Central Edmonton pegged as having some of the highest rates of premature deaths in men: report
Kathy Wakaluk-Yanco is no stranger to the uphill battle when it comes to men's health.
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Working in a predominantly male field for Imperial Oil at Kearl Oil Sands in northern Alberta, she's seen how men in her workforce have struggled with their mental health in silence and the need for more resources. Paired with her personal experience helping her son navigate his mental health struggles, Wakaluk-Yanco saw an opportunity to work with Movember Canada to bring those resources to the workplace.
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'I believe every man deserves a safe space to be vulnerable,' Wakaluk-Yanco said.
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'What we've done at work is we provide free counseling to people that are up there, we've created a culture of caring and a sense of belonging and trust up at work…we've had over 130 first time users up at our site and the ripple effect that creates — it's not only helping the men, it's helping their family and their communities that they live in.'
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According to a new report by Movember Canada, men are dying younger, and two Edmonton ridings have been highlighted as having some of the highest rates of premature deaths in men.
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The report outlines factors contributing to the increased mortality rate in men such as cancer, suicide and heart disease. It emphasized the need for further health literacy and government policies to address the issue.
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In 2023, nearly 75,000 men died before the age of 75 — equivalent to 44 per cent of men who died that year, according to the report.
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Dr. John Oliffe, a professor at the University of British Columbia and co-author of the report, said social determinants of health play a large role when it comes to specific areas where premature death is higher. Nunavut has the highest number of premature deaths for men in Canada, which Oliffe said is due to factors such as isolation in rural and remote areas and lack of services.
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'We know lot of folks with lower levels of income, education, less employment — real social issues — time and again, we've shown empirically that when people are disadvantaged in those social determinants, their lives are shorter,' Oliffe said.
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According to the report, Indigenous men live significantly shorter lives than non-Indigenous men. The 2016-2019 life expectancy at birth for men was 72.8 years for First Nations, 78.9 years for Métis and 68.8 years for Inuit — compared to 82.7 years for non-Indigenous men.
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