Examining the Complexities of Health Influence: A Comparative Analysis of New Brunswick and Ontario
- cdekleva1
- Feb 25
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 30
Once again, I have teamed up with a peer to compare the provinces of New Brunswick (NB) and Ontario (ON) and we've used a socio-ecological model (Pawluk et al., 2024). For the purpose of this comparison, we were asked to focus on two levels and compare our respective provinces.
Comparing Ontario & New Brunswick
| Ontario (ON) | New Brunswick (NB) |
Community Level |
| |
· Similarities | Both provinces include both rural and urban regions, which can lead to differences in access to healthcare, nutritious food, and recreational amenities. Both are confronted with challenges from aging populations, which can put pressure on community resources and healthcare systems. | |
· Differences | As Canada’s most populous province, ON is Canada’s most populated province. It’s home to more urban centers, such as Toronto and Ottawa, which offer better access to specialized healthcare, public transportation, and community programs. However, rural areas in Northern Ontario may encounter considerable challenges in accessing healthcare services. | With a smaller population and more rural areas, NB often struggles with healthcare access in remote regions. The province has fewer large urban centers, which can limit access to specialized care and community resources compared to ON. |
Policy Level |
| |
· Similarities | Both provinces are part of Canada’s universal healthcare system, which ensures that all residents have access to medically necessary services without direct charges (e.g. OHIP in ON). Both provinces have public health policies addressing chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, through prevention and management programs. | |
· Differences | Ontario receives more funding and resources from the federal government for healthcare infrastructure, public health campaigns, and innovative programs. For example, the province has invested in digital health initiatives like telehealth services. | With a smaller population (and tax base) plus an older population, NB faces challenges in funding healthcare services. The province has struggled with long wait times and physician shortages, which are less pronounced in ON. NB has also focused on policies to retain healthcare workers, such as incentives for doctors to work in rural areas. |
It's interesting to see that while both provinces appreciate that healthcare looks different based on where you live, NB has fewer urban centres. Given that the population of the NB is around 850,000 (Government of Canada, Statistics Canada, 2024), even the largest urban centre would be small. I am aware from my time in the healthcare system that we have one centre where people go if they require cardiac intervention, two sites that are classed as Level 1 trauma centres and can support major neurological injuries, one site that specializes in burns, vascular services out of the province, and sporadic CT scanners and MRI machines for diagnostic testing.
As we’ve said in the table, less community level programming doesn’t mean that people pay less taxes. There is no instance where changes are made at the policy level that say hey you get less than other places so let’s tax you less. In fact, I bet if you compared tax rates, we’d be among the highest in NB compared to other provinces.
At the policy level our comparison table touched on healthcare funding but closely relates to the community level issues. Funding to support healthcare and ensure there are enough providers has been an issue for some time in NB, and although we have a form of telehealth in the e-visit platform, there is more policy level work needed such as examining and updating and healthcare acts, streamlining the pieces that can be combined while not sacrificing services available in an equitable way, and examining the upstream work we are doing to ensure it mitigates some of the need for tertiary costs.
References
Government of Canada, Statistics Canada. (2024). Population estimates on July 1, by age and gender.
Pawluk De-Toledo, K., O’Hern, S. & Koppel, S. A social-ecological model of working from home during COVID-19. Transportation, 51, 1181–1208 (2024).
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