Weekly Health Files
February 4, 2026
By Pat Van Horne SOAR, CHC, CURC
Black History Month: Doctors among notable Canadians, including Dr. Yvette Bonny
“A pioneering pediatrician and hematologist, Dr. Yvette Bonny dedicated her career to research and the treatment of children with leukemia, cancer, and sickle cell anemia. . .From 1980 to 1998, she led the provincial pediatric bone marrow transplant unit at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, performing all transplants for children in Quebec.. . . She achieved a historic milestone by performing Quebec’s first pediatric bone marrow transplant. . . Her excellence in research and education was recognized with numerous awards: Hematologist of the Year (1996), Professor of the Year (1999–2000), and Physician of Merit (2000). . . In 2007, she was named a Knight of the National Order of Québec, and in 2008, she became a Member of the Order of Canada for her humanism, dedication, and determination.”—Government of Canada statement, January 30 2026
Nurses advocated for their patient, but the hospital did not: unionized nurses to vote whether to ‘grey-list’ St. Boniface Hospital
“They (nurses) were still advocating because we don’t want these things to happen,” said Manitoba Nurses Union President Darlene Jackson, following death of patient. (St. Boniface would be the third health-care facility in Manitoba (after Health Sciences Centre and Thompson General Hospital) to receive the ‘grey list’ designation, which signals a workplace is unsafe and advises nurses not to accept jobs or shifts there, Winnipeg Free Press, February 2 2026
Liberal MP/ physician criticizes US decision to pull out of the World Health Organization (WHO)
“I don’t think it’s in the interest of anybody anywhere for countries to withdraw from such institutions. They protect us all. And when any country pulls out of WHO, it does and probably will eventually affect us in Canada because diseases do not recognize borders.”—said Liberal MP and physician Dr. Marcus Powlowski (Thunder Bay-Rainy River, Ont.) After the U.S. announced it had officially withdrawn from the United Nations agency that exclusively focuses on global health and safety, The Hill Times, February 2 2026
Many stay-at-home seniors forced into crisis decisions
“We want to stay at home because it’s a familiar place, we have our routines and there’s the independence and the autonomy . . . It’s a caregiver and a caregiving family who are the biggest deciding factor in whether someone can remain at home and for how long,” There’s a lot of evidence to show that they also help support the overall quality of life and how you can live with dementia. . . We have not got a co-ordinated system in place to support people pre-emptively to remain at home and so, instead, you end up going to the ER or having to move to long-term care in crisis, and that’s the worst possible way to make those decisions.—said Dr. Saskia Sivananthan, a neuroscientist and CEO of dementia-focused think tank the Brainwell Institute, CTV News, February 1 2026
Warning: America’s drug-pricing reset could mean Canada will be navigating tighter negotiations and slower access to new therapies
“. . .What is unfolding is not simply a U.S. health-policy experiment, but a potential reset of global pharmaceutical pricing—with meaningful implications for Canada’s economy, investors, and life-sciences strategy. . .”—said Dr. Akolisa (Ako) Ufodike, PhD, associate professor at York University, recognized for advancing equity in governance and public policy, The Hill Times,February 3 2026
Disability rights groups say funding announcement for family caregivers doesn’t mean much
“In one hand, they are taking, and in the other hand, they’re removing. It’s beyond me. . .There was no transparency, and I’m afraid that there may be no transparency at this point, too with the rollout of the new home care program.”–said Ella Amir, executive director of Allies in Mental Health (AMI) Québec, following funding announcement for family caregivers by Quebec Health Minister Sonia Bélanger, pledging $107.2 million for the “Mieux chez soi” (better at home) program, Montreal Gazette, January 29 2026
Health care a struggle for LGBTQ2S+ people
“Generally the health-care systems are not built for us. . .(I’ve) met with therapists who didn’t necessarily have the language to speak about, you know, my personal experiences, or who might have been sort of uncomfortable, or didn’t necessarily know how to relate to sort of what was going on in my personal life.”—said Ziya Jones, who identifies as queer and non-binary, lives in Montreal and now goes to a health clinic specializing in LGBTQ2S+ care. They are managing editor of a new Pink Triangle Press LGBTQ2S+ health information website called Script, CTV News/The Canadian Press, January 29 2026
Canada can learn from Singapore’s primary care transformation
“Almost six million Canadians without primary care doesn’t have to be permanent. New investments should focus on a coordinated national approach to team-based care – with resources tied to keeping populations healthy. . .The question isn’t whether Canada can transform primary care. It’s whether we have the will to achieve a shared vision.”—said Dr. Ivy Oandasan, a family physician and Professor at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Prince Albert (SK) Daily Herald, January 23 2026
Alberta firing spree creating health care chaos
“People have said the Klein government was the high-water mark for mismanaging the health-care system, but honestly, I think that Premier [Danielle] Smith is giving him a run for his money in terms of failure to address obvious problems, and bringing in reforms that are not evidence based. . .If we look back in history, she is certainly among the worst in the last many decades, if not the worst.”—said Lorian Hardcastle, University of Calgary health law professor, The Tyee, February 3 2026