Heather Yourex-West
Network Digital Journalist: Alberta Correspondent
Heather Yourex-West is an award-winning journalist based in Calgary. As a Network News Digital Journalist, Heather contributes to all Global News platforms, covering news throughout the Prairies for Global National.
Prior to joining the network’s national team in 2018, Heather spent 10 years covering the health beat for Global Calgary. During that time, her work was recognized with a number of awards.
In late 2015, she produced a special series examining Canada’s upcoming medical assistance in dying legislation that went on to win an International Edward R. Murrow award and a Canadian Screen Award nomination.
Heather received her broadcasting education at the University of Calgary and SAIT. After a brief time working as videographer, anchor, producer and news reader at CFTK-TV in Terrace, B.C., Heather joined Global Lethbridge in 2003 before moving to Global Calgary in 2005.
In 2008, Heather’s curiosity about the AIDS pandemic in Africa took her to South Africa, where she took a break from broadcasting to help a small NGO produce videos about the work they were doing. Deeply moved by the tragedy of the orphan crisis created by the pandemic, Heather shared her experiences with the Global audiences online.
Outside the newsroom, Heather is a mother of two young girls and enjoys exploring the mountains with her husband, Dave.
Video Archives
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RCMP facing questions as hunt for B.C. murder suspects continues
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LGBTQ2 community critical of three-month wait for gay blood donors
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More hospitals in Canada becoming ‘baby-friendly’
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Calgary boy with rare disorder dashes for toys during 3-minute spree
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Flu shots available in Alberta starting Oct. 23; AHS not offering nasal spray
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Calgary group urges voters to elect pro-fluoridation candidates
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New study looks to improve emergency health care for youth and young adults
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Dementia-friendly café in Calgary working to remove stigma for those living with diagnosis
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Get your hip replaced and start walking the same day? New surgical technique makes it possible
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Advocates hopeful Selena Gomez kidney transplant will inspire more living donors
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#IBelieveYou organizers link Alberta campaign to increased support for sexual assault survivors
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Pregnant women face higher risk of stroke: study
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7-year-old kidney patient shows disease can impact all ages
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Researchers find childrens’ chronic pain can be influenced by memory
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New research finds prostate screening test saves lives but experts still don’t recommend it
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How to prevent child backpack pain
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Canadian company offers doctor’s visits online – for a price
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Faxing medical referrals has put lives at risk – so why is it still common practice?
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Young people with chronic disease at greater risk of suicide: study
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How an old federal government policy created a present-day Canadian health crisis
Author Archives
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Why a Southern Alberta First Nation turned off the tap to hundreds of area farmersAlberta farmers rely on water diverted from the Old Man River through the Piikani Nation Reserve. On April 12, leaders ordered the route closed to get the government's attention.PerspectivesApr 30
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Alberta’s drug poisoning crisis is escalating. Can it be turned around in 2022?In terms of the opioid crisis, '2022 will be worse than 2021 if we don't change what we do," said Petra Schulz of Moms Stop the Harm. 'Substances are more tainted than ever.'CanadaJan 30
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‘To them you are money — that’s it’: Human smuggling victim says desperation made him vulnerable"He told me, 'You can get your citizenship in Canada and get a better life and job and in two months, you get your PR."CanadaJan 24
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Evidence of racism against Indigenous patients is growing: Is a reckoning in Canadian health care overdue?Gabrielle Lindstrom, an education consultant from the University of Calgary, says racism in the health system has become a barrier to access. She believes a reckoning is overdue.CanadaJan 19
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Alberta and Saskatchewan resist calls for new restrictions as Omicron numbers riseWhile Quebec imposed a curfew and Ontario put a stop to indoor dining and working out at gyms, Saskatchewan residents have enjoyed life virtually restriction-free.CanadaJan 15
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New study to help Lytton-area Indigenous community rebuild with climate resilience after fireSix months later, the Kanaka Bar is preparing to rebuild but this time Chief Patrick Michell says he wants to be sure that homes can withstand all kinds of extreme weather events.CanadaJan 13
