Danielle and Dustin Howe have been together for a decade. For eight of those years, the New Brunswick couple has been trying to have a baby.
"Trying to be patient. But there's some days where it's, you know, physically, mentally, emotionally exhausting," Danielle said.
Danielle, 30, and Dustin, 35, face infertility. They've spent thousands on drugs, but it's just led to frustration. They're now turning to fertility procedures at a clinic in Moncton, but it's costly.
"We have had to remortgage our house twice. Just kind of, in general, hoping that costs will come down where we can afford, you know, IUI or IVF," Danielle said.
As provincial elections play out in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick this month, there are pledges to provide more fertility treatment coverage.
The Saskatchewan Party is promising a 50 per cent tax credit, up to $10,000 for a first-time fertility treatment. Liberals in New Brunswick vow to cover one full cycle of IVF treatment, while the Conservatives in B.C. pledge to pay for two cycles of IVF after the NDP set aside funding for one round of the procedure in its last budget. In April 2025, B.C. will begin to cover one cycle of IVF.
"My hope is that policymakers are listening," said Carolynn Dubé, executive director of Fertility Matters Canada, who highlighted that one in six Canadians experience infertility.
"When fertility benefits exist, whether you are an employer or you are a province, we know that it attracts and retains young people," Dubé said.
Dr. Marjorie Dixon, CEO and medical director of Anova Fertility & Reproductive Health, said there's a lot of stigma around infertility but the main barrier to accessing care is cost.
"It's a substantial amount of technology and science and expertise and time that goes into this," Dixon said.
The average cost of a single in vitro fertilization cycle in Canada is around $18,000, she said.
"And the reality is that most people will not necessarily get pregnant on their first cycle of IVF," said Dixon, noting patients often have to pay for more than one cycle, plus medications. "There is a dire need for assistance. This is a medical condition."
Seven provinces currently offer some form of coverage, but it's not consistent or complete. Ontario and Quebec fund one round of IVF but Ontario doesn't cover medications. Nova Scotia and Manitoba offer tax credits of up to 40 per cent of a procedure. Alberta and Saskatchewan currently don't provide any public funding for fertility treatments.
The proposals by politicians to increase the coverage comes as data from Statistics Canada shows Canada's dropped to an all-time low of 1.26 children per woman last year.
In November 2023, a study of nearly 1,000 Canadian employers found that 53 per cent do not offer any .
Of the 47 per cent of businesses which do offer benefits, less than two per cent offer both drug and treatment coverage for procedures such as IVF, sperm, eggs and testing. The study found the median lifetime coverage limit for fertility drugs is now $6,000.
"So that does create a tremendous amount of inequity in an individual's accessing care. And if you look at the kaleidoscope of beauty that makes up Canada's family landscape, there are a lot of individuals also who might not be seen or heard in this family building plan," Dixon said.
The reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist noted how the path to parenthood can be complicated for a lot of people, including those in the LGBTQ2S+ community, single individuals, as well as those of different ethnicities who might not be able to access care.
Danielle Howe tells Â鶹´«Ã½ she and her husband plan to first pursue intrauterine insemination before trying in vitro fertilization.
"But it's a less likely guarantee. I'm hopeful but also nervous that in the end we're going to have to do IVF anyways," she said.
She hopes politicians stick to their promises but isn't waiting on an election result to move forward.
"We've been waiting eight years. We have to move on, and we have to make it work somehow," Danielle said.
The RCMP is alleging Indian diplomats and consular officials based in Canada engaged in clandestine activities linked to serious criminal activity in this country, including homicides and extortions.
'Escalating incidents' between two Hamilton high schools are believed to be connected to a car crash last week that left a 15-year-old boy dead, police say.
The father of a 10-year-old girl found dead in her home in England fled to Pakistan and called U.K. police from there to say he had killed her, a jury heard Monday.
A major American retailer has stopped selling its new winter-themed candle over backlash from shoppers who said its design resembled Ku Klux Klan hoods.
An outbreak of a rare parasitic disease has been linked to undercooked bear meat eaten by dozens of people at a gathering in North Carolina, a new U.S. CDC report has revealed.
The Alberta government is proposing additional restrictions on wind and solar farms that conservationists think are more about limiting renewable energy than protecting the environment.
