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Vitalité partners with DataNB in data research

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Vitalité Health Network and a research institute at the University of New Brunswick have signed a five-year agreement.

Vitalité’s deal with DataNB is meant to strengthen health research through using data generated by the healthcare system to improve practices, improve treatment, and increase efficiency.

In their release, Vitalité says that DataNB provides a secure infrastructure that ensures the protection of New Brunswickers’ rights and privacy. The framework enables researchers to use data from different parts of healthcare, such as administrative, social, and health data, in their work.

Research teams from DataNB are able to conduct analyses using this data to find room for improvement in clinics, policies, and service delivery.

Analyzing demographic and health data, which would include components like age, place of residence, and health conditions in a region, would allow researchers to adjust services to better serve New Brunswickers.

Dr. France Desrosiers, President and CEO of Vitalité Health Network, says professionals must be able to measure the impact of their initiatives based on evidence.

“DataNB’s expertise and scientific rigour will strengthen our ability to leverage data strategically to better plan for and respond to health needs, both now and in the future,” said Desrosiers.

Dr. Ted McDonald, Director of DataNB, says the research institute’s focus is on supporting evidence-informed decision-making.

“With approximately one-third of the province’s population being francophone, this partnership between UNB and Vitalité Health Network will help ensure our work better reflects the needs of the communities Vitalité serves, particularly in rural areas of northern New Brunswick,” said McDonald.

Vitalité says the two organizations have maintained strong ties for several years and that this new memorandum of understanding helps to structure and solidify this collaboration.

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UNB researchers conducting natural disaster survey

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The Housing, Mobility, and Engagement Research Lab (HOME-RL) at the University of New Brunswick is conducting a survey to understand people’s experiences with housing displacement, damage, evacuation, or loss in natural disasters or extreme weather in Atlantic Canada.

Dr. Julia Woodhall-Melnik, Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Resilient Communities, leads the study.

“We are looking to speak with folks who have experienced some kind of housing damage or evacuation, housing loss, or evacuation with no damage related to extreme weather events or climate change.”

She says the goal is to ensure that disaster response policies are shaped by those who have lived through such events.

Individuals at or above the age of majority are eligible for participation if they have experienced housing damage or loss, were evacuated or displaced due to a natural disaster or extreme weather event, experienced said event(s) in Atlantic Canada, and were affected between 2015 and 2026.

Those interested may participate by calling (506) 648-5522 or by emailing homerl@unb.ca, where someone will get back to you.

The online survey is also accessible by clicking here.

blue swimming pool with water

Fredericton City Council says more info needed about aging UNB pool

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Fredericton city councillors have chosen to continue negotiations to keep the University of New Brunswick’s Sir Max Aitken Pool open instead of rejecting their proposal.

But the city council says they weren’t provided sufficient data to support the university’s $12.9 million aid request.

The request came from UNB president Paul Mazerolle several weeks ago, who informed the council that the building’s HVAC systems were about to fail. The one-page letter requested a $6 million investment to keep the HVAC system running. A project included in the request was an increase in the city’s annual contributions to the Sir Max Aitken pool building from $290,000 to $1.29 million for the next 10 years.

Councillor Greg Ericson (Submitted: Greg Ericson)

Greg Ericson, Fredericton councillor for Ward 8, says the request did not include any specifics, such as an engineering report.

“It was just a one-page letter request. It also said that UNB was not going to make the city whole if, for other reasons, the building closed for other unforeseen mechanical or technical problems,” said Ericson.

He also pointed out the city’s approach when it comes to needed repairs for its own indoor pool, located on the city’s north side.

“We see regular reports on the structural integrity of the pool and the infrastructure’s maintenance requirements, what is deferred, and costs associated,” said the Ward 8 councillor. “Council and senior staff are in a continuous habit of making sure this information is available when we are spending taxpayer dollars on infrastructure and services. We need to know what kind of value we are getting for our spend.”

According to Ericson, another piece of information that would have been useful to city councillors would be information on user groups of the UNB pool. He referenced pool usage statistics last provided by the University of New Brunswick on their website in 2018, which claim that UNB has a strong desire to keep a pool on the Fredericton campus, even though ‘more than 80 per cent of current pool users are Fredericton community members.’

