Elizabeth Payne
@egpayne.bsky.social
I write about health for the Ottawa Citizen. Dog walker, amateur violinist, professional journalist. #CanadaSky
Pinned
Elizabeth Payne
@egpayne.bsky.social
· Nov 18
The Fall: My once-vibrant dad emerged broken from the hospital. Then he was gone.
A longtime health reporter, Elizabeth Payne thought she understood Canada's failing health-care system. Then her dad fell.
ottawacitizen.com
I spent a long time writing, and living through, this story about my dad's healthcare journey. It's the most widely read, and consequential, piece I have ever written. Posting it here for anyone interested who may not have seen it. ottawacitizen.com/feature/the-...
This triple-bylined, complex, deadline- driven news story is a master class in how to write with finesse amid all the constraints of daily journalism. Beautifully written: Justice Department to Investigate Epstein Ties, but Not to Trump www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/u...
Justice Department to Investigate Epstein Ties, but Not to Trump
www.nytimes.com
November 15, 2025 at 4:04 PM
This triple-bylined, complex, deadline- driven news story is a master class in how to write with finesse amid all the constraints of daily journalism. Beautifully written: Justice Department to Investigate Epstein Ties, but Not to Trump www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/u...
Reposted by Elizabeth Payne
Of the many Remembrance Day stories i wrote, this was my favourite ottawacitizen.com/news/local-n...
Known unto God: How Canadians embraced their Unknown Soldier
The tomb has become so central to Canadians' remembrance, it has in many ways surpassed the National War Memorial.
ottawacitizen.com
November 11, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Of the many Remembrance Day stories i wrote, this was my favourite ottawacitizen.com/news/local-n...
Reposted by Elizabeth Payne
How to read In Flanders Fields correctly | Letters to the Editor ottawacitizen.com/opinion/how-...
November 11, 2025 at 1:05 PM
How to read In Flanders Fields correctly | Letters to the Editor ottawacitizen.com/opinion/how-...
Reposted by Elizabeth Payne
It is all a fait accompli by now - built its official - we have lost our measles elimination status
www.canada.ca/en/public-he...
www.canada.ca/en/public-he...
November 10, 2025 at 6:26 PM
It is all a fait accompli by now - built its official - we have lost our measles elimination status
www.canada.ca/en/public-he...
www.canada.ca/en/public-he...
Reposted by Elizabeth Payne
A roadmap for change: Building the health workforce Canadians deserve
healthydebate.ca/2025/11/topi...
healthydebate.ca/2025/11/topi...
A roadmap for change: Building the health workforce Canadians deserve - Healthy Debate
A well-planned, integrated workforce can deliver access, improved outcomes and support our health professionals. It’s time to put the future in motion.
healthydebate.ca
November 5, 2025 at 10:34 PM
A roadmap for change: Building the health workforce Canadians deserve
healthydebate.ca/2025/11/topi...
healthydebate.ca/2025/11/topi...
Reposted by Elizabeth Payne
I was a coms staffer at PSAC when the Harper government slashed the public service — a miserable time for everyone. All it led to was layoffs, followed by the fed govt hiring more temps and expensive consultants. And then eventually hiring back even more people. It takes humans to run a country 🤷♀️
November 4, 2025 at 10:15 PM
I was a coms staffer at PSAC when the Harper government slashed the public service — a miserable time for everyone. All it led to was layoffs, followed by the fed govt hiring more temps and expensive consultants. And then eventually hiring back even more people. It takes humans to run a country 🤷♀️
Reposted by Elizabeth Payne
A reminder that the Ford govt closed the supervised consumption site in Chinatown and refuses to approve injectable opioid agonist treatment for people with serious addictions. Right now, private addiction clinics are proliferating and the whole community is suffering.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
'Chaos and destruction': Chinatown businesses, residents say drug problems persist | CBC News
People in Ottawa's Chinatown say little has changed since a new safer supply clinic operator took over in June. Some are considering leaving the neighbourhood, and others already have.
www.cbc.ca
November 3, 2025 at 12:16 PM
A reminder that the Ford govt closed the supervised consumption site in Chinatown and refuses to approve injectable opioid agonist treatment for people with serious addictions. Right now, private addiction clinics are proliferating and the whole community is suffering.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Reposted by Elizabeth Payne
Absolutely gutting news. And a call to action to keep fighting for safer streets. This kid was killed by a dump truck. Saloni Aitawadekar was killed by a pickup truck, right beside City Hall.
