How are Canadians faring post-recession? The economy’s picked up, but our health hasn’t

While the economy rebounded after 2008’s recession, Canadians are still picking up the pieces when it comes to their health.

We’re sleeping less, taking fewer vacations, volunteering and seeing our friends less often, and it’s taking us even longer to commute to work.

These are just a handful of the findings coming out of a new report from the Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW). The organization runs out of the University of Waterloo.

“The 2008 recession stole our leisure time, our volunteer time, our living standards and our sleep – and we never got them back,” Bryan Smale, director of the index, said.

“There is a massive gap between how well the economy is doing and Canadians’ well-being and that gap grew during the recession,” he explained.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The 2008 recession stole our leisure time, our volunteer time, our living standards and our sleep - and we never got them back," Bryan Smale, director of the index, said.</p><p>"There is a massive gap between how well the economy is doing and Canadians' well-being and that gap grew during the recession," he explained.

READ MORE: Toronto most youthful city in the world, global index says

The index measures Canadians’ health with the help of 64 indicators that cover eight various parts of our lives, such as education, health and leisure time, as examples.

Here’s a look at key findings from the report:

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• Income inequality is growing: across the country, living standards increased by 25 per cent leading up to 2008. After that, they dropped by 11 per cent. Since then, Canadians have struggled with finding long-term employment. Incomes have gone up by 30 per cent but inequality is growing, the report warns. More people are struggling with paying for groceries and housing.’

• Canadians have less free time: When it came to leisure and culture, six out of eight indicators in the report were down. That means Canadians spent less time volunteering and on vacation. We’re too busy with a “time crunch” – we’re juggling our time between our kids, school, work and trying to fit in exercise, the report said. We spent 30 per cent less time with our friends now than we did before the recession.

READ MORE: Canada is 6th happiest country in the world, global study finds

• Longer commutes mean less sleep: Commute times have crept up and not all Canadians have a regular, 35-hour work week. Only 35 per cent of Canadians are getting enough sleep – down from 44 per cent in 1994.

• Life expectancy is up, but health woes are up, too: The report found that Canadians are living longer and mental health ratings are better, but we’re still grappling with chronic disease. Diabetes rates are 2.5 times higher than in 1994, and more than one in five people has a health limitation.

• Education is the only area that kept up with the economy: Nine out of 10 Canadians finish high school and by 2014, 28 per cent of Canadians had a university degree. This could change with rising tuition fees and access to child-care spaces for parents seeking higher education, but the federal government is pouring funding into helping with access to education.

READ MORE: Canada’s baby bump: highest rates of youth in Alberta, Quebec, Saskatchewan

Read the full CIW report.

carmen.chai@globalnews.ca
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