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INSIGHTS: Why do we tolerate neurotoxic lead in our kid’s drinking water?
An expert in lead poisoning prevention asks why government officials continue to allow drinking water to be poisoned by lead. Dr. Bruce Lanphear is a Health Sciences professor at Simon Fraser University. Bruce led influential studies used by federal agencies around the world to set standards for harmful levels of lead in air, paint, water,… Read more
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Ontario nurses protest over patient ratios in the wake of IJB investigation
Nurses took to the streets last month at 26 hospitals in 15 cities across Ontario – including Toronto, Hamilton and Ottawa – days after the IJB and the Toronto Star published a story on how nurses are overburdened by unregulated patient loads. Low nurse-to-patient ratios can significantly undermine the quality of care and cause staff… Read more
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Trade war threats tank Canadian travel to the U.S.
Canadians are rethinking travelling to the U.S. amid trade war rhetoric, according to an IJB analysis of data from the Canadian Border Services Agency. We tracked the impact of trade war talk on Canadian border travel, comparing it to 2024. The results are clear – more Canadians are staying home. This March break, between March… Read more
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Behind the Reporting: Physician/Journalist Blair Bigham reflects on Ontario nursing investigation
I work in Ontario hospitals, and my reverence for nurses cannot be overstated. I see their commitment to patients every day I go to work. I also see their struggles. Understaffing in Ontario’s hospitals is not new or surprising. It’s kind of just expected. But it’s getting worse. Patients seem to accept that they will… Read more
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IJB findings fuel First Nation leaders’ call for mental health program reforms in 2025 election
Ontario First Nations leaders are demanding federal politicians commit to reforming what they call a failing national program to support mental health in their communities. In a report released Tuesday, the Chiefs of Ontario — which represents the leadership of 133 First Nations across the province — outlined federal election priorities which include pressing all… Read more
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IJB Updates Lead Tracker Database
Are you a parent living in Ontario? Your child may be exposed to drinking water at school or in daycare that exceeds the federal safety guideline for lead content. The IJB has updated its publicly-accessible Lead Tracker database which details lead levels in school and daycare drinking water. The interactive tool, developed with the HIVE Lab at the University… Read more
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Tests showed potentially dangerous lead levels at hundreds of Ontario schools last year. A new report urges the province to act
One hundred times the federal government’s safety guideline. That’s how much lead was found in the tap water at Fisher Park Public School in Ottawa last school year. Seven other water tests taken at the school in the 2023-24 school year also exceeded the federal government’s lead safety guideline of 5 parts per billion (ppb). The highest… Read more
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Heliograph: “Ben Hallman, Breaking Ground on International Health Reporting” out now
In the latest episode of Heliograph Snapshots, host Ryan McMahon speaks with Ben Hallman, founder and executive director of The Examination. The IJB had the pleasure of catching up with him after the inaugural IJB x IRE cross-border investigative journalism conference to speak about holding big corporations accountable for global health harms, the growth of… Read more
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Public Trust in Journalism in Dark Times: Roundtable
The need for reliable storytellers is greater than ever when anything that looks like news can be generated using AI, fake news is pervasive and political leaders regularly use ‘alternative facts’. How can journalists and news organizations navigate this new and often hostile world to regain the trust of a sometimes-skeptical public? Moderator Pauline Dakin and four… Read more
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Ontario nurses raising alarm over high patient loads that put patients at risk, internal reports reveal
Nurses in the Niagara Health System are facing overwhelming patient loads that are undermining care and risk triggering staff burnout, according to internal hospital documents obtained by the Investigative Journalism Bureau. Workload reports filed by front-line nurses repeatedly call for staffing levels like those that have been mandated in other jurisdictions to improve the quality of care.… Read more
