Feds pledge nearly $86 million to improve Yukon health care
CBC
Federal and territorial officials announced $85.8 million in health care spending in the Yukon.
The funding, announced at a news conference in Whitehorse on Tuesday, comes from three different bilateral agreements: $23.8 million through Working Together, $50 million through the Territorial Health Investment Fund, and $12 million through the Aging with Dignity Agreement.
Yukon MP Brendan Hanley, territorial Health Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee and federal Health Minister Mark Holland were present at the event, as well as various stakeholders.
"This is historic, and it represents a massive investment in the health system in the Yukon," said Holland.
The cash is already flowing to Yukon health initiatives, and will continue to be distributed to a number of projects over the next five years, including a new walk-in clinic in Whitehorse.
Officials also promised to support a number of initiatives that deal with addiction and mental health: a mobile opioid treatment services clinic, a residential managed alcohol withdrawal program, and a plan to expand the opening hours at the Whitehorse supervised consumption site.
They also pledged to offer land-based mental health and substance use treatment projects in collaboration with the Council of Yukon First Nations, and bring the Icelandic Prevention Model to the Yukon.
The Icelandic model addresses substance use by focusing on community solutions rather than targeting individual behaviours. Already in place in 31 countries around the world, it's uniquely tailored to each area it is implemented, and relies on data and surveys from youth to identify issues that need to be addressed.
The majority of the $12 million allocated to senior-care spending will be going toward initiatives that support seniors remaining at home in their communities.
When asked if any of the funding will be allocated to long-term care beds, McPhee said the focus is to support aging in place.
The biggest chunk of spending, the $50 million that comes through the Territorial Health Investment Fund, will go toward establishing a Yukon health authority, staffing and digital health.
The aim is more recruitment and better retention, and a new digital health strategy that will streamline services and protect patient data.
Tuesday's media event also included a tour of the permanent location for Whitehorse's new walk-in clinic, on the ground floor of the Mah's Point building. Some of the funding announced this week will go toward running the new facility.
It's still being renovated, and officials promised the clinic would be up and running by next month.
Flu cases across Canada are on the rise and may push hospitals to their limits over the holidays and into the new year, leading health officials in regions across the country to warn people not to visit emergency rooms unless it's absolutely necessary.
More than 30 years after Canada's military allowed women to serve in combat roles, it's now specifically designing uniforms and body armour to fit their bodies.
The holiday season has arrived in Thunder Bay, and that means reduced hours, or closures, for businesses, city offices, and other amenities.
As Toronto’s food scene continues to grow, some in the industry say the pool of professional chefs hasn’t kept up with demand.
Police have charged a truck driver from the Hamilton area in a hit-and-run crash that killed a tow truck operator who had been stopped while helping a driver on the side of Highway 401 outside Woodstock, Ont.
Power has been restored to most of Haines Junction after a problem earlier on Monday at the local generating station.
A 56-year-old man will return to court on Tuesday for a charge of second-degree murder, laid in a case London police have called an act of femicide.
The chairman of the committee leading Newfoundland and Labrador's independent review of the Churchill Falls memorandum of understanding with Quebec is backing the impartiality of his three-man team.
The province has taken a major step toward restarting its onshore natural gas industry.
Allan Legere, serving a life sentence at a maximum security prison in Alberta, has been denied a request for full parole.
Winnipeg’s Granite Curling Club has asked a judge to decide whether the City of Winnipeg can ignore a provincial decision about residential housing slated to rise next to the club.
A Saskatoon woman says she watched her neighbour's police standoff play out in real time on social media.
One person is dead from carbon monoxide poisoning, following an incident Friday at a building in Regina.