By Julian Beltrame, The Canadian Press

OTTAWA - Canada's budget watchdog is asking MPs to get to the bottom of why the Harper government is spending billions less than it budgets for, or Parliament authorizes.

Prescription drug costs to rise due to EU deal   By Mike Blanchfield, The Canadian Press November 16, 2013

Canada's deficit in its prescription drug trade with Europe swelled to more than $25 billion over the last five years. And experts say that's one more sign that consumers will face higher drug prices once the recent Canada-EU free trade deal comes into effect.

The Canadian PressNovember 18, 2013 04:48

A pair of separate events will focus on health policy: ALS Canada holds a news conference to press for increased benefits for caregivers of people diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. And health policy expert Terrence Sullivan discusses improving value for money in health care as he presents recommendations from his recent paper for the Institute for Research on Public Policy.

The chronicle herald special report Part 4 The crisis in long-term care; Is this any way to treat our elders?; Advocates for nursing home residents say the system is chronically underfunded and understaffed The Chronicle-Herald Tue Nov 19 2013

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Aug 28, 2013 - 11:25 AM ESTLast Updated: Aug 28, 2013 - 9:39 PM EST

Re: Changes to nursing accreditation could keep cross-border nurses from coming back, by Beatrice Fantoni, Aug. 26.

The Star’s article on new rules from the College of Nurses of Ontario does an excellent job of highlighting how Ontario is at risk of forever losing registered nurses who work in the U.S.

“Convergence of Health Policy and Evidence – Bridge Over Troubled Water” Hilton Toronto Toronto Ontario May 12, 2014 - May 15, 2014

Newsletter November 15, 2013

More than 230 HEU delegates concluded deliberations at the union’s 20th Facilities Bargaining Conference in Vancouver on Friday, setting the union’s course for the next round of bargaining.

In particular, job security and protecting benefits – along with a fair wage increase – were identified by delegates, providing a focused and strategic direction to HEU’s newly elected 13-person bargaining committee.

Regulation of Diagnostic Sonography under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991  The Minister's Question On March 26, 2010, the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, the Hon. Deb Matthews directed HPRAC to reference a previous HPRAC report and "make recommendations on the currency of, and any additions to, advice provided in relation to the regulation of Diagnostic Sonographers". On May 7, 2013, the Minister noted that there may be additional considerations related to the regulation of the profession; and further directed HPRAC to "conduct a broad public consultation with key groups and stakeholders within the diagnostic sonographer community who may not have been included in the original review." The minister extended the timeline for this referral and requested that HPRAC submit its advice by June 30, 2014.

Nursing home resident dies in alleged attack, police say roommate charged

CTV Toronto Published Saturday, November 9, 2013 2:17PM EST Last Updated Sunday, November 10, 2013 2:53PM EST

A resident of a Toronto nursing home is dead after an alleged attack by his elderly roommate, police say. Francisco DaSilva, 87, was found dead on the fifth floor of the Castleview Wychwood Towers, a long-term care facility operated by the City of Toronto. Nursing staff called police after finding DaSilva’s body sometime after 8 a.m. Saturday. Police say he had suffered head injuries.

The Future of American Health Care: What it Means for Canada Posted: 11/04/2013 5:28 pm

Will Obamacare impact Canadian healthcare policy? It's among the many questions posed to Trudy Lieberman, past president of the Association of Health Care Journalists and press critic for the Columbia Journalism Review. Lieberman visited four cities across Canada as a Fulbright Scholar and guest of the Evidence Network of Canadian Health Policy, commonly known as EvidenceNetwork.ca.

VANCOUVER, Nov. 6, 2013 /CNW/ - The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) released a report card today entitled "The Role of the Federal Government in Health Care." This report card rates the federal government's involvement across five areas, including supporting care for the most vulnerable, setting a national health strategy, and developing and implementing national programs such as home care and immunization.

he Canadian Association of Ambulatory Care Conference in partnership with Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Women’s College Hospital is pleased to co-host the 2nd (Annual) Canadian Ambulatory Care Conference. This year’s theme is Ambulatory Care: The need for alternatives to hospital–based treatments. The conference will be held on September 13 & 14, 2013 at the Delta Toronto East Hotel in Toronto.

Newsletter November 14, 2013

The B.C. government has taken action of only six per cent of 176 recommendations to improve seniors’ care made by B.C. Ombudsperson Kim Carter in her landmark report, “The Best of Care: Getting it Right for Seniors in British Columbia”, released in February 2012. A new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives in B.C. (CCPA BC) chronicles government response based on an update published by the Ombudsperson’s office in June 2013.

Compass-Marquise deal offers wage and vacation improvements Bargaining bulletin November 14, 2013

After nearly a year of bargaining and a successful strike vote, the HEU Compass-Marquise bargaining committee reached a tentative agreement with the employer early Monday for a four-year contract. Members will receive a signing bonus of 20 cents per hour –approximately equal to $390 for a full-time employee. Additional raises of 35 cents per hour on Oct. 1, 2013, 25 cents on Oct. 1, 2014, 30 cents on Oct. 1, 2015 and 10 cents on April 1, 2016 will follow. A probationary wage of $1.25 less per hour for all new hires will come into effect July 1, 2014.

November 15, 2013   |   Volume 17 Issue 44 Paying for long-term care -- opinion piece In an opinion piece published in the Ottawa Citizen (Nov. 13), Colin Busby, a senior policy analyst with the C.D. Howe Institute, says that with an aging population annual costs for institutional long-term care are estimated to rise from around $30 billion currently to $100 billion by 2043, based on projections from the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association. He says in the absence of a major shift in the government’s funding approach, these costs will be paid for primarily by Canadians and their families. Mr. Busby says many OECD countries have been actively redesigning their long-term care systems to deal with the same phenomenon.

November 15, 2013   |   Volume 17 Issue 44 Protecting the elderly -- editorial

This past week an 87-year-old man in a long-term care facility in Toronto was beaten to death by his 81-year-old roommate.

“Despite years of promised improvements, Ontario's long-term care system still can't protect the elderly from violent residents,” the Toronto Star (Nov. 13) comments. It notes the fact that 11 per cent of the province’s 78,000 nursing home residents display aggressive behaviour, and the CEO of the Ontario Association of Non-Profit Homes and Services for Seniors says "This is the greatest challenge homes are facing in caring for residents, and we need systemic changes to deal with them."

November 15, 2013   |   Volume 17 Issue 44 Economic update shows falling CHT increases

The economic update contains financial projections of program spending and the initial impact of changes to the Canada Health Transfer effective 2017-18. At that point, the six per cent annual escalator is being replaced by a formula that will see the CHT go up in line with a three-year moving average of nominal GDP growth, with funding guaranteed to increase by at least three per cent per year. The economic update shows a projected increase of 6.2 per cent in CHT payments in 2016-17 falling to 4.4 per cent in 2017-18 and 4.2 per cent in 2018-19. The provinces and territories have claimed that the CHT changes will cost them $36 billion over 10 years.