Health in Canada

Statistics Canada's website features a helpful page called "Health in Canada." It's a one-stop source for information about the health of Canadians. Upcoming and recent releases are featured, such as a study about Bisphenol A concentrations in the Canadian population. Current health statistics about the population are featured for ready reference - such as birth and death rates, current smokers, high blood pressure, and life expectancy.

Under "Health Profile," you can find information about your community by health unit, or health integration unit. For example, you can create a chart for Halton Region that measures the perceived well-being of the population, as well as the incidence of health conditions such as arthritis, obesity, diabetes and asthma.

Access is also provided to "Health Reports," an excellent journal of population health and health services research. The August 2010 issue, for example, contains articles about the role of socio-economic status in diabetes incidence, and health-promoting factors among Canadians in mid-to-late life.

Finally, "Health Subtopics" provide information about the population's health, lifestyle and environmental factors that affect health, use of and access to health care services, and health-related reasearch. News releases, statistical tables,and publications are all brought together in one easy-to-use source.

The Canadian Consumer Handbook

The Canadian Consumer Handbook is a website that provides consumers with information to build their buying skills. A joint federal/provinicial/territorial group called the Consumer Measures Committee created the Handbook and updates it.

Information on a wide range of topics is intended to help people become better-informed and more confident consumers. Selected topics include debit card fraud, researching your credit history, shopping for a funeral, what to look for in a mortgage, how to choose a cellphone plan, and how to deal with online shopping, telemarketers, and door-to-door sales. Advice is practical and wide-ranging, making this a good source to check before making a major purchase, or when facing a problem as a consumer.

If you feel you have been wronged as a consumer, the website offers helpful advice about how to lodge a complaint.

A key contact list is very helpful as well. It includes federal, provincial and territorial consumer affairs offices, and consumer groups and Better Business Bureaus across Canada.