3,000 Ontario Red Cross home care workers begin strike
  Home health service professionals left living below poverty line after months of bargaining.

Ad campaign takes on violence against hospital workers
  Twenty-three reported assaults in September alone at targeted hospital.

Aggressive medical billing techniques confusing Canadians
  Friends of Medicare, OHC both report increase in calls and complaints.

Alberta budget spending shell game gets losing grade
  Increases to health care, infrastructure were financed by cuts to other areas, elimination of 800 public service jobs.

Alberta health boss denies plan to privatize care
  Mexican project haunts board chair Ken Hughes.

Alberta puts private industry in charge of public health administration
  New board chair is insurance industry investor.

Alberta union offers $500 prize for best video about health-care privatization
  Winning video to be posted on YouTube.

Albertans distrust those running their health care - CBC poll
  Professionals get higher marks than politicians and senior managers.

American health administrator says she can't protect public in profit-driven system
  Missouri state hospitals closing unprofitable mental health units.

BC government taking action on illegal medicare fees
  Attempted crack down at some for-profit clinics.

BC Health Sciences Association blasts government for cutting autism support
  Says "improvement in service" is really $3 million in cuts.

BC poverty election issue as 200 organizations demand government action
  Open letter and petition gives concrete plan for taking on highest poverty rates in country, despite years of growth.

BC public-private partnerships (P3s) questioned by Auditor General, independent review called for
  "Bill of goods" being sold to Canadian taxpayers with privatization.

BC: Privatized hospital cleaning a failure
  Health and Safety reprimands, public complaints dog multinational contractor.

British National Health Service would save $4.4 billion CAD if P3s bought back
  Research shows public-private building contracts no bargain.

Calculating risk in public-private hospitals
  CMAJ examines the pros and cons of public-private hospital construction.

Campaign 2000 releases new report cards on child and family poverty
 

Canada spends one-half per capita on health than US does, yet we are healthier
  Government pleads poverty, yet proceeding with tax cuts to Ontario corporations.

Canada still needs child care
  Canadians have less access to services than those in 19 other countries.

Canada-EU trade accord could erode health care
  British Medical Journal covers Canada-Europe trade deal controversy.

Canadian health care: fact or myth?
  Canadian psychologist working in US helps sort facts from fantasy.

Canadian Medical Association wants full inquiry into Canada's tainted meat scandal
  Death toll already double that of Walkerton E. coli outbreak.

Canadian women demand action on G8 Muskoka Health Initiative
  36 prominent Canadian women have signed onto a letter urging Prime Minister Stephen Harper to protect the rights of women.

Canadians can't afford not to have a public drug plan
  Canadian Health Coalition releases report on public hearings.

Canadians get more public services than they pay for
  Families in middle 50 percent receive at least half their private incomes in benefits most take for granted - CCPA.

Canadians value public services over tax cuts: new poll
  Nanos Research shows broad support for social safety net in tough times.

Cancer-care nursing cuts in London, 20 per cent loss of critical nursing knowledge
  Cuts to nursing staff will result in longer wait times, risks in complications.

Children's mental health facility in Ottawa on brink of bankruptcy
  15 years of provincial underfunding called "slow moving train wreck".

CMA elects public-system champion for president
  Last two presidents owned, campaigned aggressively for private clinics.

Court challenge to health-care privatization in Quebec
  Lawsuit contends Bill 33 undermines medicare.

Court-ordered private health insurance in Quebec finds no takers
  Health minister claims medicare works so well that private options irrelevant.

Defend access to health care based on need: Medicare Pledge from Canadian Health Coalition
  On-line initiative to demonstrate support for public insurance.

Deregulation of BC sewer system setting the stage for disaster: report
  Self-regulatory system open to conflict of interest, removes health officials' power to protect the public.

Do our federal politicians still believe in Canada?
  Bold, visionary national leadership needed, not more off-loading of responsibilities.

Drug advertising allowed Canada that is prohibited in US
  In US, medications with serious risks carry warnings on packaging, cannot be advertised.

Drug lobbyist resigns from Alberta public health panel
  Albertans have said time and again they want publicly delivered health-care - Brian Mason.

Economists who won't name winners and losers from dismantling medicare should be shamed
  Claim that medicare is too costly to maintain is based on economic and political myths.

Election victory no mandate to gut health care in Alberta, says HSAA president
  Messages from new Health Minister's office resemble cost-cutting of '90s.

Ending privatized medicare in the USA
  US government subsidies enrich insurance companies at the expense of taxpayers and beneficiaries.

Ending the hidden agenda behind tax cuts
  What happens in the real world when this reasoning is taken to its logical conclusion?

Escalating shortage of lab professionals threatens patient care
  Health professional's group is sounding alarm bells in advance of National Medical Laboratory Week.