Four guests at an Airbnb east of Toronto made off with a quarter of million dollars worth of jewelry following their stay, police say.
Striking images from the Sahara Desert show large lakes etched into rolling sand dunes after one of the most arid, barren places in the world was hit with its first floods in decades.
A 39-year-old British woman was killed when a malfunctioning ottoman bed fell on her neck and asphyxiated her, a coroner’s report said.
The Alberta government is proposing additional restrictions on wind and solar farms that conservationists think are more about limiting renewable energy than protecting the environment.
'Escalating incidents' between two Hamilton high schools are believed to be connected to a car crash last week that left a 15-year-old boy dead, police say.
British Columbia's New Democratic Party says it is responsible for a parody social media post that has B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad promising to bring back McDonald's McRib sandwiches.
Four guests at an Airbnb east of Toronto made off with a quarter of million dollars worth of jewelry following their stay, police say.
Students are returning to a Jewish girls' school in Toronto two days after it was struck with gunfire for the second time this year.
An especially warm fall in Ontario means the province may not get the colourful array of fall foliage that usually transforms treetops this time of year.
Florida counties hard hit by Hurricane Milton are returning to a semblance of normalcy, with power restored to most areas on Monday, gas stations reopening and students preparing to return to school.
A bus carrying university students crashed and overturned on a highway in northeastern Egypt Monday, killing 12 people and injuring 33 others, the health ministry said in a statement.
San Francisco prosecutors made opening statements Monday in the murder trial of a tech consultant charged in the stabbing death of Cash App founder Bob Lee, previewing a timeline of events before the death and attempts afterward by the defendant to hide what he did.
Russia said Monday it captured the village of Levadne in southern Ukraine as it probes for weaknesses along the war 's roughly 1,000-kilometre (600-mile) front line, including in eastern areas that are the main focus of Moscow's military effort before winter arrives.
An Israeli airstrike hit an apartment building in northern Lebanon on Monday, killing at least 21 people, according to the Lebanese Red Cross.
A new wave of lawsuits filed Monday accuses Sean 'Diddy' Combs of raping women, sexually assaulting men and molesting a 16-year-old boy.
The RCMP is alleging Indian diplomats and consular officials based in Canada engaged in clandestine activities linked to serious criminal activity in this country, including homicides and extortions.
Three in four Canadians support defence spending on new submarines, according to a new survey from Nanos Research and Â鶹´«Ã½.
The free trade agreement with ASEAN is expected to be signed at the end of 2025. If Trudeau is pressured to step down, or if his government falls and loses the next election, Trudeau will not, as prime minister, be there to see the fruits of his labour.
Your nose may be more powerful than you think.
An outbreak of a rare parasitic disease has been linked to undercooked bear meat eaten by dozens of people at a gathering in North Carolina, a new U.S. CDC report has revealed.
The study, which uses a mathematical model, indicates that men and women may benefit from different breakfast choices to optimize metabolism and potentially aid weight management.
A NASA spacecraft rocketed away Monday on a quest to explore Jupiter’s tantalizing moon Europa and reveal whether its vast hidden ocean might hold the keys to life.
Indian authorities are warning locals to be careful after a leopard was seen sauntering past a police station late last week.
The 15th-century explorer Christopher Columbus was a Sephardic Jew from Western Europe, Spanish scientists said on Saturday, after using DNA analysis to tackle a centuries-old mystery.
Canadian stand-up comedian and former talk show host Mike Bullard has died.
Jamie Foxx hadn’t been on stage for 18 years, but he returned recently for a very special reason.
Ariana Grande performed one of her greatest hits on the latest episode of 'Saturday Night Live' – her famed Celine Dion impression.
The Nobel memorial prize in economics was awarded Monday to three economists who have studied why some countries are rich and others poor and have documented that freer, open societies are more likely to prosper.
A major American retailer has stopped selling its new winter-themed candle over backlash from shoppers who said its design resembled Ku Klux Klan hoods.
A B.C. Supreme Court judge has ruled on a case she describes as a "bizarre mess" in a decision issued earlier this week.
This spooky season some people are opting to recycle old costumes in a bid to make Halloween more sustainable – and affordable.
Mike Grossman was adamant he wasn’t going to fall for anyone in Australia.
Sometimes love is written in the stars, but for one couple, it’s written in the aurora borealis.
