SecondStreet.org

We’re a think tank that conducts research and tells stories about how government policies affect everyday Canadians.

[SecondStreet.org @SecondStreetOrg]

Imagine getting health care right away.

That's what it's like in Japan's universal system.

Our new documentary examines their system and lessons for Canada.

[BIV News @BIVnews]

Rob Shaw: Medical dine-and-dash costing B.C. hospitals millions https://t.co/mC8U4NWSp5

[Global BC @GlobalBC]

The BC Conservatives say non-residents have racked up more than $200 million in unpaid health bills in British Columbia since 2020.

https://t.co/3y2WeyOKzV

[SecondStreet.org @SecondStreetOrg]

https://t.co/H8xUJ4vnzP has learned that non-residents are coming to B.C., receiving health care and then not paying their bills, stiffing the health care system with $200M in expenses over past five years.

See the news release on our website: https://t.co/8acMdMYQyA

[SecondStreet.org @SecondStreetOrg]

Every year tourists come to Canada, receive health services and then don't pay their bill.

https://t.co/zUEKXhpWIT has been digging into this problem.
Over the last five years, this issue has cost B.C. taxpayers over $200 million.

See the news release here: https://t.co/JRKgl6lW86

[SecondStreet.org @SecondStreetOrg]

For many Canadians, the health care crisis no longer looks like one dramatic moment.
It looks like smaller things happening over and over again:
- An ER closing for the weekend
- A specialist appointment pushed back
- A maternity ward hours away
- A family quietly considering treatment outside the country

Over time, temporary strain starts becoming permanent reality.
https://t.co/zUEKXhpoTl has been examining the growing pressure facing Canada’s health system, including its research on waitlists and delayed access to care.

Read more:
https://t.co/VyBGivNPsx

[SecondStreet.org @SecondStreetOrg]

What started as a debate over classroom cellphone use has turned into a much larger conversation about attention spans, discipline, and whether students are falling behind academically.

As more provinces tighten phone restrictions in schools, public opinion appears firmly behind the shift.
https://t.co/zUEKXhpoTl polling found overwhelming support among Canadians for limiting cellphone use inside classrooms.

Read more:
https://t.co/FNkpUuPa68

[SecondStreet.org @SecondStreetOrg]

A new analysis found that most Ontario hospitals have been operating in deficit in recent years, as emergency room wait times, staffing shortages, and hallway medicine pressures continue to strain the health care system.

Despite record levels of health care spending across Canada, many patients are still struggling to access timely care — raising broader questions about system performance, accountability, and whether resources are being directed effectively.
These concerns align with ongoing research from https://t.co/zUEKXhpoTl examining Canada’s growing health care waitlist crisis. Last year, the organization reported that at least 23,746 Canadians died while waiting for surgeries or diagnostic scans, based on government data obtained through FOI requests.

Read more from https://t.co/zUEKXhpoTl here: https://t.co/VyBGivNPsx

[SecondStreet.org @SecondStreetOrg]

Ontario is moving ahead with major reforms to school board governance after several boards were taken over by the province over concerns about spending and oversight.

The proposed changes would cap trustee expenses, reduce the number of trustees, and give the province greater authority over how boards operate, all under legislation called the “Putting Student Achievement First Act.”

The move comes amid broader concerns about the direction of Ontario’s education system and whether school boards are becoming too focused on administration and politics instead of classroom outcomes. Earlier this year, https://t.co/zUEKXhpoTl polling found a majority of Canadians believe the K-12 system is headed in the wrong direction and want schools to get “back to basics.”

Read https://t.co/zUEKXhpoTl’s poll here: https://t.co/WW9oiruIJa

[SecondStreet.org @SecondStreetOrg]

Canada is facing a growing maternal care crisis and in some communities, expectant mothers are now travelling hours away just to give birth.

In an Epoch Times column, https://t.co/zUEKXhpoTl’s Bacchus Barua examines the growing shortage of maternity services across Canada, the closure of rural birthing units, and the increasing pressure on pregnant women living outside major urban centres.

The piece explores what’s driving the problem, why access to maternal care has become so uneven across the country, and what policymakers may need to reconsider if the situation continues to worsen.

