Aeroallergens occur naturally in the environment and are widely dispersed across Canada, yet their public health implications are not well-understood. This review intends to provide a scientific and public health-oriented perspective on aeroallergens in Canada: their distribution, health impacts, and new developments including the effects of climate change and the potential role of aeroallergens in the development of allergies and asthma. The review also describes anthropogenic effects on plant distribution and diversity, and how aeroallergens interact with other environmental elements, such as air pollution and weather events. Increased understanding of the relationships between aeroallergens and health will enhance our ability to provide accurate information, improve preventive measures and provide timely treatments for affected populations.

Objectives Having temporary immigration status affords limited rights, workplace protections, and access to services. There is not yet research data on impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic for people with temporary immigration status in Canada. Methods We use linked administrative data to describe SARS-CoV-2 testing, positive tests, and COVID-19 primary care service use in British Columbia from January 1, 2020 to July 31, 2021, stratified by immigration status (citizen, permanent resident, temporary resident). We plot the rates of people tested and confirmed positive for COVID-19 by week from April 19, 2020 to July 31, 2021 across immigration groups. We use logistic regression to estimate adjusted odds ratios of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test, access to testing, and primary care among people with temporary status or permanent residency, compared with people who hold citizenship. Results A total of 4,146,593 people with citizenship, 914,089 people with permanent residency, and 212,215 people with temporary status were included. Among people with temporary status, 52.1% had “male” administrative sex and 74.4% were ages 20–39, compared with 50.1% and 24.4% respectively among those with citizenship. Of people with temporary status, 4.9% tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 over this period, compared with 4.0% among people with permanent residency and 2.1% among people with citizenship. Adjusted odds of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test among people with temporary status were almost 50% higher (aOR 1.42, 95% CI 1.39, 1.45), despite having half the odds of access to testing (aOR 0.53, 95% CI 0.53, 0.54) and primary care (aOR 0.50, 95% CI 0.49, 0.52). Conclusion Interwoven immigration, health, and occupational policies place people with temporary status in circumstances of precarity and higher health risk. Reducing precarity accompanying temporary status, including regularization pathways, and decoupling access to health care from immigration status can address health inequities.

BackgroundHaving temporary immigration status affords limited rights, workplace protections, and access to services. There is not yet research data on impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic for people with temporary immigration status in Canada.MethodsWe use linked administrative data to describe SARS-CoV-2 testing, positive tests, and COVID-19 primary care service use in British Columbia from January 1, 2020, to July 31, 2021, stratified by immigration status (Citizen, Permanent Resident, Temporary Resident). We plot the rate of people tested and the rate of people confirmed positive for COVID-19 by week from April 19, 2020, to July 31, 2021, across immigration groups.Results4.9% of people with temporary immigration status had a positive test for SARS-CoV-2 over this period, compared to 4.0% among people with permanent residency and 2.1% among people who hold Canadian citizenship. This pattern is persistent by sex/gender, age group, neighborhood income quintile, health authority, and in both metropolitan and small urban settings. At the same time we observe lower access to testing and COVID-19 related primary care among people with temporary status.InterpretationPeople with temporary immigration status in BC experience higher SARS-CoV-2 test positivity; alarmingly, this was coupled with lower access to testing and primary care. Interwoven immigration, health and occupational policies place people with temporary status in circumstances of precarity and higher health risk. Extending permanent residency status to all immigrants residing in Canada and decoupling access to health care from immigration status could reduce precarity due to temporary immigration status.

ObjectivesWe aim to respond to health care barriers experienced by immigrant and migrant (im/migrant) communities through community-engaged research using population-based multi-sectoral linked health and immigration data, alongside qualitative methods. We describe lessons learned with respect to analytic choices and interpretation of findings from data linkage research. ApproachWe linked Canadian federal immigration data and health data from the province of British Columbia to analyze access to health care services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Immigration data include date and class of arrival, level of education, language ability at arrival, countries of birth and origin, and other personal characteristics. Provinces also collect documentation of immigration status as part of ascertaining health insurance eligibility, data not previously used for research. Planning and carrying out this analysis involved people who come from different countries and have different immigration journeys, such as people with precarious im/migration status, refugees, workers and students. ResultsFindings underscore that care should be taken in choosing categories to group people using administrative immigration systems data that are relevant to research questions, considering class of arrival, current status, time since arrival, and language ability, alongside intersecting characteristics. In studying COVID-19 infection and access to care, current status (temporary or permanent) was particularly important, as this is tied to both workplace protections/risks and access to care. Time since arrival in Canada and language ability were important in examining questions related to health system navigation, including access to virtual and in-person care. Immigration information recorded at time of registration for provincial insurance offers a new opportunity to include immigration data in analysis, and is particularly helpful in studying impacts of temporary status. ConclusionA strength of linked immigration data is that it directly captures administrative categories that are modifiable and that structurally determine health. In interpreting analysis we must emphasize that immigration records and class captured at time of registration for health insurance reflect administratively imposed categories, but may not reflect identities.

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