What is the healthiest province (or territory in Canada ...



Overview

What is the healthiest province (or territory in Canada) to work and live? Your Workplace has the answer. We spent our summer vacation scouring statistics and reports from a number of workplace and health related sources to bring you our (mostly) scientific analysis that clearly shows that some places in Canada are safer and healthier than others to pursue your career dreams.

The sources we used were public records compiled by Statistics Canada, The Canadian Institute for Health Information, the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health, and Health Canada. A primary source for our research was the Statistical Report on

the Health of Canadians which was prepared by Federal, Provincial and Territorial Advisory Committee on Population Health for the Meeting of Ministers of Health. This document which has a wealth of other information and detailed tables outlining the health of Canadians can be found at:



The factors we considered were statistics on workplace injuries and absences along with a series of data that has been collected on both the health of Canadians and their lifestyles. Wherever possible we have included information from all ten provinces and three territories but data collection in the territories, especially Nunavut is not as advanced or detailed as some of the provincial information.

While where you work or live will have a great impact of your health, as evidenced by some of our findings, there is also no question that individual health practices and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is just as important to living and working in a long and healthy fashion. The same is true for safe working practices from using proper ergonomic equipment to having an active health and safety committee that focuses on prevention and reducing workplace hazards.

Finally, your health at work also depends on the work that you actually perform each day. Some occupations like construction workers or scuba divers have built in risks that add to the possibility of workplace injuries. Others like senior managers or mutual fund managers have a higher degree of mental strain and stress that can contribute greatly to chronic heart disease or stroke. There is no perfect place to work or live in Canada that can incubate everyone against injury or occupational hazards.

In order to rate the various provinces and sectors we used a process that gave positive points to each jurisdiction in each of the healthy aspects that were reflected in the research and negative points for each of the unhealthy aspects. To simplify even further we only ranked the top two, positive and negative in each category where statistics were available.

This report to YW readers is not intended to be a definitive or absolute comparison of any town or city in Canada. We all know there are some great places to live and work in Canada, including yours. So have a little fun as you review our findings to see how your province or territory stacks up.

The Health of the Workplace

Workplace Injuries

General Information:

An estimated 630,000 Canadians – nearly three-quarters of them men and nearly three-quarters employed in blue-collar occupations – sustained at least one non-fatal activity-limiting injury at work in 2003. This amounted to an overall workplace injury rate of 4%. Not surprisingly, injuries were more common in "blue-collar" jobs than they were in "white-collar" jobs. Nearly 1 worker in 10 in trades, transport and equipment operation sustained an on-the-job injury. This was more than four times the rate among people employed in white-collar occupations, such as business, finance, administration, education or religion.

Provincial Comparison:

Lowest Work related injury rates

British Columbia

Manitoba

New Brunswick

Highest work related injury rates

Alberta

Nova Scotia

Saskatchewan

Note: These ratings are a combination from a number of sources. For the latest information please visit

Disability Days

General Information:

One of the concepts that was introduced in the 1990’s to help measure workplace health is called “two-week disability days”. It allows researchers to measure worker’s health problems over a two week period by asking them whether any health related problems had cause them to miss any time or cut down on regular activities for the better part of a day.

Provincial Comparisons:

Lowest number of “two-week” disability days per population

Quebec 0.64 days

Ontario 0.80 days

Prince Edward Island 0.80 days

Highest number of “two-week” disability days per population

British Columbia 1.05 days

Nova Scotia 1.05 days

Manitoba/New Brunswick 1.02 days

Employee Absenteeism

General information:

Work absence rates differ by sector (public or private) and industry and disability contributing factors include the nature and demands of the job, the male–female

composition of the workforce, and the union density—the last being a strong determinant of the presence of paid sick or family leave.

The most workdays were missed by employees in health care and social

assistance, transportation and warehousing, and public administration. The lowest averages were recorded by full-time workers in professional, scientific and technical services. Those in accommodation and food services, primary industries other than agriculture, and finance, insurance, real estate and leasing also missed fewer workdays. Perhaps not surprisingly workers in management and in culture and recreation recorded the fewest days lost.

Provincial Comparison:

Lowest number of average days of absence

Prince Edward Island 6.8 days

Alberta 9 days

Ontario 9.3 days

Highest number of average days of absence

Nova Scotia 12 days

Quebec 12 days

New Brunswick 11 days

Work Stress

General Information:

The National Population Health Survey used a battery of questions to assess work stress. Their findings were that high work stress was most common among employed

20–24 year olds and declined with each age group to reach its lowest level among employed 45–54 year olds. Women scored higher on the scale than men and with each successive level of education; there was a modest but steady decline in the mean score of

work stress. University graduates reported the least work stress and members of couples with no children had the lowest percentage of high work stress while single parents were twice as likely to report such stress.