Read the full column here: https://t.co/vq9fsKnUYE

[SecondStreet.org @SecondStreetOrg]

Anti-semitism is now costing Canada doctors.

A serious problem that deserves a serious response.

[SecondStreet.org @SecondStreetOrg]

Great news from the Government of Alberta yesterday confirming that the government has put activity-based funding in place for 12 hospitals across the province. Activity-based funding is a proven method for improving patient wait-times and is already in use across much of Europe. While this is still only a tentative start, and we have to see how well the government implements it, https://t.co/zUEKXhpoTl is pleased to see this policy being implemented. Read the province's full announcement here:

https://t.co/UEJ4QeLHvQ

[SecondStreet.org @SecondStreetOrg]

Why are French patients generally able to access surgeries and after-hours care faster than Canadians, even though France also has a universal health care system?

To find out, https://t.co/zUEKXhpoTl’s Colin Craig and the MEI’s Renaud Brossard travelled to France to speak with their doctors, hospital leaders, economists, and lawmakers about how the country’s health care system actually works.

The documentary explores everything from hospital funding models to competition between providers and includes one statistic that may surprise Canadians: private hospitals in France perform 35% of hospital activity while using just 18% of the hospital budget.

Watch the full video here: https://t.co/qkVZS55Z0X

[SecondStreet.org @SecondStreetOrg]

Windsor Regional Hospital has reportedly lost another $236,000 operating its Tim Hortons location, bringing total losses to nearly $3 million since 2011.

That’s money critics say could have gone toward hiring nurses, expanding patient care, or reducing pressure on hospital staff instead of subsidizing a government-run coffee shop. The latest numbers are renewing questions about why the hospital continues operating the locations internally instead of outsourcing them.

Read the full story here: https://t.co/pdmOLsFaBx

[SecondStreet.org @SecondStreetOrg]

After years of pain from varicose veins, Žilvinas says he was told surgery wasn’t an option in Canada.

Instead, he says doctors prescribed lifelong compression socks to manage the symptoms — without fixing the underlying problem.

Eventually, he travelled abroad for treatment and received the surgery he had been denied at home.

His experience is sparking debate about access to care and whether Canadians should have more options when treatment isn’t available domestically.

[SecondStreet.org @SecondStreetOrg]

More Canadians are speaking out about the growing gap between health care promises and reality.

Watch The Full Video:
https://t.co/jrpEjX1HW7

[SecondStreet.org @SecondStreetOrg]

Bruce says he may not be alive today if he had stayed in Canada waiting for heart surgery.

After months without answers, the Manitoba patient travelled to the United States for treatment — where doctors quickly identified the seriousness of his condition and operated.

“I couldn’t wait a year for heart surgery.”

His story is raising new questions about long wait times and whether Canadians should have faster access to care across borders when delays become life-threatening.

[SecondStreet.org @SecondStreetOrg]

Canadians are often told to wait — even when treatment is available elsewhere.

Under the European Union’s cross-border directive, patients can receive care in other regions or countries if wait times at home are too long.

A similar approach in Canada could give patients access to hundreds of additional treatment options across provinces and internationally — helping people get surgeries and procedures sooner instead of waiting months or years in their home province.

[SecondStreet.org @SecondStreetOrg]

A hospital should focus on patients, not running coffee shops.

Windsor Regional Hospital spent more than $500,000 operating its own Tim Hortons locations last year alone — bringing the total taxpayer cost to over $3 million over the past decade.

As wait times and staffing pressures continue across Canada’s health-care system, many Canadians are asking whether hospitals are doing too much outside of their core health care responsibilities.

[SecondStreet.org @SecondStreetOrg]

After 4 years with the organization, Dom Lucyk is switching focus! As the new Special Investigations Director, Dom will be chasing down stories and creating videos like his earlier documentaries on waste in health care and Ireland's health care solution. Stay tuned!

[SecondStreet.org @SecondStreetOrg]

Behind the promises of “free” health care, many Canadians are waiting longer for treatment they urgently need.

Watch The Full Video:
https://t.co/jrpEjX1HW7