Life

Canada’s fittest, and fattest regions

Where to look for potential Olympians? Vancouver may be a better bet than Churchill, Manitoba.

Chuck Stoody/CP Photo

Amid the excitement over Canada’s first four medals going to Quebec based athletes, we wondered just how regional an issue fitness is in Canada.

Here, then, are the 10 fittest regions, by percentage of the population overweight or obese:

1. Vancouver Health Authority 35.0%
2. Toronto Central Health Integration Network 39.3
3. Fraser Health Authority, B.C. (incl. Burnaby and Surrey) 43.9
4. City of Toronto Health Unit 44.5
5. York Regional Health Unit, Ont. (includes Newmarket) 45.2
6. Central Health Integration Network, Ont. (incl. Newmarket and Richmond Hill) 45.6
7. Région de la Capitale-Nationale (incl. Gatineau) 46.7
8. Calgary Health Region 48.2
9. Calgary Zone 48.2
10. Région de la Mauricie et du Centre-du-Québec, Que. (incl. Drummondville) 48.2

And, the least fit regions, again, by by percentage of the population overweight or obese:

1. Burntwood/Churchill, Man. 73.4%
2. Colchester East Hants/Cumberland, N.S. 71.3
3. South Shore/South West Nova, N.S. (incl. Yarmouth) 70.2
4. Prince Albert Parkland Regional Health Authority, Sask. 69.9
5. Nor-Man Regional Health Authority, Man. (incl. Flin Flon) 68.6
6. Prairie North Regional Health Authority, Sask. (incl. North Battleford) 68.5
7. Interlake Regional Health Authority, Man. (incl. Gimli) 68.4
8. Kelsey Trail Regional Health Authority, Sask. (incl. Melfort) 68.3
9. Central Regional Integrated Health Authority, Nfld. (incl. Grand Falls-Windsor) 68.1
10. Sunrise Regional Health Authority, Sask. (incl. Yorkton) 68.1

Note: Because of how the data is collected, there can be overlap between the regions; names are those given
Source: Statistics Canada (2010)

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