Shift: Conversations on Innovation and Improvement in Canadian Health Care

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, I sit down with John Mortimer, a specialist in systemic service design and founder of Impro, to tackle a concept that is silently draining the resources and morale of our health care system: Failure Demand. John explains that much of the "spinning" felt by practitioners today—the feeling of running faster while staying in the same place—is the result of a system designed to manage the consequences of its own failures rather than meeting the actual needs of the person.If you have ever felt that you or your organization is only as helpful as the rules allow, this conversation offers ideas for finding traction in the spin and eliminating the invisible drain of failure demand.ResourcesJohn’s Videos on YouTube  Buurtzorg Model Human Learning Systems

Send us Fan MailRecorded just twenty-four hours before Prairie Harm Reduction (PHR)—formerly known as AIDS Saskatoon—officially closed its doors on April 9, 2026, this episode features a deep dive conversation with social worker and advocate Erin Beckwell.  Erin shares her decade-long history with AIDS Saskatoon, starting from its roots as a community-led response to the HIV crisis to its evolution into a vital institution that provided life-saving services in the community.  As you will hear, Erin and her co-workers were doing Relational Service long before it even had a name.  In this timely conversation, we explore what it means to lead with a health equity lens, the frustrations of working in a huge bureaucracy, and the opportunity to do change approaches when we think outside the health care box. Resources Prairie Harm Reduction (formerly AIDS Saskatoon)Wellness Wheel Clinic (Regina)University Health Network Housing ModelVideo: How Public Policy Creates Poverty with Colleen Christopherson-CoteThis Week's Shift Shout Out:Trillium Heath Partners AI Challenge

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, I sit down with two of Saskatchewan’s most experienced health care leaders, Dan Florizone and Marlene Smadu, to explore a fundamental crisis in leadership: why we continue to treat an infinite system like a “finite game." Drawing on their decades of experience—from pioneering "Magnet" hospital environments in the late 90s to their current work teaching excellence in health leadership—Dan and Marlene discuss the urgent need to shift away from "command and control" culture brought in by the militaristic and religious structures of the 20th century. They reflect on how the modern health care system is often trapped by finite thinking, where leaders are pressured by four-year election cycles to "win" short-term battles like surgical wait-time targets, often at the expense of the long-term sustainability of the workforce and the system itself.We also discuss the power of the public and the direct care workforce as the greatest untapped resources for change. Marlene emphasizes that we have a well-educated public and 44,000 staff members who are "bursting to participate" if only they are given an invitation and a "North Star" to follow. While the administrative and logistical challenges are significant, both guests leave us with a message of deep hope, noting that the clinical breakthroughs and the "Patient First" shift in the last decade have been significant. This episode is a call to action for leaders at every level to embrace humility, curiosity, and transparency to build a health care system that is not just fit for the next election, but fit for the next century. Resources:The Infinite Game – Simon SinekExcellence in Healthcare Leadership ProgramKouzes & Posner Leadership ModelBerkana Two Loops ModelRaise Her CommunityIndustrial Disease

Send us Fan MailIn this special episode, Kyla pauses her interviews to reflect on the key themes and insights from the first three months of the podcast.  Kyla shares what she's gleaned from conversations with Dennis, Andy, Teri, Kath and Steven - distilling the learnings from each of them into practical ideas to shift the system.  

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, I sit down with Steven Lewis, a veteran health policy consultant and former CEO of Saskatchewan’s Health Services Utilization and Research Commission (HSURC). With decades of experience at the intersection of policy, research, and system reform, Steven offers a "voice of truth" that cuts through the bureaucratic clutter.  We dive deep into a critique of the broader Canadian "sick care" strategy. Steven explains why doubling down on hospital beds and a "scarcity narrative" is a failure of imagination, and he points us toward international models—like Scotland and Denmark—that prioritize health creation over sick care delivery. It's a timely conversation as Saskatchewan announced an $8.5 Billion investment in healthcare just following our discussion.  Will that finally solve our problems? Steven doesn't think so.  Resource Links: Saskatchewan 2026-27 Health BudgetUHN Dunn's HouseThe Regina Hospital Physician Culture ReportScotland’s Population Health FrameworkChoosing Wisely 