EU farming studies may shift public policy
  Farming, food, health and environment need integrated oversight, author says.

False assumptions behind health care user fees
  An open letter to the Prime Minister from Canadian Doctors for Medicare .

Federal budget cuts bad for your health
  Why go for lowest corporate tax rates in the G7 when we have bills to pay?

Federal scientists launch campaign to end self-policing in food industry
  Research, regulation, power to act in the public interest need to be restored.

Financing health care: is long-term sustainability possible?
  Report shows maintaining medicare is a matter of choice and political will, not government's ability to pay for it.

Flaherty plans Walkerton medicine for Canadians
  Defends his record in Ontario that led to water contamination, hospital and school closures, cuts to protective services.

Food inspection deregulation a 'disaster'
  BSE-testing cut to save cash

Food safety: Time to rethink control by the WTO
  For over a decade, governments forced to overturn public-interest laws or face trade sanctions.

Front line justice workers call for changes in how mentally ill are treated
  Increasing incarceration of people with mental issues is cruel and unusual punishment - NUPGE.

Georgia may completely privatize troubled mental-health system
  Deaths of patients linked to already insufficient, poorly-trained staff.

Government continues to withdraw resources from federally-supported science
  Medical doctors and scientists now have severely reduced access to an important research tool.

Half-hearted budget won't help the hard-hit
  Tax cuts, corporate handouts, minor benefits seriously underestimate the job at hand.

Harper ignores health risks for food
  Government meat inspectors' powers reduced in March without public discussion.

Health Canada's drug safety procedures lacking, says study
  Rapid approval of drugs, no recall mechanism, puts public at risk.

Health Coalitions across Canada ask Federal, Provincial Health Ministers to do their jobs
  Report cites violations of the Canada Health Act and their consequences nationwide.

Health professionals seek action on national HR shortages
  Government must address growing shortage of health care professionals

Healthcare surpasses jobs as top issue
  Returns to traditional place in list of Canadians' concerns.

Home care workers face increased squeeze
  Health corporations were paying poverty wages even before conservative meltdown hit.

Hospital union leaders question ability of Ontario hospitals to handle H1N1 surge
  Province has the fewest beds per 1,000 of the population of any province in Canada.

Housing, homelessness, health and the 2008 federal election
  Housing insecurity at record levels.

How Canada can beat tough times
  Government bonds would give citizens a choice as to where they direct their support.

How Sault Ste. Marie avoided massive line-ups and anger at their H1N1 clinics
  More effective care in Canada needed to seamlessly link primary health care to public health.

Independent study validates Canada's medicare program
  Finds public medicare made major impact in reducing socioeconomic differences in deaths.

Keep Alberta health privatization out of Saskatchewan
  Costs of surgery in for-profit clinics will escalate and exceed cost of public non-profit facilities after introductory offer.

Letter from front line to Flaherty
  Instead of NSA corporate tax cuts, give tax credits for real investments in Canadian economy.

Listeria crisis reveals conflict of interest
  CFIA's mandate split between managing food safety and industry promotion.

Mantra of fiscal conservatism new phenomenon
  Rather than reduce government programs during recession, we used to increase them.

Many American doctors openly envy Canadians for their working conditions
  Private clinics in Canada undermining universality of health care.

Many P3 hospital deals, but little public scrutiny
  In Ontario alone, 19 hospitals are being financed and constructed by private sector.

Maternal health funding could be a shell game – Oxfam
  It sounds like a lot of money, for five years, but Canada has spent a similar amount, in three days, for summits.

McGuinty government wiping out elected hospital boards
  Ontario Health Coalition gets no answers from Ministry as to reasons.

Medicare supporters should stick to values arguments - Nik Nanos
  Pollster says Canadians are too complacent about universal health care.

Mental health care must be brought into the mainstream of Medicare
  Part of NUPGE's 10-Step Plan for improving public health care services.

Mental health expert: public sector in crisis
  Major study requested as disability claims soar in critical public services.

Municipal governments organize for protection from NAFTA, WTO
  Delegates to national conference demand open public consultation, protection for democratic governance.

NDP demands reinstatement of fired food inspection worker
  Says government attempting to hide issue from public.

New Brunswick watchdogs keying in on P3 nursing homes deals
  Ombudsman, Auditor General to launch review of contract struck between provincial government and Shannex Inc.

New film: You, Me and the SPP
  What was the real agenda behind North America's overreaching security agreement? Market accessibility.

New poll shows overwhelming support for public health care
  CMA president's privatization agenda goes against Canadian current.

New public Peterborough hospital dramatically cheaper than public-private partnerships
  Comparison of costs raises questions about P3 funding practice.

