Canada needs a strong plan of action to tackle chronic kidney disease.

Canada is facing a looming health crisis that remains largely unaddressed and invisible at the policy and health system level. More than four million Canadians live with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and 50,000 currently receive dialysis or are living with a transplant, both life-sustaining but burdensome treatments.

With no cure, CKD profoundly impacts quality of life, contributing to lost income, overall poor health, and uncertainty about the future. The implications of CKD extend far beyond patients and families. CKD is now the 11th leading cause of death in Canada and one of our most expensive chronic diseases. Health-care costs exceed $11.7 billion annually, with most expenses incurred in the later stages of the disease, particularly dialysis and transplantation.

By 2050, the total cost burden of CKD is projected to rise to $17.6 billion and an estimated 6.2 million Canadians will be affected, driven by an aging population and rising rates of diabetes and high blood pressure.

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: I get a big kick out of my new mother-in-law who enjoys going out with her girlfriends to “gamble away the family fortune.”

She’s taken me out with these older ladies on the weekends and has even given me some “fun money” to blow. We often share the winnings — if there are any. That’s the part that really sets my husband’s teeth on edge.

We’re so newly married I still tell my man everything, but I am learning. This week he said he doesn’t want me training with his mom and her crazy gambling buddies.

My husband really should take a look in the mirror before criticizing others, as he himself loves betting on the horses. I don’t complain about his betting. The truth is I find him and his whole family a lot more interesting than my own relations, who are too strait-laced, religious and boring for my liking.

Former Michigan State University head football coach Mel Tucker is suing the university and school leaders, alleging that they wrongfully fired him last year and violated his constitutional rights after he was accused of sexual harassment.

The federal lawsuit filed Wednesday in Michigan accuses school officials of undertaking an “improper, sham investigation” of allegations that Tucker sexually harassed and exploited rape survivor and activist Brenda Tracy.

The suit, which seeks unspecified damages, alleges that Michigan State officials violated his rights to due process and equal protection as well as his employment agreement with the school.

The complaint also contends that interim president Teresa Woodruff and athletic director Alan Haller made “false and defamatory” public statements against Tucker, “further destroying Plaintiff’s reputation, his professional standing, and his livelihood.”

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