It may surprise some policy-makers to hear it, but the best way for government to use its financial resources to improve population health in a developed country is to spend more on social services rather than on health care. Models using data from the United States, Canada, and across the 36 countries of the Organization […]

On February 5th, Alberta Health Services President and CEO Vickie Kaminski announced that AHS would be implementing cost reductions.* Small wonder. Spending on health care in Alberta is very high and is increasing quickly. In this note I want to show this and then talk about the implications. The graph below uses data from the […]

The giant hole in the Alberta budget arising from the drop in oil prices and government revenues from non-renewable energy resources has spurred Albertans to think about possible ways of restoring the government’s fiscal health. Early off the mark with a suggestion was Dr. Richard Johnston, president of the Alberta Medical Association, who wants the […]

Chronic disease is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide, with four out of five Canadians over the age of 20 at risk. There is evidence suggesting that vitamin D insufficiency could be contributing to the huge economic burden associated with chronic disease. A causal link has been established between vitamin D insufficiency and […]

This is a contribution from the Health Policy group at The School of Public Policy. It has been estimated that to raise a child from birth to age 18 in Canada will cost parents $250,000. This is often perceived to be a shockingly high cost.  Now, consider that if that child has a significant neurodevelopmental […]