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CBC
41 minutes ago
- CBC
Scientists fear political meddling after Ontario premier vows to hunt down anyone testing on dogs
Some researchers say they're concerned about possible political interference in science after Ontario's premier said he would be "hunting down" scientists who use dogs and cats in medical studies. On Tuesday, Premier Doug Ford said it was unacceptable for beagles to be used in cardiac research that had been approved by London's Lawson Research Institute and St. Joseph's Health Care London, and promised to introduce legislation to ban testing on certain animals. "I have now directed our team to start hunting down anyone else doing research on dogs or cats," Ford told a news conference in Windsor. "If you're doing this with dogs or cats, you gotta stop before I catch you. ... We're going to legislate this ... You aren't gonna be going after animals like that." Félix Proulx-Giraldeau is executive director of Evidence for Democracy, which advocates for integrating scientific evidence in government decision-making. Proulx-Giraldeau took issue with Ford referencing specific medical work. "In this case, what was a little bit concerning was the threat that seemed to be directly addressed to certain researchers," he said. "We have a strong and independent ethics board in Canada, and their job is specifically to review and oversee all research to ensure it's humane and necessary. My concern is that when politicians publicly direct what kinds of research can or cannot be done, especially with language that sounds like a threat, it risks bypassing those established processes." Ford's comments came after a report by the Investigative Journalism Bureau at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health revealed researchers were inducing three-hour heart attacks in dogs before euthanizing them. On Monday, St. Joseph's said it would immediately end research involving dogs"following consultations with the province." CBC News has made multiple requests for an interview, but the hospital has declined. Ford's office has not responded to questions about whether it directly ordered the cardiac testing to end. Overstepping oversight committees Institutions with researchers seeking federal funding are also required to have an animal care committee (ACC) to oversee any animal-based research. Lawson Research Institute's ACC is through Western University in London. "I can tell you from my many years on the ACC, there isn't a single researcher, veterinarian, vet tech or animal care worker that doesn't have animal welfare at heart," Western ACC chair Arthur Brown said. "But there's an equal amount of pride and accomplishment in terms of what we've been able to do in terms of scientific, and in particular medical, advancements. It's a nuanced and complex issue. The Investigative Journalism Bureau's article "brought out an emotional response in many people, and this included the premier, so it's sort of understandable how he would want to respond. I just wish he would have taken a step back." Brendon Samuels, who served on Western's ethics committee when he was a graduate student, thinks the hospital's decision to end its animal research came down to political pressure. "It's a bit unusual and unprecedented in the sense that normally if research activities were to be discontinued, it would come at the direction of a regulatory body that would have good reason for doing that," he said, adding that welfare committees also check on animals' status throughout the research process. "This is overstepping the role of oversight bodies and expert consensus to deal with issues on the front lines. I don't think it is appropriate for politicians to be micromanaging, inserting themselves and arbitrating what is considered proper or improper in these regulated environments," Samuels said. Eroding public trust The broader concern of politicians interfering with research, according to Proulx-Giraldeau, is an erosion of public trust in science. "It makes it look like evidence is secondary to political opinion," he said, pointing to cuts to medical and other scientific research in the U.S. since the start early this year of President Donald Trump's second administration. "When we see political figures discourage researchers from pursuing certain topics, even those with potential benefits, it actually weakens our research environment as a whole and our global reputation when it comes to research." Proulx-Giraldeau said political interference also perpetuates myths that scientists are paid by the government to do as they're told. "This is not true in reality, so when we have examples like this of science being steered in a direction that works against independence … it really works against the public image of science." Still, all three researchers agree that politicians should have a voice in scientific research, so long as it is informed. "All research is political. What questions we ask, what we invest resources into, how we approach those questions and how we publish those results is culturally determined and political," Samuels said. "I think politicians have an important role to play in driving forward regulatory improvements." Brown said political involvement also allows the public to be part of scientific discussion. "I think the public should have a say through their politicians, who then enact regulations that are carried out for them. That's what we do have [already] — we just need to use it or let it operate correctly."
