Health & Wellness

A coronavirus outbreak aboard HMCS Harry DeWolf has forced the Navy to cut short its publicity tour of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway and return it to its Halifax homeport. [node:read-more:link]

With recruitment slumping, the U.S. Army is inviting personnel forced out for refusing coronavirus vaccinations to rejoin. “Former soldiers who were involuntarily separated […] may request a correction of their military records,” says Brigadier-General Hope Rampy, Army Director of Personnel Management. [node:read-more:link]

James Topp, a retired Army Warrant Officer and reservist, has been fined $4,000 and reprimanded by a court martial for his high-profile campaign against mandatory coronavirus vaccinations for military personnel. The sentence was handed down November 16, two days after he pled guilty to conduct to the prejudice of good order and discipline for posting videos while in uniform. [node:read-more:link]

The federal government’s transfer of healthcare insurance to Canada Life from Sunlife evidently presents challenges for some serving and retired members of the Canadian Armed Forces. Despite assurances of a seamless transition, thousands of military and civilian members of the Public Service Health Care Plan have been denied coverage since the July 1 transfer. Winnipeg-based Canada Life says it’s working to address the problems. [node:read-more:link]

A recently reported sexual assault by an Albanian soldier against one Canadian civilian support worker at the NATO base in Latvia has prompted the Canadian Armed Forces to provide personal safety training. Among other things, they are being advised to use a “buddy system” after dark. [node:read-more:link]

Health Canada confirmed today that it authorized the use of an updated Moderna Covid-19 vaccine which targets the XBB.1.5. variant. [node:read-more:link]

The Minnesota-based multinational 3M Company said today that it had reached a $6-billion settlement over claims that it sold defective combat earplugs, insisting that “the products at issue in this litigation are safe and effective when used properly.” The lawsuits were filed by serving and veteran U.S. personnel who said the earplugs had led to hearing damage and tinnitus. [node:read-more:link]

The Public Health Agency of Canada expects that a new coronavirus subvariant, EG.5, could be a factor in more than a third of Covid-19 cases. The incidence has been rising in some parts of the world, including in Canada since at least May. [node:read-more:link]

In a non-binding ruling, the Military Grievances External Review Committee recently decided that the Canadian Armed Forces’ pandemic vaccination policy may have violated some members’ Charter rights. Of the more than 400 who dismissed or resigned after refusing vaccination, 157 were referred to the committee by the Chief of the Defence Staff for review. [node:read-more:link]

Some 700 resident single military personnel at CFB Petawawa, Ont., are without heat or hot water after civilian workers who maintain services were deemed non-essential during the Public Service Alliance of Canada strike. Family housing is not affected. [node:read-more:link]

More than eight months after the U.S. administration agreed to compensate some “Havana Syndrome” victims for mysterious symptoms ostensibly connected with their foreign postings, the Defense Department continues to investigate, including whether a “weapon” was involved. The symptoms were first reported by embassy staff in Cuba. [node:read-more:link]

The Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Union of Veterans’ Affairs Employees want the government to tear up a contract which has privatized veterans’ health services. Partners in Canadian Veterans Rehabilitation Services, a joint venture between Loblaws-owned Lifemark Health Group in Toronto and WCG International Consultants in Victoria was awarded the $570-million contract last year. “This was a poorly thought-out plan that only benefits the contractors and its owners,” UVAW President Virginia Vaillancourt said March 2. [node:read-more:link]

A month before federal government employees return-to-office mandates take effect, several departments are dropping requirements to wear masks and practise physical distancing. Despite union resistance, many employees must attend their workplace at least two days a week or 40 per cent of their pre-pandemic presence. [node:read-more:link]