August 2011 - Our Voice in Action

The Ontario Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance (OCDPA) and its advocacy working group have launched the Make Ontario the Healthiest Province Website as a part of its overall campaign to urge the Ontario government to act now and take leadership to make Ontario the healthiest province in Canada.

The OCDPA, consisting of over 30 member organizations, is the province’s collective voice on effective chronic disease prevention policy and programming. 

The following is an excerpt from the Statement to Ontario political party leaders developed by the OCDPA:

ISSUE: Ontarians are concerned about the overall state of health and want their government to commit to make Ontario a healthier province.  According to a recent poll by Ipsos Reid, 9 in 10 Ontarians favour an increased investment in health promotion and 8 in 10 feel so strongly they would vote on it in the upcoming election. Ontario is facing an impending health system crisis, and the signs are clearly evident. One in three Ontarians is affected by chronic disease. Between 1994 and 2005, rates of high blood pressure among Canadians skyrocketed by 77%, diabetes by 45% and obesity by 18% — affecting both younger and older Canadians. Moreover, even younger age groups are experiencing increases in risk: among those 35 to 49 years of age, for example, the prevalence of high blood pressure increased 127%, diabetes by 64% and obesity by 20%. It is also estimated that 45 per cent of males and 40 per cent of females in Ontario are likely to develop cancer in their lifetime.1<

Canada’s Ministers of Health and Health Promotion/Healthy Living recently declared that the promotion of health and the prevention of disease, disability and injury are a priority and necessary to the sustainability of the health system. The government needs to act now to make Ontario the Healthiest Province in Canada.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

  1. Commit to make Ontario the healthiest province in Canada.
  2. Commit to focus efforts on health promotion through the following actions:
    1. Implement the Canadian Ministers of Health declaration and framework for action to address childhood obesity and support the implementation of the new Health and Physical Education curriculum within the context of the Healthy Schools Framework
    2. Supporting the recommendations for Ontario's Mental Health and Addictions Strategy: Respect, Recovery, Resilience: A Report to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care from the Minister's Advisory Group on the 10-Year Mental Health and Addictions Strategy, with a particular focus on prevention and health promotion
    3. Deliver upon recommendations as set out by the Tobacco Strategic Advisory Group (TSAG)
    4. Embed a health promotion filter across all government Ministries
  1. Commit to increase Ontario’s overall investment in health promotion to match British Columbia’s.
  2. Articulate these commitments in your party’s 2011 election platform.

CHRONIC DISEASE COSTS IN CANADA:

  • The cost of medical treatment for chronic disease and associated cost in lost productivity is estimated at $80 billion annually.
  • The direct and indirect costs of cardiovascular disease and stroke have reached $22.2 billion annually.
  • The economic burden of diabetes will increase from $12.2 billion to nearly $17 billion by 2020.
  • The economic burden of dementia will rise from $15 billion in 2008 to $153 billion in 2038.

ONTARIO FACTS:

  • One in three Ontarians is affected by chronic disease. 
  • 80% of the population aged above 65 has at least one chronic disease, while approximately 70 percent suffer two or more.
  • Investment in health promotion only comprises 0.35% of the Ontario budget.
  • The Ontario government invests only $7.40 per person per year in health behaviour strategies, as compared to British Columbia’s $21.00 per person per year, and Quebec’s $16.80 per person per year.  
  • In 2009, mental illnesses and addictions cost Ontario upwards of $29 billion in lost productivity, and in 2007-08, the province’s health care system spent more than $2.5 billion on mental health and addiction services.
  • Alcohol-related health and social costs were $5.3 billion in 2002.
  • The Ontario government spends over $2 billion on costs related to cancer care. 
  • Overall health spending is likely to grow by 6.5 percent a year, while government revenues grow only at 4 percent a year. 
  • Health care would take up 80 percent of the province’s program budget by 2030, up from 46 percent of the current spending on health care.
  • The TD Bank observes that a healthier population is less costly to serve, and prevention is the key to a more sustainable health system in Ontario. 

For more information on the Make Ontario the Healthiest Province Campaign please visit the campaign website at www.healthiestprovince.ca.

For more information about the OCDPA please visit: www.ocdpa.on.ca.


[1]Cancer Care Ontario. Ontario Cancer Plan 2011-2015. Available at: http://www.cancercare.on.ca/cms/one.aspx?portalId=1377&pageId=8630, pg. 5.