News from Canada

Schulich researchers develop next-generation gut-health system

Scientists say gut-on-a-chip model faster and smarter than traditional disease and safety tests

“This breakthrough saves critical time and enables real-time testing of chemicals, drugs and pathogens,” he says.

Not only is the gut-on-a-chip faster, but the report’s authors say it’s also smarter than current alternatives, as it is automated, allowing for simultaneous testing of multiple conditions or compounds, supporting faster drug screening and toxicology workflows.

“This is a leap forward in gut modelling,” says Schulich PhD student Sorosh Abdollahi, the first author of the story. “It combines biological accuracy with practical speed, enabling a whole new range of applications in health and disease research.”

He says that includes how the gut communicates with organs like the brain and liver, making the technology a gateway for exploring how gut disruptions may drive neurodegeneration, immune disorders, and cancer.
 

Five examples of how hubris in public health could lead to repeated mistakes ​

TheStar.com – Opinion/Contributors
July 2, 2025. By Iris Gorfinkel, Contributor

Icarus had a problem: Desperate to escape from prison, he made wings out of feathers and wax. His father warned him not to fly too close to the sun, but Icarus couldn’t resist the freedom of soaring. His wings melted and he plunged to his death.

Like Icarus, public health is given advanced warning, but struggles between freedom and rules. And as in Greek myths, each failure offers a “moral.”

Here are five examples:

Referring to the pandemic in the past tense​

COVID-19 is still spreading in unpredictable waves. Although hospitalizations are currently low, the virus landed over 1,000 Ontarians in hospital and killed nearly 500. New variants keep emerging, including the latest NB. 1.8.1, also known as “Nimbus.” It took just three months to become Canada’s dominant variant. Each time a new variant takes over, it threatens built-up immunity from vaccines and previous infections. Although Nimbus isn’t deadlier than previous variants, there’s no guarantee that future variants won’t cause more severe disease.

Moral: The pandemic isn’t over when hospitalizations have temporarily slowed.

Downplaying the impact of Long COVID​

One-in-9 Canadian adults have experienced Long COVID. Because the virus can invade multiple areas in the body, it causes over 200 symptoms, including extreme fatigue, brain fog and dizziness. But what’s frequently overlooked are its longer-term impacts on blood clotting, heart and brain health. Long COVID more than doubles the risk of heart attack, stroke and death for up to three years after being infected. These risks rise each time a person gets COVID and can be reduced by getting immunized.

Moral: Long COVID’s effects have been downplayed despite life-altering and long-lasting health effects.

Lowballing deaths that result from Long COVID​

Canada’s federal COVID tracker fails to include excess deaths resulting from long COVID’s delayed effects on blood clots, heart attacks and strokes. There were an estimated 90,500 excess deaths in Canada since the start of the pandemic to June 2023. That’s nearly 40,000 more deaths than what the Public Health Agency of Canada reported over the same time frame.

Yet government websites limit reporting to deaths resulting from acute disease only and leave out the later deaths that result from SARS CoV-2. Failing to acknowledge these deaths delivers a falsely reassuring and extremely damaging public health message.

Moral: Ignoring uncomfortable truths is not a public health strategy.

Disregarding the advice of Canada’s Public Health Agency​

Alberta’s recently announced COVID vaccine policy goes against Canada’s “strong” recommendations. Instead of providing COVID vaccines at no cost, most Albertans will need to pay $110 starting this fall, putting it out of reach for racialized communities and First Nations. Both groups were over four times more likely to die from COVID-19 than non-racialized, wealthier Albertans. It’s Canada’s only jurisdiction that will charge high-risk community-dwelling seniors, children, health care workers and pregnant people, even though hospitalizations and deaths from COVID outnumbered those from influenza and R.S.V. combined.

Moral: Public health should never be weaponized by political agendas.

Refusing to hold an independent COVID inquiry​

An inquiry is essential to prevent the same mistakes from being repeated. Had Canada kept its stockpile of N95 masks, fewer health care workers and patients would have become infected. Installing better ventilation and filtration systems in schools and hospitals would have proven a wiser investment than the billions spent on closures. It would also reveal how public health might better respond to mis- and disinformation. Yet calls for a comprehensive inquiry into the federal government’s pandemic response have gone unheeded.

Moral: A transparent, national inquiry is essential to maintaining trust in public health.