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Alberta surgical patients may wait months for care after COVID-19 delaysAHS has been able to increase surgical capacity once again but the system is not yet operating at full capacity and surgeries continue to be postponed each week.CanadaNov 10, 2021
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‘Happy to be here’: N.L. health-care workers help expand Fort McMurray’s ICUN.L. critical care nurse Jennifer Richard is one of a seven-person team assisting with COVID-19 patients at Fort McMurray's Northern Lights Regional Health Centre.HealthOct 13, 2021
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‘All I hear is the ventilator’: 24-year-old Alberta woman in ICU after putting off COVID-19 vaccineJilleen Oar, 24, from Slave Lake, Alta., has been in an Edmonton ICU since Sept. 10 after contracting COVID-19.CanadaOct 4, 2021
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Canada Election: Advocates hope voters think about Indigenous kids in care on election dayCindy Blackstock says if the federal government is serious about reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, this issue of Indigenous kids in care has to be addressed.CanadaSep 19, 2021
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Should I stay or should I go: Oil, gas workers consider prospects amid global energy transition'There's no doubt anymore that we are transitioning away from fossil fuels and that transition is happening faster than we expected.'EconomySep 2, 2021
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Oil producers hope next Canadian government can fund ambitious carbon capture programThe Oilsands Pathways to Net Zero proposal would reduce emissions by 68 megatonnes by 2050, but the plan comes with a hefty price tag as well.CanadaAug 31, 2021
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Reality Check: How vulnerable will children be in Canada’s fourth wave of COVID-19?While rare, Dr. Stephen Freedman says he expects to see more cases of MIS-C and long COVID in kids if the Delta variant fuels a fourth wave this fall.CanadaAug 7, 2021
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‘It’s heart-wrenching’: Drought conditions devastate food producers from B.C. to Ontario'This is considerably worse than what we've seen in recent memory,' said Erin Gowrluk, executive director of the Grain Growers of Canada.EconomyJul 22, 2021
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Calgary ‘experiment’ looks to transform vacant office tower into affordable housingWith more than five million Canadians still working from home, offices across the country have become dark and lonely places.ConsumerJun 26, 2021
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Saskatchewan residential school survivor reacts to discovery of unmarked gravesAn estimated 751 unmarked graves were found at the site of the former Marieval Indian Residential School on Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan.CanadaJun 25, 2021
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When should Canadians begin learning about residential schools? Experts say kindergartenExperts say more education is needed not just in schools but at home as well, and are calling for parents and governments to begin that education at an early age.CanadaJun 4, 2021
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Why did Canada’s two biggest COVID-19 workplace outbreaks get so big, so fast?Vaccinations appear to be having an impact on more than 20 outbreaks at oilsands work sites. The number of active cases has fallen to 335 from more than 1,100 a few weeks ago.CanadaMay 30, 2021
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4 workers allege unsafe lunchroom conditions at Canada’s largest workplace COVID-19 outbreakAn outbreak of COVID-19 at Canadian Natural Resources Horizon mine site has now grown to 1,496 cases and three workers have died.CanadaMay 18, 2021
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‘He’s fighting for his life’: Alberta father in ICU amid CNRL Horizon COVID-19 outbreakAn outbreak of COVID-19 at Canadian Natural Resources Horizon mine site in Alberta's oilsands has now grown to 1,427 cases.CanadaMay 13, 2021
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Inside the oilsands site that has seen Canada’s largest workplace COVID-19 outbreakWhen a Calgary oilsands contractor took a job last month at Canadian Natural Resources Horizon oilsands work site, he knew there was a chance he could get sick.CanadaMay 11, 2021
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‘Life doesn’t end when you enter long-term care’: Residents complete book trilogy during COVID-19The trio began writing together in 2018, unaware the fictional world they were creating would become a place of refuge from the frightening reality that would surround them in 2020CanadaApr 27, 2021
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Indigenous entrepreneur using tech to help Alberta women find workFounded in Alberta, Virtual Gurus now has more than 400 contractors working as virtual assistants for clients across the country and beyond.EconomyMar 30, 2021
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Why are Alberta’s Black, Muslim women being attacked?A series of racially motivated assaults against mostly Black, Muslim women in Calgary and Edmonton has left many in the community feeling anxious and unsafe.CanadaMar 26, 2021
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Coronavirus: Should food processing workers get vaccine priority?'If you look at the entire (food) supply chain, I would say the most vulnerable workers are right in the middle — in processing — because things are tight, things are intense.'HealthMar 5, 2021