A mayfly on water. (SBTheGreenMan/iStock/Getty Images)

Health Canada steps back from bans on two neonics

New limits, some cancellations to be put in place

Reading Time: 5 minutes A federal proposal to protect aquatic insect habitat by cancelling all registered outdoor uses for two popular ag insecticides has been walked back in a major way. Health Canada on Wednesday announced its special review decisions on the risks to aquatic bug life from the use of clothianidin and thiamethoxam, both pesticides and seed treatments […] Read more

(Fudio/iStock/Getty Images)

Canada weighs tighter rules for grow-your-own pot producers

Spending on illicit pot still ahead of legal purchases

Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Canada on Monday launched a public consultation seeking to tighten rules for individuals who are allowed to grow their own medical cannabis, in an effort to clamp down on pot seeping into black markets. In a draft guidance issued for the consultation, Health Canada highlighted recent police raids and arrests at production sites […] Read more


(Fudio/iStock/Getty Images)

People growing too much pot at home, Health Canada warns

Pressure on to prevent abuse of home-grow program

Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Health Canada on Thursday raised concerns about the large quantity of medical marijuana people were growing at home, after its data showed a significant jump in daily average production permitted by health care practitioners. While the practitioners can allow registered patients to grow a limited amount at home for personal use, the regulator’s […] Read more

It’s a good idea to periodically check expiration dates on the medications in your home and safely dispose of them if they’ve expired.

Guide Health: Prescription drugs and expiration dates

Hmmm… you’ve got a headache, but your only bottle of acetaminophen is expired

Reading Time: 2 minutes An expiry date is the date after which you should no longer use a product, whether that product is a drug, a grocery store item or anything else. The product can no longer be guaranteed as fresh, stable, safe or, very importantly, 100 per cent potent.  Drug expiry dates are carefully calculated by drug manufacturers […] Read more


Calcium is the basis for healthy bones.

Guide Health: How to help prevent osteoporosis

Men can be impacted as well, and are more likely to end up in a nursing home

Reading Time: 2 minutes Osteoporosis is linked to low bone density, a decrease in bone strength and deterioration of bone structure. And, with this loss of bone integrity comes an increased risk for fractures, most notably hip and wrist fractures. Unfortunately, by the time you realize your have osteoporosis, it may be too late to build healthy bone. Bone […] Read more

Mosquito control would be one of the few uses still allowed for chlorpyrifos under a proposal from Health Canada’s PMRA. (Tskstock/iStock/Getty Images)

Corteva to stop making Lorsban

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Corteva will stop producing the agricultural pesticide chlorpyrifos by the end of the year, the company said on Thursday, removing the world’s largest manufacturer of a chemical that has been linked to low birth weight, reduced IQ and attention disorders in children. Corteva, spun off last year after a merger of […] Read more


Manitoba’s Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority (LGCA) has been running billboards such as this one in Winnipeg to educate the public ahead of edibles’ entry to the recreational market. (Dave Bedard photo)

Cannabis patients boost Aurora edible sales

Reading Time: 2 minutes Toronto | Reuters — Aurora Cannabis this week became the first major Canadian company to sell edibles and vapes for medical use, a small base that nevertheless helps shore up margins and paves the way for sales in the much larger European medical market. Medical marijuana has been legal in Canada since 2001, and recreational […] Read more

File photo of medical cannabis in production. (FatCamera/iStock/Getty Images)

Pot producer CannTrust to destroy $77M in plants, inventory

Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — Canadian cannabis producer CannTrust Holdings said Monday it would destroy about $12 million worth of plants and about $65 million worth of inventory as part of a plan to regain full regulatory compliance. Health Canada canceled CannTrust’s license to produce and sell cannabis in September, months after it found the company was illegally […] Read more


File photo of medical cannabis in production. (FatCamera/iStock/Getty Images)

Pot producer CannTrust’s federal license suspended

Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — Troubled Canadian pot grower CannTrust Holdings said Tuesday its license to produce and sell cannabis has been suspended by Health Canada. CannTrust had delayed its second-quarter results last month awaiting a decision from Canada’s health regulator on a large amount of inventory put on hold after discovery of illegal cultivation by the company. […] Read more

(Jennifer Blair photo)

Hemp yield uncertain ahead of harvest

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — While Canada’s licensed hemp acreage nearly doubled from 2018 to 2019, yield estimates will remain uncertain until licensed producers report their crops to Health Canada after harvest. “Health Canada, for the first time, will be collecting information on hemp acres that were seeded, rather than hemp acres that were licensed,” said Ted Haney, […] Read more