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A growing number of newly certified medical specialists can’t find work, according to a study by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons. Of the nearly 1400 new specialists who responded to a survey, 16% reported being unable to find secure jobs. Contributing factors include delayed retirement of older specialists, the growth of interprofessional teams that rely less on physicians and inadequate career counselling.
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Patients do not have the right to seek assistance from physicians to help them die, according to a ruling by the Court of Appeal for British Columbia. In a 2–1 decision, the Court of Appeal overturned a 2012 ruling by a lower court that deemed the law against physician-assisted suicide unconstitutional.
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About 5% of practising physicians exhibit recurrent disruptive behaviour, states a discussion paper released by the Canadian Medical Protective Association. To address physician disruptive behaviour, the association recommends an approach including early identification, proactive intervention, workplace assessment and remediation.
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Large chain restaurants in Ontario will soon have to post calorie counts and other nutrition information on menus and menu boards, announced provincial Health Minister Deb Matthews. Legislation mandating the change will come into effect this winter. The government is also seeking advice on reducing the marketing of unhealthy food and drinks to children.
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The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will now report to the federal minister of health instead of the federal minister of agriculture and agrifood, announced Health Canada. According to the government, the move was made to strengthen Canada’s food safety system by improving communication and collaboration between the three authorities responsible for food safety (Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada).
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Multiple sclerosis is not caused by the narrowing of veins from the brain to the heart, a theory made popular by Italian surgeon Dr. Paolo Zamboni, according to a Canadian study published in The Lancet. The study, funded in part by the MS Society of Canada, found that extracranial venous narrowing of greater than 50% was just as common in unaffected siblings and unrelated control subjects as it was in people with multiple sclerosis.
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Up to 90% of Canadians with a serious mental illness are unemployed, largely because of stigma, according to a report released by the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Finding jobs for this population would improve their health, self-esteem and standard of living, while enabling them to contribute more to the economy, states the report.
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Tanning beds will soon be off limits to Ontarians under the age of 18, following the passing of the Skin Cancer Prevention Act. The new legislation also bans marketing tanning services to youth and requires tanning bed operators to request identification from clients who appear under 25. The maximum fine for breaking the law will be $25 000.
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Flavoured tobacco products are incredibly popular among high school students, according to the Youth Smoking Survey. Of those who reported tobacco use in the month prior to the survey, 52% had consumed flavoured products, including menthol cigarettes and flavoured cigarillos.
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The University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine has been put on probation by the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools for being weak or deficient in 10 areas. The school, on warning of probation for nearly two years, began a “significant renewal process” in 2012 to address accreditation issues and other problems.