Government

Ontario’s health insurance authority is seeking permission to appeal a recent Divisional Court decision that partially favoured Kingston physician Dr. Elaine Ma in a dispute over more than $600,000 in COVID-19 vaccination clinic billings.

Faced with the threat of pressure tactics, the Quebec government reached an agreement in principle on Sunday with hospital pharmacists, who had been without a collective agreement since March 2023.

With increased pay for nurses, a $270-million deal for doctors and 11 new collaborative care clinics, New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt says her party spent the year building a foundation for healthcare and that patients should start seeing results in 2026.

Dr. Yves Léger, the province’s chief medical officer of health, says his office knows New Brunswickers are eager for answers.

Members of the Quebec Federation of General Practitioners voted 97% in favour of the agreement in principle reached with the government on Dec. 11.

Changes to the regulations under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act include mandatory reporting of suspicious transactions involving precursors.

The court found that while Dr. Ma technically failed to comply with specific OHIP billing rules, it was unreasonable to ignore the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 public health crisis.

In a statement on social media, Dubé says he is not the right person to continue negotiations with family doctors over changes to a controversial doctor-payment law that he helped push through the legislature.