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Kyla sits down with Teri Price, the Executive Director of Greg’s Wings Projects, to discuss her journey from disaster management to becoming a leading change agent in the Canadian healthcare system. Teri shares the powerful and heartbreaking story of her brother, Greg Price, whose death in 2012 exposed massive gaps in continuity of care and information sharing—failures that led the family to create the impactful film Falling Through the Cracks: Greg’s Story.Teri discusses the vital work of Networked Health and the Renew 72 initiative, pushing for the Connected Care for Canadians Act to ensure health information follows the patient through the system. Together, they delve into the importance of "grit" commitment to long-term change, and why building a connected national health database should be considered a vital nation-building project.Additional Resources: CIHI Podcast about the Potential of Health Data in CanadaGreg’s Wings Viewing Events

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Kyla offers a critique of Saskatchewan's newly released "Patient's First Healthcare Plan" and questions why health care systems insist on repeating the same failed approached decade after decade.  Drawing on comparisons to Denmark and Nova Scotia, she challenges the incremental approach to health care reform and calls for genuine system transformation.  Kyla challenges listeners to demand more from health care leaders - not just incremental improvements but bold system redesigns that measures outcomes, prioritizes prevention and ensures everyone has access to a Medical Home.For Patient's Sake (2009)Patient's First Health Care Plan (2026)

Send us Fan MailIn this episode Dr. Katherine Stevenson reflects on 25 years of quality improvement in Saskatchewan — tracing the shift from measurement and reporting toward collaboratives, the Accelerating Excellence strategy, large-scale Lean adoption, and attempts to build a learning health system (or whatever we want to call it!). She advocates for reintegrating technical and relational approaches and shares practical advice for practitioners and leaders on becoming “yes, how” responders, creating feedback loops, and role-modelling change.Guest Bio:  Originally a physical therapist,  Dr. Katherine Stevenson has primarily worked in health system improvement since 2004.  She has worked with Saskatchewan’s Health Quality Council (HQC) in a variety of positions, including Senior Quality Improvement Consultant and Program Director, and the Saskatchewan Health Authority as Director of Learning and Program Development for Quality and Safety. In 2024, Kath received her doctorate in Quality Improvement and Leadership in Health and Social Care from the University of Jönköping, Sweden. She is currently a post-doctoral fellow working on Learning Health Systems and the development of graduate education in quality improvement and collaborative practice and an affiliated researcher with Jönköping Academy for Improvement of Health and Welfare. Kath lives in Saskatoon with her partner and their two children, one of whom has complex medical and developmental needs.  Related Resources: Our Story (HQC) Quality as a Business Strategy Johari Window Deming’s Theory of Profound Knowledge 

Send us Fan MailFuturist Andy Wilkins discusses rethinking health as a complex, nested system — from cells to cities — and why current siloed, “repair-shop” healthcare models won’t scale for ageing, multi‑morbidity populations. He explains the Three Horizons framework for shifting from incremental fixes (Horizon 1) to system-wide transformation (Horizon 3), shares practical examples, and offers concrete steps innovation and improvement leaders can take now to start building a more integrated, person-centered future — especially as AI and digital tech become powerful enablers or risks.Guest Bio:Andy Wilkins is a UK futurist, speaker, podcaster and founder of Future of Health – a new think tank and systems convener exploring the long term vision for holistic health in a technology enabled 21st century.Through the lens of human-centred value creation Andy has undertaken many research, innovation and strategy projects across Health and Care. This includes authoring high profile reports for the UK’s NHS and policy makers on whole systems approaches to the future of Health. Most recently he has been working closely with Suffolk and NE Essex ICS to bring a new futures based approach to whole systems working.Andy has designed and pioneered Imperial College’s Executive Education flagship course on Leading Systemic Innovation in Healthcare and is a visiting lecturer on Public Health at University College London.Resources Mentioned:Beyond the Fog: 10-15 Year Vision for the Future of Public Healthcare in a technology enabled 21st CenturyThree Horizons FrameworkFuture Shift: Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care System

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Kyla sits down with Dennis Vergne, a systems improvement consultant based in London, to explore the concept of Relational Service Design and why it’s critical for transforming public services. Dennis shares his journey from a youth recreation worker in the Netherlands to consulting on complex service systems across health care, social care and the prison system.  Together, they discuss how factory-logic thinking has infiltrated human services, the problems with fragmentation and practical ways to shift towards more relational, human centered approaches. Guest BioDennis Vergne is a systems improvement consultant and co-owner of a UK based Consultancy called Basis Ltd specializing in transforming public services. Resources MentionedRelational Service DesignBurrtzorg Model: Self Managing Nursing TeamsSchool of Moral Ambition Viarpi CartoonDo you have a innovation or improvement story you would like to share? Contact Kyla at [email protected]. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram. 

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