Guiding new Canadian families through Alberta health care
Calgary Watch
Arriving in a new country can be hard enough, but trying to navigate the medical system as a newcomer can be almost impossible without help.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Globe and Mail
24 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
The Smart Money Is Moving Toward AI Healthcare Tools That Actually Touch Patients
Issued on behalf of Avant Technologies Inc. VANCOUVER – News Commentary – AI is rapidly infiltrating every corner of the healthcare system, but so far, ambient scribes have taken the lead as the most visible breakthrough. As adoption broadens, experts are now evaluating which tools offer real ROI—and how quickly early adopters could benefit. Clinician workloads are already shrinking thanks to voice AI, while hospitals are deploying intelligent agents to streamline operations and boost care quality. For investors still hunting early-stage opportunities in this space, several publicly traded names are showing fresh momentum, including Avant Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB: AVAI), NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA), Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE: NVO), Alphabet, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG, GOOGL), and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT). Private-market momentum is heating up fast, with venture capital pouring into AI-driven healthcare startups. In the first quarter alone, AI companies secured over half of all digital health funding—underscoring the sector's growing appeal. Notable rounds include $45 million for Ellipsis Health and $28 million for Autonomize AI, both focused on reshaping clinical decision-making. From early diagnostics to advanced drug discovery, the pace of innovation is picking up—and retail investors are starting to take notice. One example is the rollout of AI-powered screenings for diabetic retinopathy now underway across Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama. Avant Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB: AVAI) and joint-venture partner Ainnova Tech have begun offering free Vision AI scans inside Grupo Dökka's Fischel and La Bomba pharmacy chains. The fast, non-invasive test detects early retinal changes—often before symptoms appear—and delivers secure results within minutes. By embedding the service in retail pharmacies and preparing for a parallel launch in Mexico, the partners are bringing care closer to patients while generating real-world data to support broader commercialization. "As we begin similar initiatives in Mexico, our goal is to close the patient care loop with timely treatment, connecting every step of the journey," said Vinicio Vargas, CEO of Ainnova Tech and board member of Ai-nova Acquisition Corp. "We are integrating pharma, retail, ophthalmologists, and our technology into a unified experience, all driven by one incentive, the well-being of the diabetic patient." The rollout also gives Avant a timely proof point as it moves to consolidate Vision AI under one roof. Earlier this month, the company signed a non-binding letter of intent to acquire 100% of Ainnova Tech —bringing leadership, data, and intellectual property together ahead of a scheduled FDA pre-submission meeting in July. Folding the joint venture into a single public entity would remove the current holding-company structure, streamlining everything from regulatory filings to revenue recognition. Management sees the unified cap table as a potential draw for both investors and strategic partners. While the legal teams work through due diligence, engineers are finalizing a low-cost, automated retinal camera built to work seamlessly with the Vision AI platform. Legacy fundus cameras can run into the tens of thousands and typically require skilled operators. Avant's prototype is fully automated, cloud-connected, and designed for a fraction of the cost. If performance holds up to internal testing, the system could enable large-scale diabetic screenings in clinics and low-resource settings—without the need for additional specialist staff. Vision AI is also expanding beyond diabetic eye disease. A patented dementia-risk module —pairing a five-minute blood test with AI pattern recognition—is now in validation, while cardiovascular-risk analytics are advancing through pilot studies across Latin America. Because every new use case plugs into the same software backbone, Avant looks more like a scalable platform than a single-product company. On the financial side, the planned merger would fold all outstanding Ainnova shares into Avant's public float, avoiding cash dilution and fully aligning the combined team's incentives. Management says any future fund-raising would be aimed at three priorities: completing the automated camera, widening pharmacy deployments, and supporting U.S. regulatory milestones. Taken together, the pharmacy roll-out, planned Ainnova acquisition, and imminent camera launch signal a turning point for Avant. What began as an AI incubator is fast becoming a full-stack diagnostics company, complete with proprietary hardware, an expanding library of predictive algorithms, and retail-level distribution partners. If execution matches vision, Vision AI could cut referral delays, open earlier treatment windows, and give resource-strained health systems specialist-grade insight at primary-care prices—turning headline-grabbing tech into tangible patient benefits. NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) and Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE: NVO) are joining forces to advance drug discovery using AI models trained on the NVIDIA DGX Cloud platform. The partnership is supported by Denmark's DCAI supercomputing center and aims to improve early-stage research for identifying drug targets and molecules. 