‘We need a province-wide approach': Friends of Medicare calls for increased efforts to prevent measles spread
Friends of Medicare Exec Director, Chris Gallaway, speaks with Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins about the province's efforts to limit the rise of measles
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CBC
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Ottawa made big gains in ambulance availability last year
The amount of time when there were no Ottawa ambulances available to respond to new calls decreased significantly last year. The improvement in "level zero" events is noted in a new report from the Ottawa Paramedic Service, tabled ahead of the next meeting of the city's emergency preparedness and protective services committee. In 2024, the amount of paramedic service time lost during level zero events totalled 190 hours. That's down 79 per cent from the previous year. By comparison, between 2021 and 2024, the total time lost over the course of a year averaged 624 hours. 2022 was a particularly bad year, with the paramedic service logging 1,217 level-zero hours. Offload time still lagging Offload delays at local hospitals — which happen when a paramedic crew can't immediately transfer the care of a patient to hospital staff — continues to be a significant contributor to level zero events, according to the report. But 2024 saw improvements in off-load times, too. They've now dropped to three-year lows at all Ottawa-area hospitals. Last year, the Ottawa Hospital's General and Civic campuses recorded 112.73 and 112.78 minutes of off-load delay, while Montfort Hospital recorded 159.01 minutes. Still, the report notes, off-load delays fall short of the desired 30-minute performance target. The emergency preparedness and protective services committee will meet to discuss the latest statistics on June 23.
CTV News
19 minutes ago
- CTV News
Health officials warn about potential Hepatitis A exposure at Barrie Tim Hortons
Health officials are warning the public about a potential Hepatitis A exposure from a Barrie Tim Hortons. According to officials with the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU), a food handler working at the coffee shop at the corner of Livingstone Street East and St. Vincent Street has been identified as a confirmed case of Hepatitis A. Health experts say the risk for customers to contract the disease is low, but say they should monitor for signs and symptoms, which can appear 15 to 50 days after exposure. 'There is no ongoing risk at the restaurant,' SMDHU confirmed in a release Friday. 'The restaurant is fully cooperating with public health, and it's important to know that this situation could happen anywhere.' Date and time food or drink was purchased from Tim Hortons - 181 Livingstone St. E., Barrie Last date to receive Hepatitis A vaccine to prevent disease May 30, 2025 from 6 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. June 13, 2025 May 31, 2025 from 4:30am-12:30 p.m. June 14, 2025 June 1, 2025 from 4:30 a.m. -10:30 a.m. June 15, 2025 June 3, 2025 from 6 a.m. – 2 p.m. June 17, 2025 The health unit recommends those who consumed food or drinks from this Tim Hortons to get a Hepatitis A vaccine within 14 days of exposure and contact your health care provider. The health unit will host a Hep A immunization clinic for those who may have been exposed at the Tim Hortons at 15 Sperling Drive in Barrie. SMDHU Hepatitis A immunization Clinic - 15 Sperling Drive, Barrie Date Time Fri., June 13 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. Sat., June 14 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sun., June 15 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Mon., June 16 12 p.m. - 7 p.m. Tues., June 17 12 p.m. - 7 p.m. Anyone who was at the Tim Hortons between May 17 and May 29 is no longer eligible or recommended for a post-exposure immunization. Instead, the health unit asks you monitor for symptoms and contact a health care provider if necessary. Hepatitis A is a liver infection caused by a virus that spreads through contaminated food, drinks, surfaces or close contact with an infected person. Symptoms include fever, loss of apetite, nausea, abdominal pain, dark urine or clay-coloured stools, diarrhea, and yellowing of the skin or eyes. 'People who are older, have weakened immune systems, or have chronic liver disease are at higher risk of severe illness,' SMDHU concluded.
CBC
22 minutes ago
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Summer safety plan gets $500K to help marginalized people, increase safety for all in downtown Winnipeg
Social Sharing A half-million-dollar effort to improve safety in downtown Winnipeg launches next week, based on a similar one implemented last summer. "This will be a united effort from June to October this year, that's being led by the province of Manitoba as well as the City of Winnipeg in partnership with emergency services, with community organizations and with front-line teams," Minister of Justice Matt Wiebe said at a news conference Friday at The Forks. "Our mission is clear: to create a welcoming and safe and vibrant downtown where everyone feels supported." The 16-week downtown safety summer action plan will launch June 17 and will involve mental health and addictions supports, in addition to working to address crime, the province said in a news release. It will be led by the Downtown Community Safety Partnership, which is getting $500,000 from the province, along with $50,000 from the City of Winnipeg and $25,000 from the Downtown Winnipeg Business Improvement Zone. "This is a reflection that we believe in DCSP and the important work that they're doing," said Premier Wab Kinew, who lauded the work done by police, firefighters and paramedics in the city. Having "that fourth layer of response" from the downtown safety partnership "to help address situations before they escalate … is exactly the kind of progressive policy that we need to keep people safe," said Kinew. The DCSP — created by the provincial and municipal governments, Winnipeg Police Service, Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service, Downtown BIZ and True North Sports and Entertainment as a pilot project in 2019 and made permanent a year later — does 24/7 foot patrols downtown. It helps ensure that certain responses that involve police are also tailored for other situations, like when someone is in distress from mental health issues or addictions, Kinew said. "They deserve to be safe, too," he said. Wiebe said the safety partnership offers a co-ordinated response that addresses the overall health, well-being and safety of the downtown community. "It's about connection and collaboration," he said. 'People have got to feel safe': mayor DCSP executive director Greg Burnett said the safety patrol helped hundreds of people last year, the vast majority of whom got what they needed "right at that moment" without a need to call other emergency responders. That helped ease the strain on 911 by diverting 220 potential calls, and let police and fire-paramedics focus on other matters, he said. "It's about helping people where they're at and meeting needs proactively," said Burnett. Last year, the summer safety plan wasn't unveiled until the second week of July. This time, with many components already in place, it's easier to get rolling, he said. "We want to be out there helping people as best as we can, as soon as we can." The DCSP will distribute funds to other community groups that work with vulnerable, marginalized people in the downtown, such as the Bear Clan Patrol, Wiigiishin Giiwiigeenahn, and Ogijiita Pimatiswin Kinamatawin. "Downtown is buzzing" with new developments, festivals and sporting events, Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham said, also noting that in a few weeks, street-level crossing at Portage and Main will reopen to pedestrians for the first time since 1979. "But to keep that momentum going, people have got to feel safe," he said. Kinew echoed that, saying it's all about safety through different measures. "This is about making sure that somebody who's going through a cry for help can get the support that they need, when they need it," but also "making sure that somebody who needs to be held accountable because they're doing something bad in the community is going to be held accountable," he said. "If we can make this investment together and also make sure those great events we have this summer are going to be that much more successful, all the better."