New resources, research to help battle privatization in BC
  Lengthy contracts signed with private corporations to operate previously public services.

New Rule: Not everything in America has to make a profit
  US commentator asks: when did the profit motive become the new patriotism?

Nova Scotia hospital, school board workers set to strike
  Wage parity, inferior contracts issues before January 11 strike date.

Nova Scotia school, hospital workers have tentative deals, Montreal starts strike
  Montreal blue collar workers start rotating strikes, without contract since 2007.

On the heels of federal-provincial budget talks: a real plan to deal with the economic crisis
  Cutting interest rates is not enough

Ontario Auditor General slams Brampton P3 hospital
  Could have been built for millions less as fully public project.

Ontario Auditor General slams P3 hospital financing
  Total of $394 million more to build Brampton through private consortium; audit sought for Royal Ottawa's P3 deal.

Ontario Auditor General: $614-million Brampton Civic P3 cost $394-million too much
  There is no doubt P3s can be done better. But no one is asking whether they should be done at all.

Ontario home care contracts expiring, McGuinty may lift ban on competitive bidding
  Media campaign makes case for building public system, better working conditions.

Ontario hospitals condemn privatization of outpatient services
  Public labs cost only two-thirds that of private clinics.

Ontario MPP irate over illegal health charges
  PC member was charged $125 to book appointment.

Ontario's damaged home care system at risk again
  Ontario government lifts ban on competitive bidding.

Overwhelming majority of Canadians back public health care
  Canadians have no appetite for further privatization, pollster finds.

P3 for Quebec City hospital going nowhere
  Hospital administration asks province to drop efforts to fund facility as private-public partnership.

P3 hospital construction costs more, delivers less than proposal
  Specifics of cost overruns, service cuts and cover-up in the Brampton Hospital P3.

Paris water public again, California resisting privatization
  California groups to launch media campaign against water bond, Victoria poised to reject sewage privatization.

PEI health care workers unite against privatized nursing homes
  Activists lead forceful opposition to P3 mindset.

PEI nursing homes stay public
  Government scraps privatization plan in wake of widespread backlash.

PM urged to "put people first" in budget
  Economic recovery needs quality public services, retirement security, adequate EI benefits.

Poll shows majority of Albertans oppose health cuts
  Staying the course, not delisting services, desired by 62 percent of respondents.

Premier Williams cross-border health care, world class cardiac unit in Toronto
  More Americans come here for cardiac care than Canadians going south.

Private clinic in Victoria routinely charged $1200 'facility fee' for MRIs.
  One of 29 found violating Canada Health Act in BC, says Canadian Health Coalition.

Private clinics eroding fairness and equality of public health care
  New report: 89 suspected violations of the Canada Health Act in 5 provinces.

Private clinics looking to expand into Saskatchewan, saying they can reduce waits
  Progress is being made in wait times, says CUPE.

Private clinics: Medical scans or marketing scam?
  "Preventative" scans often neither safe nor highly accurate.

Private company abandons contract at Ontario hospital
  Ontario Public Service Employees Union wins against controversial decision to privatize in-patient services.

Private orthopedic clinic goes belly up
  Public purse to rescue bankrupt beacon of privatized health-care.

Privatization in many forms looms as potential election issue
  Another public service nightmare story could galvanize debate.

Privatization is not the answer to health care costs: properly adjusted public funding is
  With passing decades, federal cost-sharing with provinces has dwindled from 50 percent to the current 25 percent.

Privatization of Texas State services a "slow-motion disaster"
  Audit shows management problems continue five years later.

Privatization: a reality check
  Canadians really do not want to privatize the public services that are most important to them.

Privatizing health care is not the answer: lessons from the United States
  Why the US spends more and gets less.

Privatizing surgery is a dangerous mistake, says NSGEU
 

Progressive policy leader Quebec winning the baby race
  Family and child-friendly policies help bring birth rate above national average.

Provincial, federal governments ignore private clinic violations of Canada Health Act
  Growing trend bleeds public health care system of needed skills and services.

Public education, combatting complacency are key to maintaining medicare
  Clinics, nurse practitioners, and pharmacare combine to offer the forward - Linda Silas, CFNU

Public Science, 25,000 S & T workers affected by government labs transfers report
  Should government relinquish responsibility for leadership and accountability?

Public-private partnerships put corporate paws in public pockets
  Bargain basement highways, meter-collecting revenues and public buildings give complex tax advantages to investors.

Quebec hospitals to cost $4 billion more as P3s than if publicly-owned
  Not to late to cancel the process, PQ critic says.

Quebec ombudsman denounces hospital's offsite, private surgery deal
  Fears patient rights not protected.

Quebec to expand private health care - without debate
  Province has gone further than Supreme Court demanded.

