Insights, Health Care System in Canada, Santis Health care consultants

The Santis team shares its insights on the key sectors and factors driving decisions and change in the health care and life sciences sector across Canada.

Rapid Recap: 2026 Ontario Fall Economic Statement

Thursday, October 29, 2026 - Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy presented the 2026 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review: A Plan to Protect Ontario this afternoon. The fiscal update outlines the government’s economic response to global market volatility, rising U.S. tariffs, and lower revenue projections. The statement reinforces the province’s immediate strategy: prioritizing economic stabilization, targeted sector support, and protection of core public services like health care and education over a near-term balanced budget. The Minister has noted publicly that baseline health care funding remains protected.

Rapid Recap: BC Conservatives Win Election with Commanding Majority

The BC Conservatives have won a commanding majority in the provincial election, securing at least 61 of the Legislature’s 93 seats. Interim BC Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson will become British Columbia’s next Premier, leading the largest majority government in the province since 2001. This memo examines the election outcome, the challenges facing the incoming government, and opportunities for stakeholders to advance their advocacy priorities. The BC Conservatives’ victory marks a historic political resurgence and one of the most significant political blunders by outgoing NDP Premier David Eby.

BC Election Update: Conservatives Maintain Lead

Entering the final week of the campaign, the BC Conservatives maintain a small lead over the NDP. In what has become a familiar feature of BC elections, the NDP has begun urging Green supporters to vote strategically for NDP candidates to avoid splitting the progressive vote. However, following a strong debate performance by Green Leader Emily Lowan, the effectiveness of this strategy appears limited. The BC Conservatives dropped two candidates in NDP strongholds this week after divisive statements came to light. Controversial candidates in competitive ridings, including Heather Maas and Mike Hicks, remain on the ballot.

Rapid Recap: Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Health Ministers Meet in Winnipeg

On October 16, Canada’s Federal, Provincial, and Territorial non (FPT) Ministers of Health and Ministers of Mental Health, Addictions, and Recovery met in Winnipeg for their annual in-person meeting, hosted by Manitoba as the current co-chair of the Health Ministers’ table. The meeting followed a day of provincial-territorial (PT) discussions on October 15, which built on PT emergency meetings on federal health funding held on August 24 and September 29. The 2026 Federal, Provincial, and Territorial (FPT) Health Ministers’ Communiqué is notable less for what it contains and more for what it overlooks. At a defining moment for Canada’s healthcare system and long-term economic competitiveness, ministers delivered a status-quo communique anchored in traditional intergovernmental cost-sharing and jurisdiction-defending—precisely the lowest-common-denominator health politics Canadians express frustration with in recent polling by Santis Health.

BC Election Update: Conservatives Lead in Polling Ahead of Leaders’ Debate

October 14 - The Conservatives have pulled ahead in polling as David Eby’s approval declines, but a sizable undecided electorate leaves the race unsettled ahead of the campaign’s sole leadership debate. Controversies over Eby’s childcare and the Conservatives’ ICBC plans have sharpened competing claims on affordability and trust. Health care remains a central battleground, with both parties announcing commitments targeted at key voter groups. Tonight’s debate and the forthcoming Conservative platform will be key tests as the campaign enters its final stretch.

Keeping Emergency Departments Open: Cross-Provincial Solutions for Canada

Since 2019, roughly a third of Canadian emergency departments have experienced at least one closure, amounting to more than 1.14 million lost operating hours. Governments, health authorities and service provider organizations are making real progress on these pressures, although proven models rarely spread beyond the jurisdiction where they began. This paper follows the patient journey through the emergency department, from the gaps in primary care that push patients toward it to the bottlenecks that slow care inside and the blockages that keep admitted patients from leaving. It then spotlights six innovations from across Canada, each matched to the pressure point it addresses.

BC Election Update: Polling Shows Tight Race as Eby Makes Flurry of Affordability Announcements

October 5 - In the second week of the election campaign, BC polling points to a tightly contested election, with neither party holding a consistent lead and health care emerging as voters’ top priority. The NDP has shifted its campaign toward a flurry of affordability and health-care commitments, while continued infighting complicates the Conservatives’ efforts to present a credible alternative government. Forthcoming platforms will face scrutiny over how each party would fund its promises and improve access to care.

Marking the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: Resources on Indigenous Health in Canada

September 30, 2026 - September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, established by the federal government in 2021 in response to Call to Action 80 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. This Call to Action asked the federal government to recognize a statutory holiday to honour the children who never returned home from residential schools, along with Survivors, their families and their communities and continue to publicly commemorate the history and legacy of residential schools in Canada.

Santis Health Welcomes Devon Ryan as Director, Ontario Government Affairs

September 28, 2026, Toronto, ON – Santis Health welcomes Devon Ryan to our team as Director, Ontario Government Affairs. Devon brings with him extensive experience at the provincial government level, and a deep background in health policy and community leadership that will further strengthen the bench strength of our existing team. Most recently, Devon served as a Policy Advisor in the Ontario Government with the Office of the Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, where he navigated complex health files and government decision-making processes.

News and Insights