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Black doctors push for better maternity data; changes to sports gambling: CBC's Marketplace Cheat Sheet

CBC's Marketplace rounds up the consumer and health news you need from the week.

Consumer and health news you need from the week

Black maternal health data lacking in Canada, expert says

3 years ago
Duration 1:09
Dr. Modupe Tunde-Byass, a Toronto obstetrician-gynecologist and president of Black Physicians of Canada, says critical race-based data about maternal health is lacking in Canada, and that affects the care of Black Canadian women.

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You'll soon be able to bet on single-event sports in Canada

Betting on single games of football, hockey and other sports is about to become legal in Canada.

Earlier this week, the Senate approved Bill C-218, a private member's bill that amends Criminal Code provisions around gambling on single sports games — currently illegal except for horse racing — in a bid to win back customers from offshore sites, U.S. casinos and illegal bookmakers.

The passing of Bill C-218 on its final and third reading Tuesday could bring Las Vegas-style sports betting to Canada. (Wayne Parry/The Associated Press)

The legislation has been embraced by the Canadian Football League, the National Hockey League and other professional sports. It has also garnered tentative support from a tight-knit equestrian community that remains wary of casinos and foreign gambling sites encroaching on its turf. Read more

Doctors want Canada to collect better data on Black maternal health

A growing body of data about the heightened risks faced by Black women in the U.K. and U.S. during pregnancy has highlighted the failings of Canada's colour-blind approach to health care, according to Black health professionals and patients.

Black women in the U.K. and U.S. are four times more likely to die in pregnancy or childbirth than white women, according to official data. A recent U.K. study published in the Lancet found that Black women's risk of miscarriage is 40 per cent higher than that of white women. In Canada, that level of demographic tracking isn't available.

"For our country, we don't have that data. So it's difficult to know exactly what we're dealing with," said Dr. Modupe Tunde-Byass, a Toronto obstetrician-gynecologist and president of Black Physicians of Canada. "We can only extrapolate from other countries." Read more

Toronto resident Kimitra Ashman sought the care of a Black obstetrician-gynecologist for her second pregnancy, after her first experience left her feeling 'invisible, neglected and disrespected.' (Turgut Yeter/CBC)

Indigenous businesses faced barriers accessing COVID-19 relief programs, survey finds

Although COVID-19 has impacted businesses across the country, Indigenous-owned ones faced circumstances that have made navigating the pandemic uniquely challenging, according to a new survey by the National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association, the National Indigenous Economic Development Board and the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business. 

The report found that Indigenous business owners were far less likely to find the help they needed during the pandemic, even as the government was taking steps to try to ease their burden.

Tabatha Bull, the CEO of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, said that although she gives the government credit for coming up with a wide variety of programs to help businesses, the programs didn't factor in the specific circumstances that many Indigenous businesses face, and therefore weren't as effective as they could be. Read more

Shannon Pestun, the co-founder of the Calgary-based Finance Cafe, which empowers small business owners with better financial literacy, said government relief programs can be difficult to access for Indigenous businesses. (Submitted by Shannon Pestun)

What else is going on?

Demand for personal banking info to get F1 ticket refunds prompts privacy concerns
Gootickets.com tells customers it's too late for credit card refunds; the only option is wire transfers.

Kids who didn't take to online learning are falling behind. Here's what parents can do
'We're going to have to go back to the basics with our kids,' says one mental health expert.

COVID-19's 3rd wave walloped retailers in April — and May looks to have been even worse
Sales of non-essential items plummeted as provinces imposed new lockdowns.

'They let them die' at Quebec's worst-hit long-term care homes, union rep tells coroner
Union rep for long-term care workers said he retired after 1st wave because of how difficult it was.

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