Quebec walking away from privatization partnerships
  P3 agency president has stepped down, following half his board in recent months.

Recall of common food additive reveals government failures on food safety
  Contaminated protein was distributed for six weeks after contamination was detected

Report: "significant downsides" to privatization
  Examines risk, responsibility, accountability, effect on jobs, exit strategy of P3s.

Rural Ontario hospital cuts will cost lives, residents charge
  Province's move to consolidate emergency health care in urban centres creates outcry.

Sask health care providers have conciliatory talks canceled by province
  Union looks for collective agreements, launches tv ad in support of public services.

Saskatchewan Crowns (corporations) on endangered species list
  Grassroots group fights to save affordable, accessible services from extinction.

Saskatchewan's surgical plan puts profits first, not patients
  Government fails to fund public surgical centre for $3 million but finds $5.5 million for private-for-profit care.

Scotland bans privatized hospital services
  Privatized support services connected to rise in superbugs.

Scotland to build UK's largest new hospital without private funding
  Strictly public financing for the 'health campus'.

Senate report says Canada lags in care of seniors
  Finds "serious gaps" in health care, transportation, housing and support systems.

Service union questions private clinics
  Federal government asked to enforce the Canada Health Act.

Shelve Castonguay, support medicare, says CUPE
  Report on the Canada Health Act ignores already significant inroads into private health care.

SK contracts-out surgeries and tests
  Plan will harm the public health system because there are not enough resources to staff two parallel systems.

SK public servants settle, ON college teachers narrowly accept contract
  Agreement comes after five months without contract for SGEU members.

Social infrastructure creates three times more jobs than tax cuts
  Frontline workers tell first ministers to reinvest in public services.

Social networking supports campaign for more nurses
  London nurses among groups to use Facebook to spread the word.

Study: Private clinics cause public waiting lists to swell
  Wait times longer where private clinics poach staff from public system.

Swine flu shows need for good public health systems world-wide
  Beleaguered Mexican health care system ill-equipped, slow to respond to crisis.

Tell the USA the truth about our healthcare system
  Avaaz petition aims to cause a stir in US media before congressional vote.

Texas " a battleground" over privatization of health and human services
  Child Protective Services, Medicaid, food stamps on the block to lowest bidder.

The business case and the human case both support public health care, says health economist
  But Canada loses its health-care edge with a pharmaceutical regime you could call "Little America" - Bob Evans

The plan: strong economy, fair society, clean environment
  Reports, petition, Facebook group promote ways to change Canadian society for the better.

This fall, vote for medicare
  Harper government not collecting needed data nor enforcing rules.

Thousands rally for public health care across Ontario
  Marchers in five cities protest cuts to dozens of hospitals.

Time for Canada to get serious about pharmacare
  Courage needed to eliminate private health insurance tax subsidy, focus on income-dependent premiums for public insurance.

Twelve Alberta health authority boards rolled into one
  Appointed, unaccountable board addresses neither wait times nor workloads.

Two hundred and fifty seniors' health care workers lose jobs to privatization on Vancouver Island
  Hundreds of long-term care beds to close over summer, replaced by for-profit institutions.

UK health researcher tells Canada: contracting-out hospital cleaning a big mistake
  Health care associated infections are fourth leading cause of death in Canada.

UNICEF flunks Canada on child care
  Report card on Early Childhood Education and Care program ranks Canada at the bottom.

Universal health care drives the economy
  Employment, spending linked to access.

US Businesses and economists back public health care with petition
  Public health care seen as saviour of the economy.

US health insurers' bottom line: reject odds-on claimants
  Health care covers only healthy people.

US investor threatens first ever healthcare suit
  Will cite provincial private clinics as unfair competition.

US needs trillion dollar recovery package
  'You can't put out a forest fire with a squirt gun,' says Congressional Progressive Caucus.

US privatized food safety inspections graded: Fail
  Third-party audits for food safety likened to mail-order diploma mills for education.

Video of protest, arrests at Ontario hospital raises questions
  P3 approval, centralization based on deception, resident claims.

Walkom: Ontario's phony war against druggists
  Real health care cost drivers are the big multinational pharmaceuticals firms.

Water filtration P3s are election issue for Saint John
  Mayoralty candidates open the discussion, ponder becoming for-profit regional water supplier.

Weakened Ontario home care system put at risk if contract bidding resumes
  CUPE and Ontario Health Coalition warn against bringing back twice-suspended system of corporate competition for home care contracts.

Welcome to 'Free Public Services Day'
  When our taxes are paid for the year, so are the benefits of civilization.

Will Alberta health mega-board create uncertainty among providers?
  Impact on health care to be monitored in coming months.

Winnipeg families speak out on nursing home shortages
  Manitoba study last year reported that the ratio of patients to staff was 80 to one.