Better road design prevents accidents from becoming tragedies. Every life is a universe.
Better road design prevents accidents from becoming tragedies. Every life is a universe.
I'm devastated to hear the tragic news of a child who died in a collision with a truck yesterday in Overbrook. Ginny and I are thinking of the child's family and schoolmates.
October 16, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Absolutely gutting news. And a call to action to keep fighting for safer streets. This kid was killed by a dump truck. Saloni Aitawadekar was killed by a pickup truck, right beside City Hall.
Better road design prevents accidents from becoming tragedies. Every life is a universe.
Better road design prevents accidents from becoming tragedies. Every life is a universe.
Reposted by Elizabeth Payne
Ontario hospital budget woes
ottawacitizen.com/news/ontario... from @egpayne.bsky.social
Excellent discussion, not buying the MOH line. It is chronic underfunding - and healthcare waits are about to get worse
#onpoli
ottawacitizen.com/news/ontario... from @egpayne.bsky.social
Excellent discussion, not buying the MOH line. It is chronic underfunding - and healthcare waits are about to get worse
#onpoli
Facing record debt levels, Ontario hospitals told to balance budgets and find efficiencies
Debt-laden hospitals have been told to come up with proposals to balance budgets over the next three years, the Ottawa Citizen has learned.
ottawacitizen.com
October 10, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Ontario hospital budget woes
ottawacitizen.com/news/ontario... from @egpayne.bsky.social
Excellent discussion, not buying the MOH line. It is chronic underfunding - and healthcare waits are about to get worse
#onpoli
ottawacitizen.com/news/ontario... from @egpayne.bsky.social
Excellent discussion, not buying the MOH line. It is chronic underfunding - and healthcare waits are about to get worse
#onpoli
Reposted by Elizabeth Payne
Terrific story about the revunenation of the NCC in the @ottawacitizen.com today as reported by @egpayne.bsky.social ottawacitizen.com/news/ncc-rep...
The NCC wants a new reputation, and a different Ottawa
Long seen as secretive and sluggish, the National Capital Commission is trying to change the narrative one swimming dock at a time
ottawacitizen.com
October 6, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Terrific story about the revunenation of the NCC in the @ottawacitizen.com today as reported by @egpayne.bsky.social ottawacitizen.com/news/ncc-rep...
Reposted by Elizabeth Payne
ICE is running around Chicago harassing people for not being white.
Just a year ago, that was illegal in the United States and now it’s commonplace.
That’s not making America great again.
Just a year ago, that was illegal in the United States and now it’s commonplace.
That’s not making America great again.
South Shore Residents Return To Ransacked Apartments After ICE Raid: 'It Looks Like Hell'
A "now renting" sign outside touts granite countertops. Inside, residents are trying to make sense of the raid that made their already neglected building even worse.
blockclubchicago.org
October 2, 2025 at 11:58 PM
ICE is running around Chicago harassing people for not being white.
Just a year ago, that was illegal in the United States and now it’s commonplace.
That’s not making America great again.
Just a year ago, that was illegal in the United States and now it’s commonplace.
That’s not making America great again.
Debit and credit down across Loblaws, I am told. Bring cash snd prepare to line up.
September 26, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Debit and credit down across Loblaws, I am told. Bring cash snd prepare to line up.
