Ignore longevity industry wellness woo BS.
Genes = 50% lifespan wapo.st/4c6Q7L3
Key: "Healthy habits can add years, but the upside is less pronounced than bad habits, which can shear decades off a lifespan."
#Longevity = luck (genes) + basic healthy lifestyle + luck (socioeconomics)
"First Nations have had other projects where they get into trouble with big developers, then we’re left holding the bag...That’s why we’re very careful in making sure that we pulled back."
Financial struggles put proposed Indigenous medical hotel in jeopardy
www.vancitylookout.com/p/financial-...
For my latest with Vancity Lookout, I dig into the financial issues plaguing a new Indigenous medical hotel and what repeated setbacks could mean for the future of the project.
www.vancitylookout.com/p/financial-...
Great story by @maddidellplain.bsky.social in the Vancity Lookout: The Dunna’eh House of Healing, a medical travel hotel for rural #Indigenous patients seeking care in Vancouver faces ongoing delays and significant financial setbacks. www.vancitylookout.com/p/financial-...
A collage with two types of alternating images: First, in black and white, a fetal ultrasound with heartbeat. Second, with colorful overlays, photos of a woman in bed, a woman holding a baby directly after birth, and a woman getting an MRI. The text reads, “The Sick Times. ‘It felt like a life-or-death choice’: Pregnancy with Long COVID has many unknowns. By Maddi Dellplain.”
Key points you should know: Little is known so far about how people with Long COVID experience pregnancy, but some insights can be gleaned from myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) as well as several ongoing studies in this area. Numerous studies point to ways in which SARS-CoV-2 infection can damage the reproductive system, including declines in ovarian health and increased risk for premature menopause. However, it is not clear how or if Long COVID itself impacts fertility. Parents with ME seem to be at a higher risk for severe nausea and vomiting during the first trimester but otherwise often have fairly typical pregnancies and deliveries.
Key points you should know: Anecdotally, some Long COVID parents actually experienced improvements in their condition during IVF and pregnancy. A study found 30% of ME patients seem to experience the same, though for many these improvements are temporary and the reasons are not well understood. More research is still needed to help patients decide whether or not parenthood is right for them, but two key studies on pregnancy in Long COVID and ME respectively are likely to be released later this year.
Six years after the start of the pandemic, there are few clear answers for would-be parents with #LongCOVID. But amid the layers of uncertainty, there is some guidance that can be gleaned from ME, and potentially valuable research on the way. bit.ly/4uMFdCR
Pregnancy can be unpredictable in the best of circumstances.
For those with Long COVID, the risks & uncertainties can feel insurmountable.
In my first piece with @thesicktimes.org, I dig into everything we know (and don't know) about pregnancy and Long COVID.
thesicktimes.org/2026/03/24/i...
Today @thesicktimes.org: @maddidellplain.bsky.social dives into how people with Long COVID experience pregnancy. There's relatively limited research on this so far, but we can learn from ME and more studies are underway. thesicktimes.org/2026/03/24/i...
And these aren’t “potential” conflicts of interest.
The study authors:
•donated > $7,000 to UCP
•make money from private AB government contracts
•all work for the AB govt, except one
•have taken ‘speaking fees’ from govt-sponsored conferences
•failed to report even one of these ☝️in the disclosures
On Mar 11, AB government celebrated its ‘study’ it claimed found nobody was harmed by its closure of Red Deer’s supervised consumption site.
On Mar 13, ON govt surprise-announced closure of all remaining sites.
This is a manufactured disinformation crisis. 1/
drugdatadecoded.ca/centre-of-re...
Bill S228 once passed, will criminalize forced and coerced sterilization.
I spoke with several experts about what the bill might mean for victims, physicians, reproductive justice and the various marginalized groups historically targeted by the practice.
healthydebate.ca/2026/03/topi...
Join me and @friendsofmedicare.bsky.social tonight for this important webinar!
Bill to criminalize forced sterilization sparks debate over reproductive justice and medical practice
By @maddidellplain.bsky.social
healthydebate.ca/2026/03/topi...