CBC
41 minutes ago
- CBC
Health centre dedicated to menopause in the works for Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia's Health Department has quietly started working on a plan to open a clinic specifically for people going through menopause. The Menopause Centre of Excellence would be the first clinic of its kind in Atlantic Canada — an election promise made by Tim Houston's Progressive Conservatives. "It's definitely overdue, by a long time. Decades, I would say," said Shawna O'Hearn, the co-founder of the Menopause Society of Nova Scotia. "Women are starting to stand up and say we need to be heard, we need to be treated, we need to be supported." According to briefing notes from the department, there are about 350,000 people in Nova Scotia who are either approaching or managing menopause, plus post-menopausal patients. "Traditionally, these women have not received the attention they deserve from our health-care system," the document reads. Consultations are underway to determine how to make the centre work. The Menopause Society has been involved in the process since the beginning, O'Hearn said. She said ideally, the centre would have a multi-disciplinary team including physicians, nurse practitioners, physiotherapists and dietitians. There would also be a research component to their work. O'Hearn said there's so much questionable information online, so this centre would provide Nova Scotians with an evidence-based resource to seek treatment. "Women have not been trained or taught about the transition to menopause. People don't know that for up to 10 years they may experience symptoms associated with perimenopause," she said. "Many women are suffering when it's not necessary. We have treatments, we have options for women." A statement from the Health Department said it doesn't have a timeline to open the centre at this point, but a project team has been established including members of the society, Nova Scotia Health and the IWK Health Centre. "These discussions will help government better understand the landscape of women's health in the province, best practices and cultural competence to address gaps in women's health in Nova Scotia," the department said. For O'Hearn, one key aspect of the clinic will be accessibility. She wants to make sure anyone can use it as a resource, not just those who live nearby. "I can just see so many Nova Scotians feeling heard and feeling well," she said of the care this centre will potentially provide. While she waits for updates on the centre, O'Hearn and her peers at the Menopause Society are working on a different forum to offer the latest medical advice and support. They're hosting the first menopause convention in Halifax in October.
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
He felt 'chased' by anxiety and got help online. Now that resource experts trust could be shut down
Joey Laguio remembers waking up every morning in high school with a sense of dread. "It felt like always being chased by something," said Laguio, now 33 and living in Vancouver. After he enrolled in engineering at the University of British Columbia, his first major panic attack hit. Breathing was hard and he trembled, consumed with worries over what others thought of him, he said. From a counsellor in Vancouver, Laguio learned that he had anxiety, and was referred to Anxiety Canada, a registered charity offering resources online for people with anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). "The specific resources were helpful to me because I could access them at any time I wanted to and also because they were a good complement to the therapy I was doing," Laguio said. Now, however, some mental health experts are worried Anxiety Canada's online resources will cease to be available next April if the organization that had funding cut by the B.C. government earlier this year doesn't find a new source of revenue. They say patients, families and mental health professionals will lose a carefully curated and trustworthy source for mental health information, tips and tools just as misinformation proliferates. 'Worried about what's going to happen' Dr. Julie Eichstedt, a child psychologist in London, Ont., said although anxiety disorders are very treatable, access to resources is a concern. "I'm worried about what's going to happen to all those people that have been dependent on these [Anxiety Canada] resources," Eichstedt said. There's "really nothing compatible for me to send families to." Linda Campbell of Nanoose Bay, on Vancouver Island, said she was caught by surprise several years ago when her outwardly happy son told her one day when he was in Grade 3 that it was all too much. Campbell initially equated anxiety with stress and overscheduling her son. Then they found a child psychiatrist who suggested Anxiety Canada. "I knew I could trust it," Campbell said. "Every health-care provider said go here because we know what you're going to get, so we have a framework between us to have conversations. I don't think I even realized the importance of it at the time." About one in four people will deal with levels of debilitating anxiety at some point in their lifetime, leaving them unable to work at their full capacity, said Maureen Whittal, a psychologist who co-founded Anxiety Canada in 1999 and is chair of its volunteer board. Socially, anxiety can interfere with relationships, including marriage and parenting, she said. Increases in generalized anxiety disorder Statistics Canada says generalized anxiety disorder doubled among those aged 15 and older