The following is a review of developments affecting health care in Canada

Dear Readers, It's hard to believe that another year has passed so quickly and it is already time for our yearly summer vacation. There will not be an update to the information section of the web site for the months of July and August. See you in September. Have a great summer, with best regards, Shara Rosen.

The Alberta government has announced funding for several major health facilities including: a new $200-million Alberta Children's Hospital in Calgary and to the construction of two new health research centers - one at the University of Calgary and the other at the University of Alberta. The government also gave the go-ahead for construction of a provincial bone and joint center of excellence in Calgary. The province will contribute $51.2 million over the next three years. Funding for the remainder of the $125-million project will be provided at a later date. The province also confirmed it will provide $103.2 million now (and $125 million ultimately) toward the construction of the Alberta Heart Institute in Edmonton. Construction of this center at the University of Alberta hospital is to start in fall 2003. The province also allocated additional funding ($85.1 million) toward the current redevelopment of Edmonton's 670-bed Royal Alexandra Hospital. Plans are underway to build a $157-million, 288-bed North Treatment Centre. This facility, due to open in 2007, will provide a women's program, cardiac care, a teaching center for medical students and extra bed space. In central Alberta, the $96-million major redevelopment of the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre received $50.7 million in provincial support. This project is adding 84 acute care beds, 18 ER treatment areas, seven dialysis stations, and 300 parking stalls to the existing hospital.

Quebec genomics researchers have begun Cart@gène, a four-year study is to produce a genetic portrait of the Quebec population using DNA and other information collected from 50,000 residents, or 1.5% of the total population. The study is the first project of the new Institute of Population and Genetics in Montreal.

Héma-Québec and the Canadian Blood Services have announced that as of July 1, 2003 they will be using the Roche assay to test donated blood for the West Nile Virus.