Canadian Urban Facts

By Rebecca Schwarz www.divine.ca

We’ve sorted through the stats on our cities and towns so we could bring you our round-up of the fittest, fattest, cleanest, youngest and manliest spots across Canada. Read on for the surprising results:

Canada’s Longevity Capital

According to Statistics Canada, the citizens of Richmond, B.C. are the healthiest, with an average life expectancy of 83.4 years. This not only surpasses the Canadian average of 79.3 years, but also that of Japan (81.4)—long held up as the world record. So what accounts for the longevity of Richmond’s residents?

The Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition identifies three components that comprise a healthy region: mild climate, clean air, and a (relatively) unpolluted environment.

Richmond has all three, including 80 kilometres of biking, walking and jogging trails, plus numerous fitness centres and facilities. The town receives 30 per cent less rain than nearby Vancouver, and the mild climate encourages residents to get outside and move.

Richmondites also have the country’s lowest smoking and obesity rates—nine and six percent, respectively.

The town’s residents are also more likely to be married or in a common-law relationship (86 per cent of them, almost double the national average). A recent US study of people who had reached the 100-year mark revealed that 61 per cent attributed their longevity to personal satisfaction.

Other healthy communities in Canada

*Vancouver's North Shore and the South Fraser Valley, B.C: residents here workout more frequently than the average Canadian.

*North Vancouver Island: 70 per cent of the female population exercises regularly, compared to the national average of 51 per cent.

*York, Ont. and North Shore, B.C.: citizens in both towns surpass the national life expectancy average (79.3 ) by one year.

*Charlottetown, Halifax and St. John's, Nfld: these cities register the highest birth weights and the lowest infant mortality rates. St John's boasts the country's cleanest air.

Fat City, Canada
So where does the Krispy Kreme reign supreme? In St. Catharine’s, Ont., where 57.3 per cent of its residents are overweight. The city squeezed past Regina, Sask. (56.5 per cent), Saint John, N.B. (56.4) and London, Ont. (53.6) to take the top spot.

The fattest province?
With nearly 60 per cent of its adults overweight, Prince Edward Island is our fattest province—followed by Newfoundland (58.9%), New Brunswick(58.3%), Saskatchewan(57.9%) and Manitoba (54.3%).
Across the nation, 47.9 per cent of Canadians are overweight, and 15 per cent are obese.

The manliest province?
A 2006 census found that men outnumber women in Alberta, by a slight margin, making Calgary our nation’s testosterone capital. The city is also the country’s youngest, with an average age of 35.7 years.

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