Icarus paid with his life, but public health pays with the lives of entire communities. How many more cases, hospitalizations and deaths must there be for Canada to learn from its past mistakes? It’s urgent that political agendas don’t blind policymakers to the harsh realities of COVID-19. If hubris is left to shape public health policy, it ensures the same mistakes will be repeated.
 
I noticed that Bonnie Henry, who was chief medical officer of British Columbia, was awarded the Order of Canada. Throughout the entire pandemic, she has been one of Canada's main minimizers of literally everything about it. Absolutely awful. Rewarding failure only encourages it, there is clearly never enough of it.
 
Yeah I saw that too: don't wear masks, just wash your hands, children unaffected, "protective" infections etc. Apparently not airborne.

"Soap and Water & Common Sense: The Definitive Guide to Viruses, Bacteria, Parasites, and Disease" [Amazon link]

As a physician who has spent nearly two decades chasing bugs all over the world from Ebola in Uganda, to polio in Pakistan, to SARS in Toronto • leading epidemiologist and public-health doctor Bonnie Henry offers three simple rules to help people avoid getting sick: clean your hands, cover your mouth when you cough, and stay at home when you have a fever. It all boils down to basic hygiene. In this compelling book, Dr. Henry gives a lively account of the evolution of common sickness.
Click to expand...
 
This is Dr. Angela Cheung, MD, PhD, FRCPC, CCD who Paul Garner was exchanging emails with. This is her response to a CBC national news reporter Karen Paul who posted Toews NHL player LC recovery story from good vibes and deep massages. Not sure what to make of this, but it appears that recovery stories are going to be a focus that they going to hang their hook on, just like PG mentioned in his email to her.

A beacon of hope for many who are affected by Long Covid.

Great to see you home and back
@JonathanToews
And thanks for shining a light on #LongCovid, the post-pandemic pandemic (latest estimate: 65 million are affected worldwide)
 
From Paul Garner email guiding Canada to LC recovery:

There is plenty of biopsychosocial people in Canada, you must know this. Gabor Mate for example, and morerecently there is the DNRS programme is run by Annie Hopper, and she is actually connected to McMaster, aspeople in your Institution have done research on this. DNRS is being used a lot in post covid conditions.

There is lots of people on their videos of people who have recovered Rachel has contact with people using the Gupta Programme too which is widely used-indeed a hospital in Finland is doing an RCT for postcovid condition using a modified Gupta Programme. One person we both know who has recovered from the post covid condition and is now promoting approaches to help is Amy from Postively Covid. She lives in the US. She is really sensible, imaginative, thoughtful,independent.https://www.positivelycovid.org/She would be a great committee member.

Both Rachel, myself and Amy are members of the COFFI Consumer Advisory Committee. Coffi is the Collaborative onfatigue following infection. Consumers are discussed and interviewed by the COFFI Scientific Committee so theselection is serious and these are good people.https://www.coffi-collaborative.com/consumer-advisory-committeeWe won’t send you any more emails now, but do let us know how we can help in your endeavour! Paul Garner and Rachel Whitfield. Paul Garner, professor emeritus, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine How activists try to dismiss recovery stories by bullying and intimidation Truth not triumph: valedictory! (Sept 2022)
 
Nightsong said:
Includes some FOIed emails from Paul Garner, who was trying to influence the process:
Click to expand...
The emails are interesting. Garner and Flottorp appear very assertive and activitst-like. They try to get themselves on the committee and are very dismissive if guideline text doesn't mention psychological treatments and recovery, often suggesting that this will cause harm. They use COFFI and the Oslo consortium to present themselves as experts.

They also seem to have actively search for recovered patients or doctors who use mind-body approaches in Canada (without much success) to get them on guideline panels I suppose.

Some quotes from emails of Garner:
I have been talking a lot with people about your important guideline work and would love to be involved somehow, particularly on the non-pharmacological interventions/psychological. [...] If we can find more practitioners and recovered patients we will come back to you
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But I will continue working with Rachel to find people that may be useful who have recovered. These are important people and contrast with the nihilistic approach of activists
Click to expand...
Rachel is working hard on finding recovered covid consumers. Rachel knows a lot internationally but fewer in Canada so is exploring this.
Click to expand...
One person we both know who has recovered from the post covid condition and is now promoting approaches to help is Amy from Postively Covid. She lives in the US. She is really sensible, imaginative, thoughtful, independent [...] She would be a great committee member.
Click to expand...
we have worked together on advocacy around recovery and Rachel is well networked into mind-body training programmes globally, although not a therapist herself.We have been exploring post covid condition recovery networks in Canada. We haven’t found any.
Click to expand...