'AI is essential for every industry, and there's no other field that will benefit more from acceleration than drug discovery,' said Rory Kelleher, senior director of business development for life sciences at NVIDIA. 'Working with Novo Nordisk, we're advancing critical R&D applications with fundamental tools that can harness the full potential of generative and agentic AI to improve pharmaceutical development.' Novo Nordisk will adopt NVIDIA's BioNeMo platform to build customized generative AI tools using its proprietary biological data. 'By coupling NVIDIA's accelerated computing platform and expertise with Novo's deep expertise in life sciences research and development, we aim to build custom models that will aid our scientists in developing new medicines faster and more efficiently,' said Mishal Patel, senior vice president, AI and digital innovation at Novo Nordisk. 'Gefion will allow us to run experiments at an unprecedented scale.' DCAI views this collaboration as a model for how public supercomputing resources can unlock innovation in life sciences. For investors, the alliance highlights a rising trend of AI infrastructure enabling breakthroughs in biopharma. Alphabet, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG, GOOGL) subsidiary Google, through its DeepMind division, has introduced Med-Gemma, a new generative AI model optimized for healthcare developers building diagnostic and imaging apps. The tool aims to streamline early-stage development by offering pretrained models trained on expansive medical imaging datasets. Med-Gemma joins other Google health-focused initiatives like Med-PaLM 2 and AMIE, signaling a coordinated strategy toward AI-native clinical applications. The company continues to expand its AI footprint across healthcare with open-access tools designed to catalyze innovation at scale. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) is advancing healthcare AI innovation through strategic initiatives presented at HLTH Europe 2025, emphasizing breakthroughs in diagnostics and precision medicine via collaborations like its Mayo Clinic partnership. A central feature was Dragon Copilot, a generative AI tool designed to streamline documentation and enhance clinician-patient engagement across Europe. Microsoft also addressed growing global health disparities by promoting equitable, inclusive solutions rooted in responsible AI practices. These efforts reflect Microsoft's goal of enabling healthier outcomes for patients and providers worldwide. Source: CONTACT: cs@ (250) 999-4849 DISCLAIMER: Nothing in this publication should be considered as personalized financial advice. We are not licensed under securities laws to address your particular financial situation. No communication by our employees to you should be deemed as personalized financial advice. Please consult a licensed financial advisor before making any investment decision. This is a paid advertisement and is neither an offer nor recommendation to buy or sell any security. We hold no investment licenses and are thus neither licensed nor qualified to provide investment advice. The content in this report or email is not provided to any individual with a view toward their individual circumstances. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Media Corp. ('BAY') BAY has been not been paid a fee for Avant Technologies Inc. advertising and/or digital media, but the owner(s) of BAY also own Market IQ Media Group, Inc., which has been paid a fee from the company directly. There may be 3rd parties who may have shares Avant Technologies Inc., and may liquidate their shares which could have a negative effect on the price of the stock. This compensation constitutes a conflict of interest as to our ability to remain objective in our communication regarding the profiled company. Because of this conflict, individuals are strongly encouraged to not use this publication as the basis for any investment decision. The owner/operator of BAY own shares of Avant Technologies Inc. which were purchased in the open market. BAY and all of it's respective employees, owners and affiliates reserve the right to buy and sell, and will buy and sell shares of Avant Technologies Inc. at any time thereafter without any further notice. We also expect further compensation as an ongoing digital media effort to increase visibility for the company, no further notice will be given, but let this disclaimer serve as notice that all material disseminated by BAY has been approved by the above mentioned company; this is a paid advertisement, and we own shares of the mentioned company that we will sell, and we also reserve the right to buy shares of the company in the open market, or through other investment vehicles. While all information is believed to be reliable, it is not guaranteed by us to be accurate. Individuals should assume that all information contained in our newsletter is not trustworthy unless verified by their own independent research. Also, because events and circumstances frequently do not occur as expected, there will likely be differences between any predictions and actual results. Always consult a licensed investment professional before making any investment decision. Be extremely careful, investing in securities carries a high degree of risk; you may likely lose some or all of the investment.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Providing public health care dollars to private clinics for surgeries resulting in health inequality: Union