between 2012 and 2022, rising from 2.6 per cent to 5.2 per cent. Young women 24 and under showed the largest increases. Anxiety Canada saw $223,200 in provincial funding removed earlier this year and scaled back its services. It is now a skeleton organization relying on a few volunteers but no paid employees. Its MindShift app, which was shut down when the funding was removed, had more than 1.5 million downloads in 2024, with tens of thousands of monthly users, including teens. A published study showed use of the app reduced anxiety and stigma and Whittal hopes it could resume if further founding is found. Some of Anxiety Canada's online resources continue to be available as it winds down its services. Campbell, who is a member of a support group for parents whose children have anxiety disorders, said people will grasp onto what they think will offer quick and easy solutions. "They're kind of in a desperate moment and they think that this will solve their problem," she said. "I think that's why it's really important to say: 'Here's what we know is proven techniques.'" Earlier this year, Anxiety Canada also wound down its educational podcasts and TikTok videos modelling best practices and cut an online cognitive behaviour treatment program as its funding was reduced. Eichstedt said she recommends Anxiety Canada to parents and teachers because all the evidence-based content and practical examples are in one place, setting it apart from other services. Guide to effective treatments For children, avoidance behaviours are one of the hallmarks of anxiety, Eichstedt said. They may miss school, not participate in class or make friends. Marks can go down because the student is afraid to ask for help or can't complete their homework. "There may be lots of tears, there could be tantrums," Eichstedt said. But left untreated, anxiety tends to persist and can fuel other problems like depression. Treating anxiety is important to make sure kids develop as they're supposed to, she said. WATCH | Overcoming the stigma around mental health struggles: People often wear a mask to hide mental health struggles. Here are tips to help remove it 3 months ago For this year's Mental Health Week, the theme is Unmasking Mental Health. CBC Montreal host Douglas Gelevan speaks with Dr. Jennifer Russell, the chief of the department of psychology at the MUHC, about ways people can help themselves or their loved ones overcome the stigma. Robert Roopa, a psychologist and psychotherapist in York Region, north of Toronto, said he often refers to Anxiety Canada's articles and videos. "If the site is no longer available, I'm concerned that an increasing number of people who need OCD and anxiety support will not receive the appropriate treatment," Roopa said. Then the patient loses time and money on what doesn't help their specific problems. Filling a 'critical gap' Dr. Peggy Richter, a psychiatrist in Toronto who heads the Frederick W. Thompson Anxiety Disorder Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, says that ideally, people would see a live therapist for help. "But we recognize across Canada with our geography that that [isn't] always feasible and people with expertise in how to treat the anxiety disorder psychologically are very often very hard to find covered by OHIP or provincial health-care systems," said Richter, who also specializes in OCD. "MindShift was filling a really critical gap." The B.C. government's Mental Health and Substance Use Services (BCMHSUS), which provides specialized services in the province, said it issued a contract this year worth about $1 million to BC Partners. Anxiety Canada had been of member of the partners, a group of mental health and substance use organizations, but was no longer included by the government this year. The 2025/26 funding is half of the $2 million given the previous year, BCMHSUS said. "While this is less than last year's contract, it is a substantial contribution to health literacy. The other funds were directed towards critical front-line services supporting the care and recovery of people with mental health disorders." B.C.'s Health Ministry said its relationship with Anxiety Canada through BCMHSUS ended earlier this year. No further provincial funding will be available for Anxiety Canada for the next fiscal year, beginning in April. To revert to full service would take $1 million annually, Whittal said. Eichstedt is organizing a letter-writing campaign to try to save the now volunteer-run group. She'd like to see federal funding for Anxiety Canada as a national resource and program for anxiety and related disorders. Laguio, the Vancouver resident, said Anxiety Canada complemented the cognitive behaviour therapy sessions his parents paid for with a psychologist. As a teen and young adult, Laguio said he dreaded even the thought of driving. "I would have existential crises of like: 'What if I what if I hurt someone or like someone's life ends because of me?'" Some days he'd stick with what he called a "two" on a 10-point fear scale of Anxiety Canada's fear ladder exercise, where you list actions you'd typically steer clear of and then slowly work through them. For him, it started with driving around a quiet block at night. Now, Laguio calls the cognitive behaviour therapy received through Anxiety Canada "foundational" to managing his relationships and work. Laguio said as a non-profit, he felt Anxiety Canada had his best interests at heart. "It was free," he said. "As someone who was really struggling with my career and finances, that's kind of what I needed."