玉險 Office of the Prime Minister Cabinet du Premier Ministre Statement by Prime Minister Carney and Minister Anand on the situation in the Middle East "The Canadian government is closely following Iran-related hostilities throughout the Middle East and urges all Canadians in Iran to shelter in place. Canadians in the wider region should follow local advice and take all necessary precautions. Canada's position remains clear: the Islamic Republic of Iran is the principal source of instability and terror throughout the Middle East, has one of the world's worst human rights records, and must never be allowed to obtain or develop nuclear weapons. Canada and our international partners have consistently called upon the Iranian regime to end its nuclear program, including at the 2025 G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis and with the United Nations' reimposition of sanctions in September. Despite diplomatic efforts, Iran has neither fully dismantled its nuclear program, halted all enrichment activities, nor ended its support for regional terrorist proxy groups. Canada stands with the Iranian people in their long and courageous struggle against Iran's oppressive regime. Canada has listed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist entity, and has sanctioned 256 Iranian entities and 222 individuals in response to the regime's repression and its violence both against its own people, and persistently, beyond its borders. Canada reaffirms Israel's right to defend itself and to ensure the security of its people. Canada supports the United States acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent its regime from further threatening international peace and security. The Canadian government urges the protection of all civilians in this conflict. We will take all possible measures to protect our nationals and Canadian diplomatic missions throughout the region." February 28, 2026
“Canada supports the United States acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent its regime from further threatening international peace and security.”
Well. For those of us wondering if he’d walk the walk of the Davos speech, this is a pretty big answer.
Nope.
A few takeaways from the BC budget
Real spending cuts in health care are here:
Regional health authorities will only see a 0.7% increase in 2025-26 and a 2.5% increase in 2026-26—far below the 5-6% needed to maintain service levels, account for inflation, population growth and aging 1/
#bcpoli
Primary care access is declining in BC. With a new provincial budget on the way, how has spending on a new physician payment model affected it?
#bcpoli #cdnpoli
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
Manitoba slashes private nursing agencies: The path forward or a policy stumble?
By @maddidellplain.bsky.social
healthydebate.ca/2026/02/topi...
Our research ethics boards aren’t the problem – the system wasn’t built to protect participants
healthydebate.ca/2026/01/topi...
Dreaming of a bold and courageous health-care system for all
By @maddidellplain.bsky.social
healthydebate.ca/2025/12/topi...
‘A lot of work to do, one conversation at a time’: New Year’s resolutions for 2026; By @maddidellplain.bsky.social
"With changes reverberating throughout our health-care system, we wanted to know what health-care experts planned to focus on in the year ahead."
healthydebate.ca/2025/12/topi...
The DULF constitutional challenge will continue tomorrow at 10am and a member of the compassion club will be testifying. You can drop in and support/witness at any time. It goes until 4pm with a break from 12:30-2pm. 800 Smithe, floor 5, room 54.
1/3. The December 2025 @megaphonemagazine.com has hit the streets! 🎄🎅 Don't miss this month's cover story looking back at a year of storytelling to find out who's been naughty + who's been nice in the #DTES!
Cover photo of Nic + Julie in their holiday onesies by the amazing Tanya Goehring!
Also...
“The fact is that this toxic drug crisis won’t be solved without an approach that focuses on safer supply and harm reduction.”
For my latest with @filtermag.bsky.social, I spoke with BC Human Rights Commissioner, Kasari Govender, about her position statement on the toxic drug supply crisis.
Regulation saves lives. When drug regulations aren't strict people die. They don't have to die. Alcohol, opioids, stimulants: regulations save lives. In Canada we only strictly regulate alcohol and thankfully a tainted supply doesn't exist. We could regulate more.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Scoop: The CDC is moving to end telework agreements for employees with disabilities — again
www.statnews.com/2025/11/21/c...
Apparently 1 in 6 people who get Botox experience adverse effects from the procedure?? Excellent (and troubling) new @healthydebate.bsky.social story by Miranda Schreiber
NEW
Two federal expert reviews provided unanimous support in 2023 for rapidly scaling up safe supply, including compassion clubs.
Instead of informing the public, the government silenced the reports, and DULF got closed & arrested.
Who killed the expert reviews?
drugdatadecoded.ca/who-killed-t...
Donate to support Press Progress' legal fund! JournalismDefence.ca
Canada is currently experiencing a large, multi-jurisdictional outbreak of measles that began in October 2024 with cases in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and the Northwest Territories. While transmission has slowed recently, the outbreak has persisted for over 12 months, primarily within under-vaccinated communities. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has notified the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) that Canada no longer holds measles elimination status. PAHO's Measles and Rubella Elimination Regional Monitoring and Re-Verification Commission reviewed recent epidemiological and laboratory data, confirming sustained transmission of the same measles virus strain in Canada for a period of more than one year.
UPDATE: Canada has announced that it has lost its measles elimination status.
This is a direct result of the increase in anti-vax disinformation, which has caused large, sustained outbreaks in the country over the last year.
Founders of groundbreaking Vancouver compassion club found guilty of drug trafficking
Eris Nyx and Jeremy Kalicum, who sold club members drugs they had tested for safety, plan to launch a constitutional challenge against Canada's drug laws on November 24.
pressprogress.ca/founders-of-...
