New guide shows how planners can revive urban centres by shifting focus of vacant spaces from commercial to cultural
In the wake of economic fallout from COVID-19, urban centres could see a sharp increase in abandoned spaces as some businesses are forced to close. But vacant space doesn’t have to sit idle, according to a research associate with the University of Alberta’s Wirth Institute. If managed properly, it could spark a cultural revival of sorts,…
Voilà delivery vans will offer one-hour grocery delivery in the Toronto area, with Montreal service next
Voilà is the new benchmark in online food retailing in Canada, at least for now. More than 100 Voilà delivery vans will roam the streets of the Greater Toronto Area to deliver food to customers who have opted to buy their groceries online from Sobeys. At the centre of the fleet is a state-of-the-art distribution…
ParticipACTION report shows children aren’t moving enough; families need help supporting healthy behaviour
Canadian children and youth were given a failing grade for overall 24-hour movement and the slimmest of passes for overall physical activity by the most comprehensive assessment of child and youth physical activity. The 2020 ParticipACTION Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth was informed by research and expertise from movement researchers across Canada,…
With a vaccine likely years away and other viral threats emerging every year, shoring up health care for vulnerable groups is critical, say experts
Measles infected people for 1,500 years, killing more than one million people annually during the 20th century alone, before John Enders and Thomas Peebles isolated the virus in 1954 and developed a vaccine nine years later. Four decades onward again, the disease was finally eliminated in North America. But for every disease caused by a…
Placing trust in the public has become an alien idea. Our governments have become too large and self-serving
If there is one thing the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us – and it has taught us many things – it’s that partisan politics has completely taken hold of public discourse and, in effect, banned common sense. This truth was made most clear in early May when United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the…
Ophthalmologists encouraged to take extra precautions while working with patients who have conjunctivitis
A case of pink eye is now reason to be tested for COVID-19, according to University of Alberta researchers. Coughing, fever and difficulty breathing are common symptoms of the illness, but a recent case study involving an Edmonton woman and published in the Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology has determined that conjunctivitis and keratoconjunctivitis can also be primary symptoms. In…
The use of robots can make the restaurant sector more robust financially and more secure from a public health perspective
Canada’s first server-free restaurant has opened its doors in Toronto. Box’d is a fully-automated restaurant designed for life during a global pandemic. It’s an interesting concept but it makes you wonder what role humans can and should play in the food industry. Being aware of the new risks, we need to boldly move forward to…
While we wait for science to put a stop to COVID-19, we can all do our part in the simplest of ways
Modern medicine has at its disposal a vast array of technologies that can be used to identify, track and predict the risk and potential impact of emerging infectious diseases. Bioassays, genome sequencing and molecular technology can identify a novel pathogen. Computer modelling (in real-time) can provide us with an instant status report showing how much…
We should all take valuable lessons from the way Sweden has handled the COVID-19 crisis
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes that we have to learn to live with COVID-19. Notwithstanding hope of a vaccine, there is no guarantee. The virus awaits as we step out our door. And it could get worse. In Canada, the virus has been suppressed by a lockdown and strict social distancing, leaving residents at…
Alberta’s distribution of single-use protective masks through fast-food outlets is inequitable and ineffective: health policy experts
By Lorian Hardcastle University of Calgary and Ubaka Ogbogu University of Alberta Standing in front of a counter filled with fresh-baked pastries, Alberta Health Minister Tyler Shandro kicked off the government’s much-touted mask distribution strategy. Billed as part of the province’s relaunch, the strategy seeks to provide each Albertan with four disposable non-medical masks for…
In the wake of economic fallout from COVID-19, urban centres could see a sharp increase in abandoned spaces as some businesses are forced to close. But vacant space doesn’t have to sit idle, according to a research associate with the University of Alberta’s Wirth Institute. If managed properly, it could spark a cultural revival of sorts,…
