AS IT HAPPENED Wildfire reaches Jasper Wednesday night, causes 'significant loss'
One of two wildfires threatening Jasper National Park reached the townsite Wednesday night and caused 'significant loss.'
Ottawa has announced nearly $2 million in new funding to speed up the application process for international medical graduates who want to work in Canada. The Thursday announcement also included an additional $3.5 million over five years to create a national plan for health workforce well-being.
"Addressing the needs of health care workers and the challenges they face is paramount in delivering better health outcomes for Canadians," Health Minister Mark Holland said in a news release. "These investments will help improve the well-being of dedicated health workers across Canada and ensure more internationally educated health professionals can put their skills and experience to work, benefitting Canadians from coast to coast to coast."
As part of the plan, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada will receive nearly $1.5 million for a project that allows international medical graduates to apply for provisional licences to provide care in Canada while their applications to practice in the country are being assessed.
Meant to recognize international experience, the project's processing times are expected to be significantly reduced from between six and 24 months to three or four months.
An additional $500,000 will go to a Medical Council of Canada project that is studying barriers and integration in the Canadian health-care workforce.
"Canada is home to many internationally trained physicians, some of whom are unable to find roles in our current health care structure," Medical Council of Canada executive director and CEO Dr. Maureen Topps said in the press release.
"Thanks to funding from the Government of Canada, the Medical Council of Canada looks forward to supporting new, timely and practical opportunities to help (internationally trained physicians) contribute their skills to patient care in Canada."
Thursday's announcement also included $3.5 million to the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada to promote health-care worker well-being and improve workforce retention amid reports of high levels of burnout.
"The Royal College is delighted to work with the Government of Canada and other partner organizations to contribute to system changes that alleviate the resource and wellness challenges that impact health care workers and their ability to provide care," Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada interim CEO Dr. Ian Bowmer said in the press release. "We are grateful for this opportunity as we work towards restoring joy in the care of patients and communities."
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada is a non-profit regulatory authority that sets standards for medical education. The Medical Council of Canada is a national organization that takes part in the assessment and evaluation of medical graduates and future physicians.
"How many doctors and nurses that we know who are driving Ubers or working as a doctor's assistant or as a lab technician?" Ottawa Centre MP Yasir Naqvi said during a news conference on Thursday.
"That should not be acceptable to us, and we have to do everything in our capacity to create a system where the best and the brightest of the world who've chosen Canada to be their home are given the opportunity to serve our communities."
One of two wildfires threatening Jasper National Park reached the townsite Wednesday night and caused 'significant loss.'
Alberta has called in the Canadian Armed Forces to help assist with the worsening wildfire situation in the province.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday delivered a solemn call to voters to defend the country's democracy as he laid out in an Oval Office address his decision to drop his bid for reelection and throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
Staff at a Barrie child care centre say they are frustrated by what they call a local MPP's inadequate response after a car crashed through a window in one of the toddler rooms.
The North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying near Alaska Wednesday in what appears to be the first time the two countries have been intercepted while operating together.
An analyst and an assistant coach with Canada Soccer are being removed from the Canadian Olympic Team and 'sent home immediately,' according to the Canadian Olympic Committee.
After a handful of Australian water polo players tested positive for COVID-19 this week, questions have emerged around how the spread of the disease will be mitigated at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
A B.C. man who was hired to help a non-profit build a food hub but instead spent the money on personal expenses – including travel, restaurants, booze and cannabis – has been ordered to pay more than $120,000 in damages.
Two people are dead and two others suffered serious injuries following a shooting that police have described as a 'gun battle' outside a plaza in Scarborough, Ont. early Wednesday morning.
A local First Nations elder and veteran is helping to bring the Ojibwe language to a well-known film for the first time.
A cat who fled her Montreal home nearly a decade ago has been reunited with her family after being found in Ottawa.
A woman in Waterloo, Ont. is out thousands of dollars for a car crash she wasn’t involved in.
A swarm of bees living in a lamppost in Winnipeg’s Sage Creek neighbourhood has found a new home for its hive.
Around 100 acres of Manitoba Crown Land near the Saskatchewan border is being returned to the Métis community.
Nova Scotia is suspending the licensed Cape Breton moose hunt for three years due to what the province is calling a “significant drop” in the population.
A well-known childhood prank known as 'nicky nicky nine doors,' or 'ding dong ditch,' has escalated into a more serious game that could lead to charges for some Surrey, B.C. teens.
It's been more than a month since their good friend was seriously hurt in an accident and two teens from Riverview, N.B., are still having a hard time dealing with it.
Halifax bridges have collected thousands of coins from around the world.