@dave30th
 
ME/CFS Skeptic said:
The emails are interesting. Garner and Flottorp appear very assertive and activitst-like. They try to get themselves on the committee and are very dismissive if guideline text doesn't mention psychological treatments and recovery, often suggesting that this will cause harm. They use COFFI and the Oslo consortium to present themselves as experts.

They also seem to have actively search for recovered patients or doctors who use mind-body approaches in Canada (without much success) to get them on guideline panels I suppose.

Some quotes from emails of Garner:






@dave30th
Click to expand...

This man has entirely too much influence.
 
Meet
@rashminhira, a doctoral student @UCalgary

Under Dr. Satish R. Raj's supervision. Rashmin is investigating Long-COVID and its connections to disorders of heart rate and blood pressure, and non-drug-related treatments to help patients with their condition.
 
Why hasn't Dr. Satish Raj investigated pwME/CFS as well? Are there not enough patients to do so?
 
3rd Canadian Symposium on Long Covid

October20-21, 2025
Long Covid Web and Memorial University of Newfoundland are pleased to announce the 2025 Canadian Symposium on Long COVID.

The symposium will bring together people with lived experience of Long COVID, clinicians, trainees, allied health, researchers and others to discuss the latest innovations and scientific developments in Long COVID.

Hosted by the Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, and Long COVID Web, this event will take place in-person in St. John’s and virtually on the Whova platform on October 20th-21st, 2025

The overall learning objectives of the 3rd Canadian Symposium on Long COVID are:

  1. Engage in sharing research, discussing challenges, and exploring solutions with clinicians, researchers, and persons with lived experience regarding Long COVID conditions.
  2. Evaluate recent advancements in basic science and clinical studies related to Long COVID, including epidemiology, pathophysiology, and potential therapeutic targets.
  3. Assess the significance of patient advocacy and partnership in driving impactful research and improved outcomes.
Masking for Attendees

In line with our commitment to the health and safety of all participants, we highly recommend that all attendees wear masks during the symposium. Masks will be provided at registration for those who need them. While masking is not currently mandated by provincial law for public events in Newfoundland & Labrador, this policy is part of our event safety measures. We also ask that anyone experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or other respiratory illnesses consider staying home if they are unwell. Thank you for helping us maintain a safe environment for all.

Note on Community Materials:

We welcome Long COVID advocacy and support group resources at the Symposium. Since the event is accredited, all brochures, pamphlets, and other printed materials must be submitted in advance for review. Approved items will be placed on a designated table for attendees to browse.
 
Manitoba government employee sues province, Canada Life over denial of long-term disability
Plaintiff was diagnosed with long COVID and chronic fatigue syndrome: lawsuit

It says Canada Life made the decision to deny her claim, but the Manitoba government could have overruled that decision and ought to have done so. The plaintiff was diagnosed with long COVID and chronic fatigue syndrome, the lawsuit says, "which has wholly prevented her from performing her regular duties."​
​
In November 2024 she submitted a claim to Canada Life for long-term disability, stating that she has been unable to work.​
​
In an April 24 letter denying the claim, Canada Life said it had to assess whether her continuing medical symptoms are of a severity that would prevent her from performing her duties as a gift shop manager.​
​
It concluded that the medical information on file supports that the plaintiff "would be able to function within a sedentary level," and that she would not be prevented from performing her occupational duties.​
...​
The physiatrist referred to the plaintiff's symptoms such as fatigue and brain fog, saying, "the plaintiff has features in her presentation of post covid, post viral prolonged recovery of symptoms, at times this is called Long Covid."​
...​
The plaintiff alleges Canada Life and the Manitoba government "have arbitrarily and without justification denied her right to the payment of LTD benefits and have done so in a high handed, egregious and cavalier manner without any regard to their actions and knowing, but not caring, of the consequences of their actions."​

There will have to be so many lawsuits to clear out once we get out of the dog shed. So many basic things people were entitled by law and were denied based on lies and fraudulent claims. All of this is a choice. All this needless suffering made so much worse by the constant lying and corruption.
 
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