Latest news with #waitlist
CTV News
4 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
More than 1,500 people taken off Nova Scotia's doctor waitlist in July
Nova Scotia Health says more than 1,500 people were taken off the province's primary care waitlist last month. There were 89,455 people on the registry on July 1, which went down to 87,879 on Aug. 1. A total of 1,576 people were attached to a provider or taken off the list after it was confirmed they have a provider. The percentage of the province's population on the registry is now 8.3 per cent. Nova Scotia Health says it will update the registry again early next month. More information on the registry can be found online. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CTV News
15-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Waitlists for Quebec specialists have nearly one million patients as system struggles to keep up
Quebec's waitlist to see a medical specialist has nearly doubled in five years. The number of Quebecers waiting to see a medical specialist has nearly doubled in the past five years, with more than 900,000 people now on a growing waitlist that health officials admit is spiraling out of control. 'I feel for the patients, mostly. And I think that's what all doctors feel, which is we'd love to see those patients,' said Dr. Rafik Ghali of the Federation of Quebec Medical Specialists. He explained that when a request for a consultation is submitted, the patient's condition is graded by priority. Each grade has a maximum delay before the patient must be seen, which can range from three days to up to a year. Out of the more than 900,000 currently on a waitlist, nearly two-thirds have seen their deadline come and go. 'Those are patients who have minor ailments. You can wait three months or a year. Unfortunately, that usually means you can wait a little longer,' Ghali added. Santé Québec said there are many reasons for the growing waitlist, including an aging population, which means more patients with more complicated cases. Additionally, the agency said there aren't enough specialists available. Ghali noted that with budget cuts and shorter clinic hours, the system is unable to meet the demand. 'We're still seeing a lot of patients. What the medical specialists want to do is see the patients that are there. But it has become untenable,' he said. Paul Brunet, a patient's rights advocate with the Council for the Protection of Patients, said some quick fixes could be put in place now. 'A lot of specialists have gone private, and one of the solutions that apparently works in Ontario is that you fix, by law, the rate — would it be private or public — so that we could use private specialists at the same rate to help us out,' Brunet said.
CTV News
14-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Specialist backlog grows
Montreal Watch Quebec's waitlist to see a medical specialist has nearly doubled in five years.
CTV News
09-07-2025
- General
- CTV News
‘It's really a systematic failure': Parents, educators raise concerns over lack of childcare spaces in Stratford, Ont.
FILE - A young boy plays at a daycare on Tuesday May 29, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck Jason Davis and Larhya Miller registered their son Zander on the Stratford, Ont., childcare waitlist the day he was born. 'He turned four June 4, and he goes to school in September,' Davis said. 'And he's still on the waitlist.' They said they applied for every licensed childcare program Zander was eligible for. They also looked at unlicensed home care options. 'The first one we put Zander in, he was starting to come home with unexplained bruises,' said Davis. Zander's parents pulled him out and Miller said the facility was later shut down by the ministry. Eventually, they found a new space with a hefty price tag. 'That spot, for four days a week, we're looking at about $800 to $1,000 a month,' Davis said. To help with costs and cover care needs, Miller, a student, cut back on classes at the University of Waterloo and Davis quit his job in Kitchener. 'I only work three days a week, but I work 14-hour shifts, sleep in the back of the truck, and work the next shift,' said Davis. 'I don't get to see my family three days a week, but this way here … I'm at least available.' Zander's family isn't alone. According to the City of Stratford, around 855 kids are on the waitlist for the Anne Hathaway Day Care Centre alone – the only facility run by the city. But the overall waitlist is much longer. 'The number including (Perth) County and the City of Stratford is over 3,000 (children),' said Mandy Koroniak, the city's children's services manager. 'It's really a systematic failure,' said licensed child care provider Jamie-Lee Wagler. Wagler runs her own half-day nursery school and has two kids of her own. She said before the $10-a-day childcare program took effect, she couldn't afford to put her children into licensed care. 'It's really disheartening as a parent to be working and taking care of other people's children, then having to send your kid to unlicensed childcare and they're not being treated they way that they would be in a licensed childcare centre,' said Wagler. Wagler also said once the new program was introduced by the federal government, demand skyrocketed. 'They promised all these spaces but the educators aren't treated as fairly as they should be,' she said. 'The spaces aren't opening up and the funding is lacking so much that we can't open spaces.' She added parents and educators need to take matters into their own hands and speak up. 'This isn't just a family crisis,' Wagler noted. 'The whole economic field relies on childcare to keep that going.' Koroniak said the city feels parents' pain. 'The good news is we do have spaces that are projected to open this year, including 98 spaces in the City of Stratford,' she said. Koroniak said the increase in spaces aims to meet the province's goal of reaching 37 per cent of access to childcare. However, she also acknowledged that means most children will still be without care. 'We don't deserve to have to make these sacrifices, whether they're personal or financial,' Miller said. 'But unfortunately, it's just what we have to do as parents.' CTV News reached out to Ontario's Ministry of Education for comment but hasn't heard back.
CTV News
03-07-2025
- General
- CTV News
Sault childcare waitlist hits 2,200 as expansion lags far behind demand
Northern Ontario Watch Sault Ste. Marie's provincially funded childcare expansion falls short, with only 3 of 30 expected spots added this year. Local officials say demand far outstrips supply, with 2,200 children on a waitlist and advocates vowing to push for more funding. Cory Nordstrom reports.
