The McGill Media Relations Office offers the following resources for your holiday stories:
Perry Adler, Faculty Lecturer, Department of Family Medicine, can speak to a range of mental health topics, including seasonal depressive disorder and its treatments, the “holiday blues,” family and social pressures during the holidays, as well as stress and expectations tied to New Year’s Eve and resolutions.
A new study suggests that food prices in Canada may increase by four to six per cent in 2026. This is primarily likely to be due to increases in the prices of beef and chicken, although the cost of canned goods is also expected to rise.
These McGill experts can comment on the subject:
The World Health Organization has issued its first guideline on the use of GLP-1 therapies, such as Ozempic, to treat obesity, a chronic disease affecting more than 1 billion people worldwide and projected to double by 2030.
A McGill University expert is available to comment:
On Dec. 6, we will mark the 36th anniversary of the killing of 14 young women at Polytechnique Montréal in 1989.
The government of Canada has designated Dec. 6 as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
McGill experts are available to comment on a variety of related issues, including gender-based violence, women in engineering and gun control:
Incidents of violence in public transit systems are on the rise across Canada, according to a collaborative report from CBC and the Investigative Journalism Foundation. The report says that between 2016–2024, transit systems in eight of the country’s 10 largest cities have seen the number of assaults double. Rates have tripled in Winnipeg. The highest number of assaults took place in Toronto.
McGill experts are available to comment on this topic:
The CMHC reported an increase in vacancy rates across Quebec this summer, and since then, there increasingly have been reports of landlords struggling to find tenants. However, questions regarding the availability of affordable housing remain. (Radio-Canada)
McGill experts are available to comment:
Canadian cancer statistics for 2025 show that while cancer deaths are declining overall, the rate of new cases continues to rise, and that Quebec has the highest cancer incidence rate in the country.
Quebec is weighing new rules that would impose French-language quotas on global streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple, Netflix and YouTube. The bill would require apps to default to French, set quotas for French audio and video, and spotlight francophone content on smart TVs.
The 30th annual Conference of Parties (COP30) is underway in Belem, Brazil, bringing together diplomats, scientists and stakeholders from around the world to discuss the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The meeting continues until Nov. 21.
National delegations, with the notable exception of the United States, are attempting to reach an agreement on how to continue to address climate change at the planetary level.
Experts from McGill University are available to comment:
Canada has lost its measles elimination status after nearly three decades, amid an ongoing outbreak involving over 5,000 cases across nine provinces and one territory. In a statement on Monday, the Public Health Agency of Canada urged renewed vaccination efforts to curb transmission.
A McGill University expert is available to comment on this topic:
As part of a new partnership with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (MSO), member doctors of Médecins francophones du Canada can now prescribe tickets to live performances.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met with Chinese President Xi Jinping Friday. A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said the leaders agreed to direct their officials to move quickly to resolve outstanding trade issues and irritants.
These McGill experts are available to discuss Canada-China trade relations:
Food bank use in Quebec in 2025 has hit record numbers, surpassing 3 million assistance requests, according to Food Banks Canada's HungerCount 2025 recent report. Employed people and students are among the fastest growing user groups, with food banks struggling to keep up with demand.
McGill experts are available to comment on this topic:
The city of El Fasher in Darfur has recently been captured by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a Sudanese militia that had besieged the city for 18 months. Since then, reports of civilian massacres along ethnic lines have emerged, as inhabitants attempt to flee.
In early 2025, the UN called the current civil war in Sudan, which began in 2023, the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis.
With voting already underway for the Nov. 2 municipal elections in Montreal and more than 1,000 other Quebec municipalities, McGill University experts can comment on key urban issues.