Major League Baseball's postseason is averaging 3.33 million viewers going into the league championship series, an 18% increase over last year's average of 2.82 million.
Utah Hockey Club right-wing Dylan Guenther, Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel have been named the NHL’s three stars of the week.
It was a record breaking year at the Valley Harvest Marathon in Wolfville, N.S., on Saturday and Sunday.
The Ontario Provincial Police says the number of fatal collisions caused by distracted driving on the roads it patrols has increased by 40 per cent compared to this time last year.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled on Thursday his vision of a 'a fun, exciting future,' an 'age of abundance' full of his company’s self-driving cars without steering wheels, parking lots turned into parks and robots that will walk among the population – that he once again promised would be available within a few years.
Dozens of cars were pulled out of the Detroit River in west Windsor on Tuesday, causing many questions for Windsorites.
Sometimes love is written in the stars, but for one couple, it’s written in the aurora borealis.
Canadian hip hop artist Dillan King says running 100 marathons in 100 days was not only the hardest thing he has ever done, but the 'proudest accomplishment' of his entire life.
James Taylor never expected to be walking home with a bag full of groceries he didn't buy.
This weekend marks the fifth anniversary of a large blizzard that paralyzed Manitoba.
There was an eye-catching mix of rainbows and lightning over Vancouver following a brief downpour this week.
Jeff Warner from Aidie Creek Gardens in the northern Ontario community of Englehart has a passion for growing big pumpkins and his effort is paying off in more ways than one.
Saskatchewan’s Jessica Campbell has made hockey history, becoming the first ever female assistant coach in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Have you ever seen videos of hovercrafts online or on TV and thought, 'Wow, I wish I could ride one of those.' One Alberta man did, and then built his own.
A B.C. couple is getting desperate – and creative – in their search for their missing dog.
One person has died following a crash between a car and a truck east of Harrison Hot Springs.
Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) Chef Paul Natrall, the man behind Indigenous food truck Mr. Bannock, is bringing cooking classes on First Nations fare to schools and offices throughout Metro Vancouver.
Surrey RCMP are asking the public to be on the lookout for a man who was first reported missing nearly two weeks ago.
'Escalating incidents' between two Hamilton high schools are believed to be connected to a car crash last week that left a 15-year-old boy dead, police say.
Durham police say two men are facing drug and weapon charges after somebody called police about a late-night altercation in Oshawa.
Four guests at an Airbnb east of Toronto made off with a quarter of million dollars worth of jewelry following their stay, police say.
Calgary libraries will reopen on Wednesday following a cyber security breach.
Hundreds of Calgarians gathered together on Thanksgiving Monday to fight food insecurity with a charity walk for The Calgary Food Bank.
The Alberta government is proposing additional restrictions on wind and solar farms that conservationists think are more about limiting renewable energy than protecting the environment.
On Monday, the Mission capped off its annual Thanksgiving tradition with a meal for anyone who needed one.
The Ottawa Police Service is investigating a possible assault that left one man with serious burns on Monday morning.
On Monday morning, officers stopped a vehicle that was travelling the wrong way on Baseline Road in Ottawa.
Urgences-santé has confirmed that an ambulance was dispatched to a residence in Côte-Saint-Luc following reports of a possible drowning involving a man in his 60s.
A Montreal suburb has received a provincial Environment Department permit to go ahead with a long-awaited white-tailed deer cull in a local park that has become overrun with them.
Firefighters with the Montreal Fire Service extinguished a two-alarm fire at a vacant building in the Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough on Sunday night.
The Alberta government is proposing additional restrictions on wind and solar farms that conservationists think are more about limiting renewable energy than protecting the environment.
Boyle Street Community Services and the Bissel Centre, Edmonton organizations that help people dealing with homelessness and poverty, partnered with the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology's culinary program to feed hundreds for the annual holiday at the downtown Boyle Street Plaza.
It was 11 months ago when Kris Knoblauch was brought in to coach the beleaguered Edmonton Oilers, who were near the bottom of the Western Conference standings with a 3-9-1 record.
Halifax police have charged a 41-year-old man in the death of his mother.
The Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) is reminding residents that the second of two advance voting days for the 2024 Municipal and Conseil scolaire acadien provincial election will take place on Tuesday.