Reposted by Elizabeth Payne
Today, I submitted an inquiry to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee, to get the data on accidents involving conflict between cars and pedestrian and cyclists when turning right on red. This is the first step in considering on a possible ban on RTOR, specifically in downtown Ottawa.
September 25, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Today, I submitted an inquiry to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee, to get the data on accidents involving conflict between cars and pedestrian and cyclists when turning right on red. This is the first step in considering on a possible ban on RTOR, specifically in downtown Ottawa.
Reposted by Elizabeth Payne
There is no world in which it is normal for the president to publicly call upon his attorney general to hurry up and prosecute his political foes. It’s like the Watergate tapes but posted on social media. Let’s get a grip on what’s happening here.
September 21, 2025 at 12:56 AM
There is no world in which it is normal for the president to publicly call upon his attorney general to hurry up and prosecute his political foes. It’s like the Watergate tapes but posted on social media. Let’s get a grip on what’s happening here.
Reposted by Elizabeth Payne
Pretty ironic to be in a meeting about the city’s budget directions (which I believe ignore the reality of our city’s aging infrastructure) on a day when my kid’s first day of school was cancelled due to a water main break. Ignoring this stuff has real-life consequences.
September 2, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Pretty ironic to be in a meeting about the city’s budget directions (which I believe ignore the reality of our city’s aging infrastructure) on a day when my kid’s first day of school was cancelled due to a water main break. Ignoring this stuff has real-life consequences.
Reposted by Elizabeth Payne
The Handmaid's Tale and Brave New World.
I wrote essays about both of those books in high school.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
I wrote essays about both of those books in high school.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
The Handmaid's Tale among more than 200 books to be pulled at Edmonton public schools | CBC News
A list confirmed by CBC News shows titles like The Handmaid's Tale and Brave New World are among books to be pulled. The development comes after a policy from Alberta's education minister outlines new...
www.cbc.ca
August 29, 2025 at 2:33 PM
The Handmaid's Tale and Brave New World.
I wrote essays about both of those books in high school.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
I wrote essays about both of those books in high school.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Reposted by Elizabeth Payne
Production in Ontario/Quebec #Canada #MadeInCanada #cdnpoli 🍁
Moderna’s latest COVID-19 vaccine is both approved and ‘made in Canada’
globalnews.ca/news/1134908...
Moderna’s latest COVID-19 vaccine is both approved and ‘made in Canada’
globalnews.ca/news/1134908...
Moderna’s latest COVID-19 vaccine is both approved and ‘made in Canada’ - National | Globalnews.ca
An update to Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine that targets the newest variants and is made entirely within Canada's borders was just approved by Health Canada.
globalnews.ca
August 26, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Production in Ontario/Quebec #Canada #MadeInCanada #cdnpoli 🍁
Moderna’s latest COVID-19 vaccine is both approved and ‘made in Canada’
globalnews.ca/news/1134908...
Moderna’s latest COVID-19 vaccine is both approved and ‘made in Canada’
globalnews.ca/news/1134908...
Reposted by Elizabeth Payne
"Ontario facing shortage of #rabies treatments amid record demand"
c/o @egpayne.bsky.social
ottawacitizen.com/news/ontario...
(shortage of rabies immunoglobulin; vaccine supply currently ok)
c/o @egpayne.bsky.social
ottawacitizen.com/news/ontario...
(shortage of rabies immunoglobulin; vaccine supply currently ok)
Ontario facing shortage of rabies treatments amid record demand
After the death of a child who came in contact with a rabid bat, Ontario is experiencing a shortage of rabies treatments.
ottawacitizen.com
August 26, 2025 at 3:15 PM
"Ontario facing shortage of #rabies treatments amid record demand"
c/o @egpayne.bsky.social
ottawacitizen.com/news/ontario...
(shortage of rabies immunoglobulin; vaccine supply currently ok)
c/o @egpayne.bsky.social
ottawacitizen.com/news/ontario...
