After many years of success, EvidenceNetwork.ca is no longer in operation. We would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the organization over the past decade including our dedicated researchers, newspaper editors, readers and funders. However, now it is time to move onto new ways of looking at knowledge mobilization and policy. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Shannon Sampert at s.sampert@uwinnipeg.ca.

Does this headline say what you need to decide whether to read the article?

Of course not, in the same way nutrition labeling on the back of food packages doesn’t communicate what we need to know before buying food*   Supermarkets are crowded with around 40,000 products, yet most shoppers spend fewer than 10 seconds selecting an item. That’s certainly not enough time to review current Canadian nutrition labels, […]

Don’t dismiss Healthy Eating Strategy

Proposed new Food Guide and Nutrition Labeling policies are crucial steps in helping Canadians towards better health The long process of updating Canada’s Food Guide and reforms to nutrition labeling will soon become a reality. Collectively called Canada’s Healthy Eating Strategy, the proposals by Health Canada have been open to public consultation — and, unfortunately, industry lobbying. […]

Why media need to stick to the evidence when reporting on food studies

We need real solutions to obesity and Type 2 diabetes   Two of the most well-known American food journalists have been telling readers lately that the DASH and Mediterranean diets are not tops for our health. But hang on – the evidence tells a different story. The journalists are Gary Taubes, the author of The […]

In the fight for kids’ attention, parents don’t stand a chance

New study shows Canadian kids see more than 25 million online food and beverage ads a year — mostly for junk food A version of this commentary appeared in Policy Options, the Hamilton Spectator and the Waterloo Region Record Dear Parents, I’m writing you because you may be in the dark about the amount of unhealthy […]

A sugar-sweetened beverage tax is not the answer

There has been increasing interest in the use of a sugar-sweetened beverage tax to curb the burden of obesity in Canada — call it a ‘pop tax’ if you like.  A recent Senate report on obesity in Canada recommends assessing the possibility of a sugar-sweetened beverage tax and points to the high rates of taxation […]

Five things everyone should know about the relationship between poverty and health in Canada

With a federal election on the horizon, certain high level policy topics are bound to make the headlines beyond the personalities of the political leaders: the economy, energy prices, jobs prospects even climate change.

Five things every journalist should know about the relationship between poverty and health in Canada

Over three million Canadians struggle to make ends meet — and what may surprise many is the devastating influence poor income, education and occupation can have on our health.

Five things every Canadian should know about obesity

There has been a dramatic increase in the number of Canadians living with obesity over the past few decades and it is often cited as a risk factor for other chronic health conditions including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and some forms of cancer.  This means that obesity is frequently a hot topic in […]

Blaming diabetes on poor eating habits has delayed real action

Journalist H.L. Mencken wrote that “for every complex problem there is a solution that is clear, simple and wrong.” That observation aptly describes a prevailing attitude toward type 2 diabetes, which characterizes diabetes as a problem that could clearly be fixed if people would simply move more and eat less.