“Ken is a dreamerâ€: Saint John singer-songwriter Ken Tobias passes away at 79.
Sometimes love is written in the stars, but for one couple, it’s written in the aurora borealis.
Canadian stand-up comedian and former talk show host Mike Bullard has died.
A pack of dogs put their best paws forward when they were finally unleashed from a lifetime of animal testing.
Saskatchewan residents have just a few more days to catch a rare glimpse of a comet visible to the naked eye, streaking across the western skies at dusk.
With Saskatchewan's election set for Oct. 28, many voters may be wondering what candidates are running in their local ridings.
Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe is accusing the union representing RCMP members of looking after its own interests.
Hundreds of people bundled up to take part in a longstanding Thanksgiving Day tradition in Kitchener.
According to police, when officers arrived they found the house fully engulfed in flames and were unable to make entry.
Police are looking for a missing 14-year-old boy from Kitchener.
Saskatchewan residents have just a few more days to catch a rare glimpse of a comet visible to the naked eye, streaking across the western skies at dusk.
With Saskatchewan's election set for Oct. 28, many voters may be wondering what candidates are running in their local ridings.
Just under one million ballots are being printed for the upcoming provincial election in Saskatchewan, and 27 out of the 61 constituencies currently have their ballots being pulled hot off the presses in Regina.
A Greater Sudbury woman is upset about the charges laid against the man accused of attacking her son and a group of his colleagues downtown on Saturday.
A 36-year-old man is charged with drug-impaired and dangerous driving after a head-on crash in northwest Ontario last Thursday.
A major American retailer has stopped selling its new winter-themed candle over backlash from shoppers who said its design resembled Ku Klux Klan hoods.
One person has died and three others were transported to hospital following a three-vehicle collision in St. Clair Township
Smash Pickleball is the region’s only indoor facility dedicated specifically to the sport.
A Harriston man has been charged after police said the operator of an ATV crashed into a vehicle parked on Queen Street South in Harrison.
Provincial police remind motorists about the importance of buckling up after an officer discovered a passenger sitting on a kitchen chair inside the vehicle during a traffic stop in the Town of the Blue Mountains.
A recent study ranks Barrie last among large Canadian cities regarding homeowners who have paid off their mortgage.
Three teenagers are facing multiple charges for allegedly damaging property, a vehicle, a recreation centre and stealing a vehicle this weekend in Muskoka.
Chatham-Kent police say a 37-year-old Merlin man has died after a two-vehicle collision.
Windsor has the fifth highest rate of mortgage-free homeowners in Canada, according to a study by Casivoo.
The Town of Tecumseh is getting $1,789,764 from the Ontario government to help renew and rehabilitate critical infrastructure.
Just a couple of weeks after a new southern resident killer whale calf was first seen, its health appears to have taken a bad turn.
Vicki Huntington says two things are critical to be elected as an Independent member of the legislature in British Columbia — trusted name recognition and an angry constituency.
B.C.’s northern coast has been getting soaked by an atmospheric river over the Thanksgiving long weekend, with officials warning of heavy downpours and possible flooding.
Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.
A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.
Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.
The Vancouver Giants scored late to force overtime before winning 4-3 over the Lethbridge Hurricanes Friday night.
If you’re looking for something to do this long weekend, the Lethbridge Corn Maze is open and hosting its annual fundraiser on Monday.
Local photographers were amazed by the aurora borealis display in the night sky over Lethbridge on Thursday night.
A 36-year-old man is charged with drug-impaired and dangerous driving after a head-on crash in northwest Ontario last Thursday.
Provincial police in Hearst, Ont., stopped an unlicensed northwestern Ontario driver for a morning traffic infraction.
A 32-year-old woman has been charged in connection with the death of an 18-year-old man this past January, according to Ontario Provincial Police.
A five-hour drive from St. John's, N.L., and well off the beaten path, Point Leamington seems an unlikely spot for a one-of-a-kind tourist attraction.
A Conservative MP from Newfoundland and Labrador says some small towns in his rural riding are overrun with crime, but police say they haven't received reports to that effect.
As millions in federal funding flow into a Labrador group whose claims of Inuit identity have been rejected by Indigenous organizations across Canada, a national Inuit leader worries the Liberal government is putting the rights of Indigenous Peoples at risk.
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