“UNB continually claims that 86% of the pool user group is not related to the university, but I’m pretty sure they are only counting varsity athletes, not their own staff, faculty, and their families that use the pool. I would argue that they are part of the UNB community too,” said Ericson. “[UNB] differentiating that athletes are only using this much of [the facility] is actually inserting a new policy criteria that the city is not familiar with, and we were kind of surprised by it.”

In a Greater Fredericton Region Aquatics Facility Feasibility Study done by the Regional Services Commission 11 in 2020, UNB is cited as having stated that 40 per cent of the use of the Sir Max Aitken pool is university use and 60 per cent is very broadly defined community use. “It is important to distinguish these user types, as the university defines community use as including adult lap swim, and that is predominantly for university faculty, staff, students, and the UNB Masters swim team, which is a mix of UNB and community members. This definition of community use is inconsistent with the needs of the municipalities and local service districts.”

Ericson said the university has never shared their user data with the council. He added that the council also would have liked to know of the university’s spending habits.

“We want to know how [third parties] have performed as financial stewards of their assets and of their responsibilities. One of the things that council would have loved to know is, has UNB been spending appropriately in a preventative way on the maintenance issues of the pool in order to keep costs down and extend the lifetime, or have those expenditures been cut from budgets because of austerity and other understandable reasons,” said Ericson. “That does threaten the longevity of the pool and its ability to stay open for the interest of its users.”

Ericson says the initial agreement of the city’s $140,000 annual contribution to the university’s pool came in 2018. It resulted from a joint effort to keep the facility open for three more years.

“It has snowballed over the years to now $290,000 a year, but that is in the range of what the city was comfortable with for our understanding of the shared pool,” said Ericson.

The new request for a seven-figure increase to $1.29 million annually, according to Ericson, is a big ask with no insurance.

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UNB releases first look at N.B.’s Meals on Wheels program

A new UNB study shows Meals on Wheels programs are carrying far more of the province’s aging‑care load than many people realize.

The report was released by the University of New Brunswick’s Healthy Aging Policy Innovation Lab, led by Dr. Catherine Bigonnesse, the Canada Research Chair in Healthy Aging.

The lab said this is the first province‑wide look at how the programs operate, who they serve and the pressures they face.

According to the study, most clients are over 65, and many rely on subsidies to afford meals.

Surveyed organizations delivered an estimated 226,260 to 232,188 meals last year, though the total is likely higher because the data reflects less than half of all Meals on Wheels programs in the province.

Internal figures from Fredericton and Saint John show that those two organizations alone delivered more than 160,000 meals in 2024.

Bigonnesse said in the release that access to nutritious meals is a major contributor to healthy aging, especially for older adults who may struggle to shop, cook or afford food.

“Food is such an essential experience for human beings,” she said. “Access to nutritious meals at all ages, but especially later in life, is a major contributor to healthy aging.”

The report explained that the benefits extend beyond nutrition. Research cited in the document shows that regular meal delivery reduces food insecurity, supports chronic disease management and helps clients remain independent at home.

Volunteers also provide informal safety and wellness checks, which the report says are especially important for rural and homebound clients.

Evidence referenced in the study links these supports to fewer hospital visits and reduced use of emergency departments.

Meals on Wheels representatives who contributed to the project say the collaboration provided valuable insight.

“We are very grateful for the opportunity to work with Dr. Bigonnesse and the Lab,” said Betty Daniels of Meals on Wheels of Fredericton.

Darlene Moore of Community Meals on Wheels Saint John said the research helps guide efforts toward province‑wide coverage.

The report also outlines significant sustainability concerns. Surveyed organizations reported a shrinking volunteer base, rising food and operational costs, limited kitchen capacity and difficulty meeting growing demand.

Most volunteers are between 60 and 84 years old, and many programs operate with only one to four paid staff.

Several organizations also noted gaps in rural service areas, where older adults may have no access to meal delivery.

To address these challenges, the report recommends creating a provincial coordinating body to support collaboration, improve awareness of services and strengthen grant applications.

It also calls for more partnerships with food‑security organizations and standardized data collection through academic collaboration.

Bigonnesse said meaningful policy solutions require working directly with the people delivering services.

Bigonnesse added that the recommendations are designed to help organizations advocate for stable funding and show the role they play in supporting clients’ health and independence.

The report is part of the lab’s broader work to provide accessible data and involve older adults in shaping policies that support independence, social connection and well‑being.