as a maker or a beholder, transform our biology by rewiring our brains and triggering the release of neurochemicals, hormones and endorphins.
A brief break during Wednesday's city council meeting in Saskatoon nearly cost the city dearly.
Ryan Reynolds this week unveiled arguably the most anticipated and sure-to-be coveted merchandise tied to his upcoming 'Deadpool' sequel: the movie’s novelty popcorn bucket.
South Korea said Sunday it’ll soon take retaliatory steps against North Korea over its launch of trash-carrying balloons across the border and other provocations.
Eight people, including four children, have second- or third-degree burns as a result of an incident at a home in Saint-Constant, Que. south of Montreal, the Coopérative des techniciens ambulanciers de la Montérégie (CETAM) reported on Saturday.
Parachutists jumping from Second World War-era planes hurled themselves Sunday into now peaceful Normandy skies where war once raged, heralding a week of ceremonies for the fast-disappearing generation of Allied troops who fought from D-Day beaches 80 years ago.
Canada's ambassador to Russia says while Ottawa has 'grave concerns' about the Kremlin's 'longer-term trends,' the war in Ukraine is 'a primary barrier to a change in the relationship.'
Car 14 is a luxury passenger car that once made regular runs from London to Port Stanley starting in 1917.
A hefty donation by a renowned local activist to the University of Winnipeg has created what is believed to be the most comprehensive two-spirit archives in all of Canada.
Leanne Van Bergen discovered a skulk of 10 baby foxes, and two mothers, had made themselves at home on her property in Beausejour.
An 81-year-old Waterloo, Ont. woman thought she’d never ride a horse again after a brain bleed led to severe physical complications.
A CP24 camera caught the moment a driver frantically got out of her car as it was being dragged by a truck on Avenue Road Wednesday afternoon.
Prince Edward Island is celebrating its first-ever International Day of Potato on Thursday.
The president of Covered Bridge Chips in New Brunswick is hoping to have his factory rebuilt for late 2025 following a devastating fire last year.
Students and staff at Winnipeg’s Westwood Collegiate had a unique problem to solve this month; how do you lead ducks to water from the school’s courtyard when 12 of them can’t fly yet?
Debby Lorinczy remembers her father as an amazing person and as a man who also made an amazing discovery.