This is Queen Street Analytics' weekly digest of regulatory developments, legislative discussions and other government-related news concerning healthcare providers, doctors, physicians, clinicians, pharmacies and pharmacists, dental care providers, oral care providers, naturopaths, and old-age care providers. Once a week, we break down the most important updates in this space in under five minutes.

Want to see GR activities in areas of the economy related to the Healthcare channel? Don't miss this week's updates in Social Issues. Also consider subscribing to our Healthcare - Washington edition covering critical GR news south of the border.

Dates: 2026-02-15 to 2026-02-21

📋 In This Week's Newsletter

• 🏛️ This Week's Parliamentary Calendar
• 🇨🇦 Federal Government News
• 🗺️ Provincial Government News
• 💬 Government Consultations
• 📚 What We're Reading This Week

This Week's Parliamentary Calendar

• Status of Women Committee: Study of Bill C-225: On February 24, the Status of Women Committee will hear witnesses on Bill C-225, An Act to amend the Criminal Code, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., including representatives from À coeur d’homme, National Police Federation, Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic, National Family and Survivors Circle, and Regroupement des maisons pour femmes victimes de violence conjugale.
• Veterans Affairs Committee: Monitoring the Rehabilitation Services Contract: On February 23, the Veterans Affairs Committee will meet from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. to discuss monitoring the rehabilitation services contract awarded to PCVRS, with witnesses from Institut Alpha, Edgewood Health Network Inc., and Veterans Emergency Transition Services.

Federal Government News

Release of Oral Health Indicators from Canadian Health Measures Survey

Statistics Canada has published new data tables detailing oral health indicators based on findings from the 2022 to 2024 cycle of the Canadian Health Measures Survey. The dataset offers the latest insight into population oral health status, covering a range of indicators including prevalence of dental conditions and service utilization. Industry stakeholders may access the dataset for current national and regional trends relevant to service planning and public health programming.

Sources: www.statcan.gc.ca

Updated Population and Demographic Dependency Data by Health Region

Statistics Canada released updated population estimates and demographic dependency ratios at the health region and peer group level as of July 1, 2025. The dataset includes figures for older adults and children versus the working-age population, which may affect strategic planning for long-term care, acute care, and workforce deployment across health regions. The data includes updates to previous years, offering a time-series perspective for forecasting resource allocation in health care delivery.

Sources: www.statcan.gc.ca

Health Reports: Acute Toxicity Deaths in Canada

The February 2026 issue of Health Reports by Statistics Canada addresses acute toxicity deaths (ATD), known as overdose or poisoning deaths, involving substances such as opioids, alcohol, and other toxins. The report presents findings on affected population groups and discusses gaps in national surveillance data. The dataset enables providers, administrators, and policy staff to examine emerging risks and inform response measures.

Sources: www.statcan.gc.ca

Senate Report Highlights Recruitment of Bilingual Health Workers

A recent Senate report recommends strategies to recruit bilingual health workers across Canada, citing growing needs for service in both official languages. The report identifies language barriers as a factor affecting health service delivery and outlines current workforce distribution, with implications for health profession education, recruitment, and deployment. The recommendations may influence upcoming federal and provincial workforce planning and education program alignment.

Sources: www.thestar.com

Provincial Government News

Manitoba Launches Hospital Safety Upgrades

Manitoba is undertaking coordinated safety upgrades at hospitals, including SAFE app expansion, increased institutional safety officers, and digital alert systems, extending coverage across major facilities.

Sources: news.gov.mb.ca

B.C. Expands Long-Term Care at Home Program for Seniors

British Columbia will extend its Long-term Care at Home program to 2,700 seniors by 2028, enabling expanded use of virtual care and home-monitoring technology for aging in place.

Sources: news.gov.bc.ca

Alberta Modernizes Medication Supply with New Drug Preparation Centre

Alberta is investing $61 million in a centralized drug preparation facility in Calgary to support hospitals and health facilities, consolidating medication distribution and replacing aging infrastructure.

Sources: www.alberta.ca

Manitoba Expands Newborn Screening to Include Congenital CMV

Manitoba now includes congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) screening in its universal newborn testing, making it one of the first Canadian provinces to adopt routine cCMV screening.

Sources: news.gov.mb.ca

Ontario Invests in Diabetes Care Expansion

Ontario has approved an expansion of the Charles H. Best Diabetes Centre in Whitby, which will nearly double its annual patient capacity, as part of wider health infrastructure investment.

Sources: news.ontario.ca

Government Consultations

Consultation: Reliance on Foreign Regulatory Decisions for Drugs

Health Canada is seeking representations on a proposed Order to allow reliance on decisions and documents produced by foreign regulatory authorities in respect of certain drugs. The consultation runs until February 28, 2026.

Sources: gazette.gc.ca

What We're Reading This Week

• Aligning nursing education with evolving health-care needs: Feature on challenges and models in nursing education.
• Easing the load: The caregiver-friendly workplace is emerging: Discussion of workplace policies for caregivers in Canada.
• As the US population ages, more employees are seeking caregiver benefits at work: Overview of the expansion of caregiver benefits in the US workforce.

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