Skip to main content

Featured

Budget Day 2026: What a $63B+ Deficit Means for Your Wallet

  Canadian Money Brief • Thursday, November 5, 2026 Ottawa tables its second Carney-era budget today. Almost everyone expects big spending. Hardly anyone expects it to help their own bank account. Here is what the numbers say, and what to do about it. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne says today’s budget is about “changing Canada’s growth model”: less reliance on the U.S., more building at home. That is a big-picture pitch. Your household budget is a small-picture problem, and a new Abacus Data poll shows the gap between the two is wide. The poll in one line: only 10% of Canadians expect Budget 2026 to make their household better off. 30% expect to be worse off, and 48% expect little difference. (Abacus Data, 1,809 adults, Oct. 30 to Nov. 3.) The deficit, in plain numbers The Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) is the government’s independent fiscal referee. Its latest outlook, which predates the budget and only counts measures already announced, sets the stage: PBO proj...
Post a Comment
Read more

article

Labels

A Silent Trend in Canadian Long‑Term Care: Antipsychotic Use Without Diagnosis

 

A recent report has revealed a troubling pattern in long‑term care (LTC) homes across Canada: one in four residents is being given antipsychotic medication despite having no diagnosis of psychosis. These drugs—intended to treat conditions involving delusions or hallucinations—are often being used instead to manage behavioural symptoms such as aggression or agitation, particularly among residents with dementia. 

This trend has been growing in recent years. National data shows that potentially inappropriate antipsychotic use in LTC reached more than 24% in 2023–2024, continuing an upward trajectory that began before the COVID‑19 pandemic. Rates vary widely across the country, with some jurisdictions approaching 35%. The pandemic intensified staffing shortages and disrupted person‑centred care practices, making it harder for facilities to rely on non‑pharmacological approaches. 

Canada’s rate of inappropriate antipsychotic use is also high by international standards—nearly two and a half times the rate reported in the United States, and significantly higher than in countries like Australia and Sweden. 

Advocates and health organizations stress that antipsychotics should not be the first line of response for dementia‑related behaviours. Instead, they call for renewed investment in staffing, training, and person‑centred care strategies that address the root causes of agitation without relying on powerful medications.

As Canada continues to grapple with an aging population, the findings highlight an urgent need to strengthen oversight, support caregivers, and ensure that seniors receive safe, appropriate, and dignified care.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment