Good morning, and welcome to Monday. This is Chris Bilton.

My colleague Marina von Stackelberg looks into the national dental care plan’s growing pains as more than half of requests for pre-authorized dental work under the plan have been rejected. Also, Thomas Daigle explains how ex-Olympian Ryan Wedding has been able to evade arrest for a decade. Plus: new data on increased obesity rates in Canada.

Half of requests for complex dental work are being rejected under the national insurance plan

The Canadian Dental Care Plan fully expanded in June, when adults aged 18-64 became eligible for coverage. (Shane Hennessey/CBC)

The latest: As federal dental care expands to cover most uninsured Canadians, providers say some procedures are being bogged down by paperwork and processing delays. Health Canada says 52 per cent of requests for pre-authorized dental work between November 2024 and June 2025 have been rejected.

The background: The multibillion-dollar Canadian Dental Care Plan helps cover the cost of dental work for Canadian residents with a family income below $90,000 who don't have access to private insurance. Health Canada says 5.2 million people have been approved for coverage so far, but only about half have received care.

What dentists are saying: "There's been a lot of confusion for dentists who send in what we would normally send in to a private plan, and it comes back rejected," said Dr. Bruce Ward, a Vancouver dentist and president of the Canadian Dental Association. "It's a much, much, much higher rejection rate than private plans." Still, providers told CBC News the program is providing Canadians much-needed access to care — and that issues with the program are improving.

Crypto, bribes and fear: How ex-Olympian Ryan Wedding has evaded arrest for 10 years

Fugitive Ryan Wedding is seen in an undisclosed location in 2024, in a photo provided by the FBI. (FBI)

Former Team Canada Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding is listed as one of the FBI's 10 most-wanted fugitives since March, having spent more than 10 years on the run from authorities while allegedly leading a murderous, transnational drug-smuggling empire. CBC News investigated to learn how Wedding, 43, has been able to evade U.S. and Canadian authorities for so long.

Obesity rates in Canada jumped during COVID-19, according to a new study

Obesity is a serious medical condition that can increase a person's risk of other chronic health concerns, like Type 2 diabetes and stroke. (Yuliya Yesina/Shutterstock)

About one-third of Canadians have become obese — with more weight gain happening during the pandemic, according to a new study. 

The data: The research, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal today, found that 32.7 per cent of Canadians (10.6 million people) were obese in 2023 — an increase of eight percentage points since 2009. But there was a steeper increase in obesity during the COVID-19 pandemic. And the greatest increase was in young adults between the ages of 18 and 39 years old.

What experts say: While the study didn't look into why this might have happened, Dr. Sean Wharton, an internal medicine doctor who works with people struggling with obesity, says mental health issues could have played a role.

What now? This data only goes up to 2023, so it's not clear yet what the growing availability of weight-loss drugs like Wegovy — approved last year — may have on obesity rates post-pandemic.

In case you missed it

• Prime Minister Mark Carney’s upcoming First Nations summit on Bill C-5 seems “rushed,” say chiefs. Each First Nation will be able to send only one person to the capital region to attend the event happening later this week.
   
• Ford is recalling nearly a million cars in Canada and the United States because the low-pressure fuel pump inside the vehicles may fail and potentially cause an engine stall while driving, increasing crash risks.
   
• More heavy rains in Texas yesterday temporarily paused a weeklong search for victims of catastrophic flooding along the Guadalupe River and led to high-water rescues elsewhere.
   
• A B.C. man who went missing on Vancouver Island had to build a makeshift sledge out of his car to get home from the harrowing trek.

And, in today’s good news... a puffin with staying power.

Researchers found a 33-year-old puffin, marking a known record age for the bird

Researchers with the Atlantic Laboratory of Avian Research recaptured a 33-year-old puffin on Machias Seal Island last week. (Submitted by Daniel Oliker)

The oldest known puffin in New Brunswick — and Canada — was found last week at 33 years old. Researchers at the Atlantic Laboratory for Avian Research, through the University of New Brunswick, located the puffin born in 1992 on Machias Seal Island in the Gulf of Maine.

The previous oldest puffin was 29, according to records. When a researcher spotted a puffin wearing a plastic band last week, the team knew it must be very old (researchers today use two metal bands as identification markers). They were able to find the bird in its burrow at night while it was sleeping. The numbers on the band were still legible, and it was determined this puffin was last seen in 2007.