A pregnancy almost denied
Inuit, Métis and First Nations women in Canada are coming forward like never before, sharing their experiences of being forced or coerced to undergo surgical sterilization. Advocates say the practice is still happening and they want it criminalized. Katy Bear is among those fighting for reproductive justice by taking back her body.
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CBC
33 minutes ago
- CBC
This rural P.E.I. community took health care into its own hands. Now it has a thriving clinic
Social Sharing Back in 2017, when Lisa Gallant saw that thousands of people in her own community of Crapaud and the surrounding areas suddenly were without a family doctor, she knew she had to take action. That year, longtime family doctor Dr. Hendrik Visser retired after 32 years of practice in Crapaud. A new physician took over, but the practice proved untenable for one person, and he left the same year. "We had no primary health care, and we knew that something had to be done," Gallant told Island Morning host Mitch Cormier during the CBC radio show's remote broadcast from her community Thursday. Gallant, who is a pharmacist and owner of South Shore Pharmacy, joined forces with other local leaders to form the non-profit South Shore Health and Wellness Inc. They raised about $10,000 to establish a walk-in clinic, at the time located in what had been the pharmacy's kitchen, in January 2018. Today, that small walk-in has grown into the South Shore Health and Wellness Centre, which has undergone two expansions and is now in the middle of a third. Once the work is complete, the centre will span more than 5,000 sqare feet. "There were times where I thought 'This is never going to happen,'" she said. The centre now has a comprehensive care team, including a full-time physician, two full-time nurse practitioners, three licensed practical nurses, two part-time nurses specializing in chronic disease management, and a part-time physiotherapist. The latest expansion will allow for even more staff in the future. This is exactly the kind of collaborative, multidisciplinary primary-care model that Gallant and her group envisioned from the start, one that could meet the health-care needs of a growing rural population. But Gallant said the journey hasn't been easy; it took years of persistent advocacy with the provincial government. Now, they hope the success in Crapaud can be replicated in other rural communities across Prince Edward Island. Collaborative care 'the way forward' The concept of collaborative, team-based health care is now being embraced across P.E.I. There are currently 17 of what the government calls medical homes in the province. These clinics offer a wide range of services, with doctors collaborating with other health-care workers. They have been touted by the province as a way to alleviate pressure on the health-care system. But it's not a new idea. Visser, the retired doctor who has since returned to Crapaud, said he pitched the concept to the province years ago, inspired by his early career in Africa. "That is the way forward. We saw that effectively implemented in resource-poor countries in Africa, where six of us as physicians were able to manage a hospital the size of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, all with allied health professionals, midwives, primary health-care workers and nurses and lab and rehabilitation services — all under one roof, all interdisciplinary," Visser said. "We were able to serve a population of about two million people with rural health centres that we equipped to be in the communities, and we would then be the referral centre from those small clinics out in the community." Even in his own practice in Crapaud, Visser collaborated with a nurse for years. Together, they managed care for more than 2,000 patients. A vision finally realized Before retiring, Visser said he proposed a collaborative model for rural health care to the provincial government, but he said there wasn't much reception around the idea at the time. In the years after Visser's retirement, Gallant and her group continued pushing the idea, bringing proposals and presentations to meetings with Health P.E.I. and government officials. "We just heard 'no' so many times," she said. "We just felt that if we kept being consistent and never gave up, we would eventually reach our goals." In 2020, they met with then-premier Dennis King. "We came in armed with all of our documents and our proposals and all of our facts, ready to do battle," she said. "The premier looked at us and said, 'Yes, I agree with you. You should have a doctor. You should have primary health care in Crapaud.'" King later visited the clinic and committed to making it a collaborative practice with a physician involved. In July 2023, Dr. Meghan Cameron joined the clinic — the community's first family doctor in five years. In total, Gallant's group has invested more than $30,000 in clinic improvements and equipment over the years. 'They want to be here' Gallant said the community has gone from desperately needing practitioners to receiving inquiries from physicians and nurse practitioners interested in working at the Crapaud clinic. She credits not only the facility but also the team atmosphere. "Health-care professionals talk to each other, and the team here is so great. They're so collaborative and wonderful, dedicated professionals, and there's a really good morale at the clinic," Gallant said. "Other health-care practitioners hear that, and they want to be here." Her group also works hard to support the team with things like thank-you cards, baking, and small gifts to express appreciation, Gallant said. "Everyone is so thankful to have that care here. So it's important that the health-care providers feel that," she said. They also help with recruitment by touring candidates around the facility and community, as well as presenting baskets filled with local products. A model for other communities What's been built in Crapaud should serve as a model for other rural areas, Health Minister Mark McLane told CBC News at the remote broadcast. "Back to rural health care in the past, we used to have a single physician in an office," he said. "Now, with the collaborative-care model, there's more supports around those physicians and nurse practitioners to provide service, so we're not as reliant on one position in one area." McLane said lessons can be learned from the model in Crapaud. While a nice setup helps to attract physicians, he said community support for these health providers is also essential, and Crapaud has both. When asked whether Health P.E.I. has made hires to staff the clinic's expansion, McLane did not say yes. "We keep hiring, and again, we have so many positions within our system… You know, the provider chooses where they go," the minister said. McLane also noted that the federal