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Today is International Women’s Day, honouring the many (and at times, overlooked) societal contributions of women. I know my life has been shaped by several remarkable women, as have many others.
There are plenty of ways to mark the occasion and learn about women, both past and present, who have made a difference in the world. Check out our roundup of IWD events if you haven’t yet.
— Robyn
Today’s approx. read time: 7 minutes
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Warning labels on alcohol could reduce cancer rates, says UVic study
UVic’s Adam Sherk holds a beer bottle with a mock-up of a cancer warning label. Photo: UVic
Many were rattled in 2023 when the federal government lowered the recommended alcohol intake from two drinks a day to two a week—or ideally, zero.
But the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction’s reasoning was backed by a growing body of evidence that booze is a net negative for our health. Heart disease, stroke, and cancer risks all accompany that after-work martini.
While British Columbians are overall drinking less these days—especially after the government changed its recommendations—many are still consuming more than the recommended weekly number.
New research from UVic’s Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR), published this week in The Lancet, says adding warning labels to drinks could prevent a cancer diagnosis for hundreds of Canadians every year.
The researchers examined how different alcohol policies could reduce drinking and its related health risks.
“These are evidence-based policies that jurisdictions are considering—there’s a cancer-warning bill in the Canadian Senate right now,” says Adam Sherk, the study’s lead author. Bill S-202, which would amend the Food and Drugs Act to require cancer warnings on alcohol, is headed to its third senate reading.
“We wanted to see just how big of a difference bringing in these policies could make in reducing alcohol-related cancers.”
To understand the most effective approach, Sherk and his team looked at five different scenarios:
Setting price minimums per serving in a container, with an additional $1.75 per serving included (ex. a standard bottle of wine has five servings, adding $8.75 to the bottle’s price)
Setting the price minimum to $2 per serving in a container
Rotating multi-message labels, including drinking guidelines and health risks
Adding labels that warn against the cancer risks of alcohol
A combination of Nos. 2 and 4
The last of that list was shown to be the most effective model for reducing the number of yearly alcohol-related cancer diagnoses and deaths in Canada. In 2022, alcohol caused an estimated 9498 cases of cancer and 3866 cancer deaths. A combination of cancer-risk labels and cost increases could reduce the number of cases by 674 (7%) and the number of deaths by 216 (5.6%), according to the study.
⚠ Capital Bulletin
Temporary delays to E&N trail, between Hereward and Devonshire, on March 21. 7am-7pm. [CRD]
Free leaf mulch, compost, and woodchips starting next week. [City of Victoria]
Make friends and remove ivy at UVic today. [Info]
2026 Goddess Run today. [Beaver Lake]
Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.
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