Here’s what’s on the CBC Health Unit’s watch list for 2026: New approaches to connecting people with family doctors, anticipated changes to cancer screening, misinformation and vaccine wariness, future uses for GLP-1 agonists (like Ozempic and Wegovy) and the morphing toxic drug crisis. Cancer screening changesNew cancer screening guidelines for Canadians are expected in 2026 and they’ll be coming from a newly revamped panel of experts. The body that issues national cancer screening guidelines, the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care , is undergoing a major overhaul following an external review. At the time its work was paused, the panel was looking at screening guidelines for prostate, cervical and lung cancer. Due to a backlog at Health Canada it’s unlikely the cheaper medication will hit the shelves until late spring or early summer.

Source: CBC News December 20, 2025 15:02 UTC