A union says the plan by the Ford government to continue expanding hospital services to include more for-profit clinics will lead to a wider gap in health equit The head of CUPE's Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU) is on a cross-province tour with a senior researcher highlighting data compiled on impacts within health care. 'We believe if the public is more familiar with the details of this [government] policy it will lose popular support, and the government will have to reconsider it,' Michael Hurley, CUPE regional vice president in Ontario, said to media in Sudbury on Thursday. Michael Hurley of CUPE's Ontario Council of Hospital Unions discusses research in Sudbury on private clinic surgeries Michael Hurley of CUPE's Ontario Council of Hospital Unions discusses research in Sudbury on private clinic surgeries. June 19, 2025 (Angela Gemmill/CTV Northern Ontario 'So, I think we have to wear them down over time, to be honest with you.' Five years ago, the Conservative government approved plans to allow public health care dollars to go to private for-profit clinics to perform cataract surgeries, stating it would help reduce wait times. Last year, the Ministry of Health announced that private clinics could also perform hip and knee surgeries covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP). The union said data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information shows that wait times have worsened since 2020. It's also concerned that gaps in health inequality will grow wider. 'Twenty per cent of the population, the wealthiest 20 per cent, actually saw a significant increase in cataract surgery access with the increased funding. Whereas every other demographic group -- the other four quintiles -- saw less access to care. Worst of all among the poorest among us,' said Doug Allan, a CUPE senior researcher. 'For example, we know in Sudbury that there is significant inequality in terms of access to cataract surgery based on your income and that level of marginalization in the community.' CUPE researcher Doug Allan CUPE researcher Doug Allan discusses research in Sudbury on private clinic surgeries. June 19, 2025 (Angela Gemmill/CTV Northern Ontario The union also said many of the private, for-profit clinics upsell or charge user fees. In fact, after hearing numerous complaints from her constituents in Nickel Belt who were charged add-on fees for extras during their surgeries, the NDP health critic, MPP France Gelinas, issued an open letter to Health Minister Sylvia Jones. Gelinas said many of the fees charged by private for-profit clinics are in violation of the Canada Health Act. France Gelinas France Gelinas, Ontario health critic and Nickel Belt MPP. June 19, 2025 (Angela Gemmill/CTV Northern Ontario She told CTV News that patients who are in need of cataract surgery are seniors on a fixed income who don't have an extra $600 to $1,200. 'The surgeon is about to put a laser to your eye and says to you that he prefers to use this [special lens]. You don't argue. You're not in a position to bargain, you just pay,' Gelinas said. 'If you are really rich, this is perfect. You will pay to be at the front of the line and you will get really good access. If you're like the rest of us, not very rich, the wait times will be longer in our public hospital.' In an email to CTV, News a Ministry of Health spokesperson said, 'Ontario is leading the county with some of shortest wait times for critical surgeries and procedures,' adding 32,000 people received 'publicly funded cataract surgery at community surgical and diagnostic centres' last year. 'Our government will continue to deliver more connected, convenient care in every corner of the province, always ensuring that people are accessing the care they need with their OHIP card, never their credit card,' a statement from the ministry reads. Statement from Ontario Ministry of Health on private clinic surgeries Statement from Ontario Ministry of Health on private clinic surgeries. June 19, 2025 (Angela Gemmill/CTV Northern Ontario The email also stated that Ontario has legislated provisions that prohibit a patient from being charged for an OHIP covered service.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Popular contacts brand recalls lenses over ‘visual disturbances' defect
A popular contacts manufacturer is recalling several lenses in Canada over a defect that may cause 'visual disturbances.' The voluntary recall is due to an issue with specific types and lots of Acuvue contacts, according to a notice posted Friday. U.S. based manufacturer Johnson & Johnson said in the notice posted by Health Canada that some Oasys Max 1-Day Multifocal contact lenses were found to have a 'high density of microbubbles.' The company explained this as 'microscopic voids' within the lenses that may cause what it described as 'visual disturbances, particularly in low-light conditions.' Johnson & Johnson said microbubbles will not cause medical harm and told wearers to contact it for more information. The company did not say how many of the affected lots were sold in Canada, when they were sold or through which retailers. Acuvue contacts recall ( Lenses of the same name appear to be sold online on sites like and Costco, as well as through eye clinics. The recall does not apply to all Oasys Max 1-day Multifocal contact lenses, but is limited to the following lot and model numbers:
