Should Wegovy, the $400-a-month obesity medication, be covered by the provinces?

A woman holds up a dosage of weight-loss drug Wegovy in March. Canada's drug agency has recommended Wegovy not be covered by the provinces and territories. (Amanda Andrad-Rhoades/The Associated Press)

The popular weight-loss drug Wegovy has been available in Canada since early May, but anybody hoping to use it will have to shell out about $400 a month. 

Wegovy is a weekly injection made by Novo Nordisk, the Danish company that makes the diabetes drug Ozempic. Both drugs have the same active ingredient — semaglutide — but Wegovy is a higher dose.

Dr. Sanjeev Sockalingam, scientific director of Obesity Canada, says that lack of coverage under government pharmacare plans will hurt the country in the long run.

"If I were to say to you that we had a cancer medication that seemed to work better than other agents, had better health benefits long-term, and we told patients living with cancer we would not provide coverage for that, we probably would have an uproar," he said.

Canada's largest military cemetery is running out of money

The National Field of Honour, pictured here in 2013, is Canada's largest military cemetery. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press)

Bob Peck and Peter MacArthur's fathers never fought together during the Second World War. But today, their remains lay in rest just a few rows apart at the National Field of Honour in Pointe-Claire, Que.

Canada's largest military cemetery on Montreal's West Island is home to more than 22,000 graves of war veterans, both Canadians and their allies, and their spouses, all laid out in neat rows with identical, unassuming, ground-level headstones.

But the cemetery's future is in financial jeopardy. So Peck and MacArthur have joined forces in a bid to secure stable federal funding for their fathers' final resting place. 

"We're not doing it only for our own fathers, obviously, but we're speaking up and acting on behalf of the families of all veterans of several wars," Peck said.

Local news in Canada is important. Here's what people are doing to try to save it

Left to right: Piya Chattopadhyay, Nicholas Hune-Brown, Juanita Taylor, Mohsin Abbas and April Lindgren at the Canadian Association of Journalists' national annual conference in Toronto. (Konnor Killoran)

Over the past two decades, hundreds of local radio, television, print and online news outlets have shuttered in communities across Canada. But some people and projects are also offering hope for the future of local news in our country.

Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with journalists from a variety of backgrounds about the vital role that local news plays, the challenges and rewards of telling local stories, and new ideas and strategies emerging to enhance local journalism.

Killer whales are ramming boats for fun, scientists say. A new report offers ways to protect mariners

A killer whale investigates a rudder on one of Renaud de Stephanis' experimental boats. (Renaud de Stephanis/CIRCE)

When Renaud de Stephanis sees killer whales surround his boat off the coast of Spain, he isn't afraid — he's excited because it's a chance to get some research done.

When asked how often his boats have been hit by the whales, he laughs and says, "oh, about 70 times."

Using boats with fake rudders and underwater cameras, de Stephanis and his team have been trying to learn more about why, for the last five years, the killer whales (also known as orcas) in these waters keep ramming boats, sometimes sinking them.

According to GT Atlantic Orca, which tracks the incidents, at least 673 boats have reported being rammed by this pod of whales near Spain since 2020. While there have been no injuries to humans, two Moroccan fishing vessels and five sailboats ended up sinking, including a 50-foot sailboat just a few weeks ago. 

Are your eyes feeling itchy, burning or watery? You may have dry eye

Dry eye is a common eye condition that can cause itchy, stinging eyes, and can be made worse by looking at screens for too long. (Shutterstock)

It's a complex condition that affects roughly one-fifth of Canadians — and that number is growing, including among young people. 

Dry eye can range from mild to severe, and experts say it can have a big impact on someone's overall health and quality of life.

Its numerous symptoms include eyes that feel irritated, itchy or gritty, being sensitive to light, and blurred vision. 

The condition is more common as you age and more prevalent among women, particularly once they've gone through menopause.

But the amount of time kids spend on screens is likely contributing to an increase in dry eye among those 18 and under, experts said.