Provincial Comparison:

Lowest level of work stress

Quebec 3%

Newfoundland and Labrador 3.5%

Prince Edward Island 3.5%

Highest level of work stress

Ontario 5%

Manitoba 5%

Alberta/British Columbia 4%

Job Satisfaction

General Information:

One of the interesting factors that some researchers used in their health surveys was that of measuring job satisfaction. In their view it would certainly impact a person’s mental health if they were unhappy at work and could also lead to higher stress and related physical conditions. An interesting thing they found was that job satisfaction increases with age so if you are not yet fully satisfied at work it may just be a matter of time.

Provincial Comparison:

Highest level of Job Satisfaction

New Brunswick 58%

Prince Edward Island 55%

Nova Scotia 54%

Lowest level of Job Satisfaction

Ontario 47%

Quebec 47%

British Columbia 50%

The Health of the Community

Life Stress:

General Information:

In the last twenty years chronic stress has been identified as a major factor in overall health and while scientists are reluctant to implicate stress as a direct risk factor for many conditions, there is no doubt that chronic stress can have at least a strong indirect impact on physical and mental health. Therefore some comparison of the overall stress levels in our communities does offer more insight into the overall health of our communities. The

National Population Health Survey asked up to 18 questions to help determine the relative stress of the Canadian population.

Their findings were that women are more likely than men to report high and this is true for women of all ages. The good news is that high stress becomes much less common for both sexes as we get older, probably because we are not working as much. As with work stress there is a direct correlation between levels of education and stress. In fact the least

educated group was twice as likely as university graduates to report high life stress.

Provincial Comparison:

Lowest level of life stress

Newfoundland and Labrador 17%

Prince Edward Island 20%

Quebec 24%

Highest level of life stress

Manitoba 29%

Ontario 28%

Nova Scotia 27%

Air Quality

General Information:

One of the most basic factors in our overall health is the air that we breathe. Canada sees itself as a country of clean air and pristine waters but our air quality, especially in major metropolitan areas has been rapidly eroding. One measure that is used to determine air quality is called ground-level ozone and by far the highest margins for exceeding acceptable standards in this area is the Quebec City-Windsor corridor. In a study done from 1979- 1993 British Columbia and the Prairie provinces only averaged one hour annually of excessive ozone levels while Central Canada recorded twelve hours per year during the same period.

Provincial Comparison:

Lowest Level of ground-level ozone

British Columbia 1.0 hours

Saskatchewan 1.7 hours

Alberta/Manitoba 1.7 hours

Highest Level of ground-level ozone

Ontario 10.5 hours

Quebec 10.5 hours

New Brunswick 2.5 hours

Signs of a Healthy Community

Physical Activity

General Information:

Physical activity along with a healthy diet has been recommended for years by doctors and researchers as a way to maintain good health. Even modest amounts of exercise cannot only maintain acceptable weight levels but actually contribute to the prevention of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Provincial Comparison:

Most physically active

British Columbia 27%

Alberta 26%

Ontario 23%

Least physically active

Prince Edward Island 14%

New Brunswick 18%

Quebec 22 %

Body Weight

General Information:

Maintaining an acceptable body weight for one’s height, age and gender has also been amongst the prescriptions as a way to stay in good physical health. Along with not smoking and regular exercise this is one thing that can help prevent the onset of chronic disease. It is also a pretty good way to measure the relative health of Canadians.

Provincial Comparison:

Less overweight

British Columbia 27%

Quebec 27%

Ontario 29%

More overweight

New Brunswick 42%

Newfoundland and Labrador 39%

Nova Scotia 38%

General Well Being

General Information:

Respondents in the Statistical Report on the Health of Canadians were asked to rate their own. Researchers were particularly interested in not juts having people talk about their help problems but also to allow them to summarize their own physical and mental health as experienced by the individual and explained in the context of their own individual values.

Provincial Comparison:

Best self-rated excellent/very good overall well being

Newfoundland and Labrador 71%

Prince Edward Island 67%

Quebec/Ontario 64%

Worst self-rated excellent/very good overall well being

Saskatchewan 54%

New Brunswick 58%

Manitoba 60%

Positive Mental Health

General Information:

Three factors were utilized by researchers in Statistical Report on the Health of Canadians in helping individuals describe their own mental health. They included the individual’s sense of coherence, self-esteem, and mastery. The results below are a combination of these three factors.

Provincial Comparison:

Best self-rated positive mental health

Quebec 62%

Ontario 47%

British Columbia 46%

Worst self-rated positive mental health

Saskatchewan 34%

Manitoba 34%

Newfoundland and Labrador 35%

Total Health Spending

General Information:

Total health expenditures by province are one other way to measure the overall healthiness of the various regions of the country. This may mean that the provincial governments are focused on providing a high level of the collected tax dollars within the jurisdiction on the health and well-being of its citizens. But it may also mean that costs are simply higher in one jurisdiction versus another or in fact that the reason health spending is so high is that the citizens are not as healthy in those higher spending provinces. For these reasons we have provided the provincial comparison but will not allocate any points, positive or negative, in our final results. We were also able to obtain territorial numbers for this measure and you will see them reflected in the data below.