(shortage of rabies immunoglobulin; vaccine supply currently ok)
Reposted by Elizabeth Payne
Most of the renovictions that my office hears about involve seniors — long-term tenants who have paid their rent for decades and then are evicted so the landlord can jack up the rent. Glad that the @ottawacitizen.com delved deeper into to this issue.
ottawacitizen.com/news/local-n...
ottawacitizen.com/news/local-n...
'Do they want us all on the street?': Eviction can mean homelessness for Ottawa seniors
Seniors are becoming the new face of the renovicted. And if they lose their homes, many can't afford a new place to rent.
ottawacitizen.com
August 26, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Most of the renovictions that my office hears about involve seniors — long-term tenants who have paid their rent for decades and then are evicted so the landlord can jack up the rent. Glad that the @ottawacitizen.com delved deeper into to this issue.
ottawacitizen.com/news/local-n...
ottawacitizen.com/news/local-n...
Reposted by Elizabeth Payne
The Ottawa Citizen also tried to find the source of the statistics shared last year that prompted my story this week. They were told "the number speaks for itself."
h/t: @egpayne.bsky.social
h/t: @egpayne.bsky.social
The problem with the province’s crime stats and closing supervised consumption sites
The Ontario government cited high crime rates in its plan to close supervised consumption sites. But crime is going down in Somerset West.
ottawacitizen.com
August 19, 2025 at 11:32 PM
The Ottawa Citizen also tried to find the source of the statistics shared last year that prompted my story this week. They were told "the number speaks for itself."
h/t: @egpayne.bsky.social
h/t: @egpayne.bsky.social
Reposted by Elizabeth Payne
Female graduates in the UK fall behind men from the very start of their careers, even when they have taken the same courses, and are out-earned after studying more than four-fifths of university subjects (1/3) www.ft.com/content/cb0e...
August 19, 2025 at 10:17 AM
Female graduates in the UK fall behind men from the very start of their careers, even when they have taken the same courses, and are out-earned after studying more than four-fifths of university subjects (1/3) www.ft.com/content/cb0e...
Reposted by Elizabeth Payne
When the Ford government announced that it was forcing the Somerset West Community Health Centre to close its supervised consumption site, they quoted unsourced stats about local crime rates. They lied. Crime actually went down significantly when the CTS was open.
Crime rate around Somerset supervised consumption site lower than government suggested when announcing closure
The crime rate around the Somerset West Community Health Centre did not rise to the figures put forward by the provincial government last year when announcing the closure of its supervised consumption...
www.ctvnews.ca
August 19, 2025 at 11:32 AM
When the Ford government announced that it was forcing the Somerset West Community Health Centre to close its supervised consumption site, they quoted unsourced stats about local crime rates. They lied. Crime actually went down significantly when the CTS was open.
Reposted by Elizabeth Payne
Grossly irresponsible of the Times to have this ludicrous credulous spin as the top story the morning after a president who rules by fiat proclaims a totally specious emergency to militarize the capital - an editorial insult to our intelligence and our democracy.
August 12, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Grossly irresponsible of the Times to have this ludicrous credulous spin as the top story the morning after a president who rules by fiat proclaims a totally specious emergency to militarize the capital - an editorial insult to our intelligence and our democracy.
Reposted by Elizabeth Payne
Wawa organizes ‘Boob Bus’ to fill gap in breast cancer screening -- a temporary solution to transport women to Sault Area Hospital for mammograms #Ontario
www.ctvnews.ca/northern-ont...
www.ctvnews.ca/northern-ont...
Wawa organizes ‘Boob Bus’ to fill gap in breast cancer screening
Residents in Wawa and surrounding communities are taking healthcare into their own hands after losing access to a mobile breast-cancer screening service that once regularly visited the area.
www.ctvnews.ca
August 12, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Wawa organizes ‘Boob Bus’ to fill gap in breast cancer screening -- a temporary solution to transport women to Sault Area Hospital for mammograms #Ontario
www.ctvnews.ca/northern-ont...
www.ctvnews.ca/northern-ont...