File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By James Peters

Two & Out

PETERS: Link between health and happiness may explain B.C.’s satisfaction deficit

Jun 17, 2022 | 10:44 AM

THE MOST IMPORTANT NEWS OF THE WEEK may have come on Monday, when Statistics Canada released some results from its Canadian Social Survey.

It reported that the province whose residents express the greatest life satisfaction is Newfoundland and Labrador, with 61.7 per cent saying their satisfaction is high.

That province finished just ahead of Prince Edward Island, Quebec and New Brunswick.

Who was dead last? You guessed it. We were here in British Columbia.

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Only 46.5 per cent of respondents felt their life satisfaction was high when they participated in the survey.

Now why would that be?

We have arguably the most beautiful province in Canada with some of the best weather. Unemployment is low and opportunities abound.

Life is expensive here, but it has almost always been expensive relative to the other provinces. If you are coming here, you know the deal — Bring Cash.

So why would we be so unsatisfied with our lives?

It’s worth looking at the link between happiness and health.

B.C. has some of the most challenging health conditions of any province.

We have been hit hardest by the opioid crisis and were among the first to experience the worst impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But more impactful is the crisis in our B.C. healthcare system.

We don’t have nearly enough health professionals and the ones who do work here are taxed over and above their limits.

If British Columbians haven’t been adversely affected by our crumbling healthcare system already, they could be stressed out about having to deal with it some time in the future.

The StatsCan survey did not indicate what criteria respondents were using to measure their satisfaction, but you can bet the connection between health and happiness has a lot to do with it.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.