Hinton turkey drive addresses doctor shortage in addition to food security
CBC
Every year when the giant inflatable turkey comes out at the Griffiths Ford dealership in Hinton, Alta., the town’s residents know the holiday season has arrived.
It’s a sign to drop off turkeys or cash donations to support the Hinton Healthcare Foundation and the Hinton Food Bank.
“In a town like ours, if you don't give back, your community doesn't grow and it's just too important,” said Griffiths Ford owner Garth Griffiths, the foundation's chair and the organizer of the fundraiser.
Over the years, he estimates the event has raised $125,000 in cash and turkeys.
In the past, the funds have gone towards medical equipment for the hospital. But Griffiths said this year there’s a more pressing need: attracting and recruiting doctors to Hinton.
This year's turkey drive will raise funds to create incentive packages. These packages will offer accommodations, determined on a case-by-case basis, for new and visiting doctors.
Dr. Andrea Rahn, a local family physician, says the doctor shortage is a relatively new challenge for the town of 10,000 people, which is located about 300 kilometres west of Edmonton.
“Traditionally, Hinton has been a desired community to work in and we've never had trouble hiring in the past,” she told CBC News. “But for a number of reasons, medicine has changed significantly and we are now struggling to keep all of our services staffed.”
Fewer doctors means heavier workloads, which Rahn says is a difficult cycle to break, and makes it more challenging to recruit.
It also yields worse patient outcomes, because resources tend to flow towards more acute care, while family medicine is sidelined.
Rahn credits the Hinton Healthcare Foundation with stabilizing the clinic.
“I sleep better at night with them involved because I don't come to work every day scared that the place I work [at] is going to close," she said.
Rahn also sees a clear link between food security and health.
“If you're always distracted by saying, ‘Where is my next healthy meal going to come from,’ it's really hard to look after yourself and your family in meaningful ways,” she said.
With her siblings, parents and late husband in mind, Marguerite Keating requested the song O Holy Night during a Sunday service in Charlottetown.
The majority of fraud cases in Ontario have ended with charges being stayed or withdrawn since 2020 because of COVID-19-related backlogs, the growing complexity of frauds, and a lack of resources in the province’s criminal justice system, according to the Ontario Crown Attorneys’ Association.
Ontario Provincial Police in Elgin County say one person has died in a fatal collision along Hwy. 401 in Dutton, west of London.
A southwestern Nova Scotia community is hoping its successful purchase of a historic Acadian church will serve as a model for other communities to follow.
The Queen Elizabeth Drive area near Youghall Beach in Bathurst, N.B., got flooded by Saturday's high tide.
Residents of a Winnipeg highrise have been told it could take up to five business days for both its elevators to be repaired in the aftermath of a power outage on Thursday.
Several parts of the province are expected to see a wet and cold start to the week as Environment Canada has issued several rainfall and snowfall warnings.
Peel police have charged four youths and recovered a stolen vehicle after an attempted robbery in Mississauga Wednesday.
The Arctic Winter Games International Committee has approved a shift to a three-year-cycle through 2032. The games have previously been held every two years.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says his party's upcoming motion — which borrows language from the new Canada-Alberta energy agreement — is meant to force the Liberals to "put up or shut up" on whether they support a new oil pipeline to the Pacific coast.
A father, son and grandson trio honoured a seven decade family tradition on Sunday by jumping aboard the newly-opened Finch West LRT.
The wintry weather will continue across the Maritimes to start this week with more snow, gusty winds and another round of very chilly temperatures.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says anyone seeking an independence referendum should not have "gatekeepers," like the courts, standing in their way.