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CRA Disability Tax Credit for Diabetes (DTC) The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) offers a non-refundable disability tax credit (DTC) of up to $1289 (in 2021) to individuals living with diabetes. Historically the conditions were extraordinarily stringent – based on the advocacy of the JDRF and other groups these conditions were relaxed in the Federal Budget […]

Introduction  Diabetes is a condition, not a disease. Like any condition it has to be managed, and if managed well diabetes will not significantly reduce life expectancy, increase your risk of heart disease and stroke & will not damage your kidneys, your eyes or your nerves.  Optimal diabetes control requires a partnership between BC Diabetes […]

For those living with Type 2 diabetes the benefits of reducing calories in the diet, weight loss and lower blood sugar, are well known.  While controlling diet is important, strict low-calorie diets can be difficult to maintain for long periods of time. Simply reducing calories may also not be the most effective way to lose […]

Artificial Pancreas Systems (APS, also termed “automated insulin delivery” AID systems) are here and we are not waiting! On 2020-Aug-1 BCDiabetes began supporting in-house installations of DIYAPS with the tubeless Omnipod Eros-Dexcom G6-Riley link-iPhone master branch “Loop” system. Although not Health Canada approved, BCDiabetes considers this version of Loop to be the best DIY APS […]

Dr. Elliott and the entire staff at BC Diabetes are delighted to report that COVID-19 vaccines are being made available to all British Columbians who are taking insulin. On Tuesday, March 23rd, 2021, the Government of British Columbia put out a statement saying that people who were “clinically extremely vulnerable” were now eligible to receive […]

Big news today for the 200,000 British Columbians living with Type 2 diabetes who are overweight or who have a history of heart attack or stroke.  Today BC Pharmacare announced coverage of semaglutide (“Ozempic”), a once-a-week shot, for individuals living with Type 2 diabetes on oral medication alone (metformin & glyburide) or on insulin plus […]

In 2018 with the arrival in Canada of continuous glucose monitors (CGM) a diabetes revolution began.  CGM meant no more finger pricking, no fear of going low overnight; vastly improved glucose control and a future without the dreaded long-term complications of diabetes. The revolution continued in early 2020 with the artificial pancreas being made possible […]

The three hottest words in Type 1 diabetes these days are “loop”, “looper” & “looping”.  These refer to the groundbreaking revolutionary open source software implementation of the Artificial Pancreas, the technological cure of Type 1 diabetes.  Loopers are Type 1s who use the Loop app running on an iPhone to control their insulin pump based […]

My name is Tyler Craig, and I am a patient at BC Diabetes. I would like to add my voice to Dr. Elliott’s and his team’s advocacy efforts to have universal coverage for CGM (continuous glucose monitoring) devices. I am grateful that BC Diabetes introduced me to the CGM device as it has been a […]

Continuous Glucose Monitoring, known as CGM, allows for the automatic tracking of glucose (sugar) levels for people living with Type 1 Diabetes (TID).  Keeping sugar levels within a safe & healthy target range (5-10 mmol/L) is crucial to prevent the dreaded diabetes complications of loss of consciousness, heart disease & stroke, blindness, kidney failure and […]