By Jacqueline St. Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Manitoulin Expositor ONTARIO —Across Ontario—and nowhere more visibly than in rural and Northern regions like Manitoulin—the face of health care is changing fast. The provincial government is moving to expand the powers of paramedics, pharmacists, psychologists, optometrists, and other allied professionals in what it calls an effort to provide “more connected and convenient care.” But critics say the changes reveal something else: a system under strain, shifting duties downstream as family medicine and hospital care continue to buckle. Under the new proposals, pharmacists could soon prescribe medications for 14 additional ailments, including sore throats, mild headaches, sleep disorders and shingles. Optometrists would gain authority to perform minor surgeries under local anesthetic, use laser therapy for cataracts and glaucoma, and order diagnostic

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