government's loan forgiveness program, introduced last year for doctors and nurses, serves as another tool to attract health-care professionals to rural and remote areas. Meanwhile, some communities on P.E.I. are taking similar action to Crapaud's. A newly opened walk-in clinic in Montague, also located in a pharmacy, was made possible by a $200,000 fundraising effort from a local volunteer group. Green MLA Matt MacFarlane, who was part of the Crapaud clinic's board, said the burden of getting a clinic open shouldn't fall on communities. "It's government's job to deliver health care, to provide health care, and to get the 37,000 Islanders on the wait list for a doctor off that wait list," he said. "It shouldn't fall to volunteers who have full-time jobs — farmers, fishers, whatever — to have to come in on the little bit of time they have and spend six years advocating for health care and building a clinic up from scratch and then having the government just take the key and then say, 'OK, now we have a clinic.' That's government's job." 'It will be joyous' Albany resident Darlene Smith, a retired teacher, has been on the P.E.I. patient registry for six years. While she has relied on the virtual platform Maple for minor issues, Smith said she often hesitates to seek in-person care for fear of burdening the system. "It's a little stressful because you just don't know what to do." But with the expansion, and Gallant saying the clinic is accepting new patients weekly, Smith hopes she and her husband will soon get the call. "It will be joyous," she said. "It's not that we're unwell and that we need to go see a doctor, but just to have that peace of mind, to be able to call someone that's going to take care of you." Gallant said her group isn't done.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Life felt dark when I began losing my sight. A stranger opened my eyes to a brighter future
Social Sharing This First Person column is written by Deepinder Singh, who goes by the name Deepi, and who lives in Regina. For more information about First Person stories, see the FAQ. I couldn't see what was right around the corner as I sat at the doctor's office, with the optometrist running through some vision tests. I'd booked this appointment after a long time noticing it had become a struggle to see parts of words and sentences. Google had told me the symptoms were similar to cataracts, so I didn't feel there was a big worry or hurry. "Well doctor, is it cataract?" I asked, with the cocky attitude of a kid who trusts Google more than a scientist or doctor. "No," he answered, explaining that I was experiencing macular degeneration. "To put it in simple words, you have holes in your retina." He went on to tell me there was no treatment. My wife and I were stunned. I had a healthy lifestyle and was on no medication. How could this happen to me? As she drove me home, I looked out the window and saw the vast stretches of land that had lost all their colour in the short time we had spent at the optometrist's. I stared at the endless sky — so much like my seemingly never-ending life, which would be restricted now by failing eyesight. Anita, my wife, broke the silence, saying, "Don't worry, I'll be your eyes." She had always been supportive and encouraged me in everything, through all our moves and work in countries from India to Muscat, to our decision to come and join our daughter in Canada in 2018. But despite her support, she could not help me here — eyes were not something we could share. The spectre of total blindness haunted me. I did not want to be dependent on others or be an object of their pity. Then one evening after a visit with friends, my wife was driving us home while I admired the golden sunset and the green fields with a few buildings in the distance. It occurred to me that if the buildings were closer, they would block my view of the beautiful evening sky. In that moment, I had an epiphany: if I could see my vision loss as something in the distance, I would still be able to see the beautiful landscape of my life. I had been blessed with good health to that point. I'd had the good fortune to have seen the living skies of Saskatchewan, the unending stretches of sand when travelling by road from Muscat to Dubai, the quaint town of Winchester in England, the Valley of Flowers In India where the sweet intoxicating smell of the flowers made some people faint. Yes, I had been blessed! I began talking to people more and started using the bus frequently. It was on the bus one cold wintry day when I struck up a conversation with a young man, who sat down near me with the help of his dog and his white cane. "I've seen you a couple of times on this bus before, but there used to be a lady with you," I said, striking up a conversation. "Yes," he replied, "she's my wife. She generally comes with me, if she's free." As we continued to talk, he told me he had been born blind and was very good at using assistive technology, which helped him to continue working. His confidence was an inspiration for me. The world might have seen him as having no sight, but this stranger provided me with hope and a vision for the future. I am now in touch with some organizations that help the visually impaired and people with other disabilities to get jobs or to start their own business. I know there are many rivers to cross — my advancing age, my continual vision loss, and the fact that my past work experiences had been in countries like Dubai and India, rather than in Canada. However, I am hopeful. Very hopeful. When the time comes, I will find employment or start my own business. While I work hard and wait for that to happen, I will enjoy the heavenly beauty around me throughout the year — the colourful leaves of fall, the pure white blankets of snow and the icicles on the trees shining like diamonds in the bright sunlight. I will enjoy the beauty of summer nights with its sparkling stars. I won't let the possibility of the obstacles in the distance ruin my joy in the beauty around me, or the life I am capable of living in the here and now.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Man dies after shooting near Emmett Avenue and Jane Street: police
A Toronto police officer's uniform is seen during a press conference in Toronto on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston A man has died in hospital Sunday morning after a shooting in Toronto's west end late last night, officials say. Toronto police say officers responded to reports of gunfire near Emmett Avenue and Jane Street just after 10 p.m. When they arrived, officers found a male victim with a gunshot wound. He was transported to hospital by paramedics but has now succumb to his injuries. Police say the suspect fled the area before officers arrived, adding that the homicide unit is now investigating. Anyone with information is asked to come forward.