Provincial Comparison:

Highest per cap total health expenditures

Nunavut/Northwest Territories 12.9 % of GDP

Newfoundland and Labrador

Prince Edward Island

Lowest per cap total health expenditures

Alberta

Yukon

Ontario

Access to Health Care

General Information:

A better gauge of how well a provincial or territorial government is providing health care to its citizens and thereby helping them to maintain good health is the level of access to health care services. If those services are available readily then small health issues can be treated more quickly and more efficiently. This should result in fewer longer term health issues developing or becoming more pronounced. It will also probably result in more overall prevention through regular and on-going visits to health care professionals. This measure is included in our final tally.

Provincial Comparisons:

Best overall access to health care

Saskatchewan

British Columbia

Alberta

Worst overall access to health care

Newfoundland and Labrador

Manitoba

Quebec

Signs of an Unhealthy Community

Smoking

General Information:

According to the Canadian lung Association smoking is the biggest threat to the lung health of Canadians. Every year 37,000 Canadians die from smoking and hundreds of thousands struggle with smoking-related diseases. Smoking is also a definite contributing factor in the likelihood of developing other chronic and fatal diseases.

Provincial Comparison:

Lowest percentage of smokers per capita

British Columbia

Ontario

Manitoba

Highest percentage of smokers per capita

Nunavut/Northwest Territories/Yukon

Quebec

Newfoundland and Labrador

Problem Drinking

General Information:

The College of Family Physicians of Canada says that you have a problem with drinking if it causes a problem in any part of your life. This includes your health, your work and your life at home. One strong indicator of problem drinking is the amount of alcohol consumed on a regular basis. Almost all standards now use an average of more than fourteen drinks a week as an indication of problem drinking that may affect your health.

Provincial Comparison:

Lowest percentage of problem drinkers

Saskatchewan

Alberta

Quebec

Highest percentage of problem drinkers

Nova Scotia

Newfoundland and Labrador

Manitoba

Illegal Drug Use

General Information:

Illegal drug use can certainly be a major factor in increasing risks on a number of health related fronts. This applies particularly to so-called “hard” drugs like heroin, cocaine and opiates. Regular marijuana usage may not pose as serious overall health challenges but could leave users open to developing lung cancer and respiratory problems in the future.

Provincial Comparison:

Lowest percentage of population reporting using at least one illegal drug

Newfoundland and Labrador

Ontario

New Brunswick

Highest percentage of population reporting using at least one illegal drug

British Columbia

Quebec

Alberta

Cancer

General Information:

Cancer in all its many forms and variations continues to be a major source of death for Canadians. The latest statistical information shows that we are making some progress in treating many cancers but there is still a long road ahead to finding a cure. There are two measures that we looked at when ranking jurisdictions in this area, incidence and mortality.

Provincial Comparisons:

Lowest risk of incidence and mortality from cancer

British Columbia

Saskatchewan

Alberta

Highest risk of incidence and mortality from cancer

New Brunswick

Quebec

Nova Scotia

Heart disease and stroke

General Information:

Heart and stroke rates for Canadians have decreased dramatically during the past 30 years including 25 percent over the past ten years alone. But according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation every 7 minutes in Canada someone still dies from heart disease and stroke. This means that it remains a good issue to use as a yardstick to compare overall health amongst regions and provinces.

Provincial Comparisons:

Lowest risk of mortality from heart disease and stroke

British Columbia

Ontario

Alberta

Highest risk of mortality from heart disease and stroke

Newfoundland and Labrador

Prince Edward Island

Nova Scotia/ New Brunswick

Depression/Anxiety

General Information:

Depression and anxiety are becoming more and more prevalent concerns for a lot of Canadians. Health Canada has reported that nearly 8 percent of adult Canadians will experience a major depression/anxiety at some point in their lives and depression/anxiety continues to be Canada's fastest-rising diagnosis. There are few reliable statistics to measure depression rates by province but the ones that we find from the Public Health agency of Canada show a higher prevalence of depression amongst women than men.

Provincial Comparisons:

Lowest Risk of Depression/Anxiety

Saskatchewan

Alberta

Quebec

Highest Risk of Depression/Anxiety

Nova Scotia

New Brunswick

Prince Edward Island

Suicide

General Information:

Suicide continues to be a major cause of death in Canada. According to Statistics Canada, there were 3,688 deaths due to suicide in 2001 and there are extremely high suicide rates in Canada among aboriginal and young Canadians.

Provincial Comparisons:

Lowest Suicide Rates

Newfoundland and Labrador

Ontario

Prince Edward Island

Highest Suicide Rates

Northwest Territories/Nunavut

Québec

Alberta

Average # of Days*

And the winner of the healthiest province to work in Canada is:

Gold Medal: British Columbia

Score on YW Healthy Province Scale +13

Silver Medal: Saskatchewan

Score on YW Healthy Province Scale +9

Bronze Medal: Alberta

Score on YW Healthy Province Scale +8

Honorable Mention: Ontario

Score on YW Healthy Province Scale +5

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