Tracking the SDGs in Canadian Cities: SDG 3

This briefing note by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) analyzes progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3) in Canadian cities. It evaluates health and well-being indicators—including neonatal mortality, chronic disease, substance abuse, and health worker density—using data from Statistics Canada and other national sources to compare trends across various Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs).

• Canada has achieved the SDG target for neonatal mortality, with a national average of 5.5 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2006, well below the target threshold of 12 per 1,000 live births. Among cities, Ottawa had the lowest proportion at 3.6 deaths per 1,000 live births, while Winnipeg had the highest at 7.4 deaths per 1,000 live births.
• While HIV mortality rates generally decreased across Canada between 2001 and 2011—dropping from 1.4 to 0.9 deaths per 100,000 people—rates rose in Regina (3.1 deaths per 100,000) and Saskatoon (3.7 deaths per 100,000) in 2011.
• Chronic disease mortality rates decreased by 6.8 per cent nationally between 2000/12 and 2010/12. Moncton saw the most significant decline (17.1 per cent), while Quebec City was the only city to experience an increase (0.5 per cent). In the 2010/12 cycle, Victoria had the highest rate at 603.1 deaths per 100,000 people and Calgary the lowest at 293.6 deaths per 100,000 people.
• National suicide and self-inflicted injury mortality rates increased by 66.7 per cent between 2000/02 and 2010/12, rising from 7.2 to 12 deaths per 100,000 people. However, several cities saw declines, including Quebec City (31.4 per cent), Calgary (17.5 per cent), Edmonton (13.4 per cent), and Montreal (14.6 per cent). In 2010/12, Ottawa had the highest rate (14.1 deaths per 100,000) and Toronto the lowest (7 deaths per 100,000).
• Heavy drinking rates increased nationally by 7.8 per cent between 2003 and 2014. Significant increases were recorded in Victoria (49.6 per cent), Vancouver (26.1 per cent), Quebec City (24.1 per cent), and Toronto (22.8 per cent). Conversely, rates decreased in Halifax and Winnipeg.
• Traffic violations causing death decreased nationally from 1.05 per 100,000 people in 2000 to 0.49 in 2016. While Toronto and Halifax followed this downward trend, rates increased in Moncton, Winnipeg, and Saskatoon, with Saskatoon recording the highest increase to 1.87 violations per 100,000 people in 2016.
• Smoking rates in Canada decreased from 23 per cent in 2003 to 18.1 per cent in 2014. Saskatoon saw the largest drop (44.6 per cent), while Halifax was the only city to see an increase (11.9 per cent). In 2014, Regina had the highest smoking rate (22.5 per cent) and Victoria the lowest (13.2 per cent).
• Health worker density increased across all tracked Canadian cities between 2000 and 2015, with the national average rising from 188 to 228 physicians per 100,000 people. In 2015, Vancouver had the highest density (455 physicians per 100,000) and Regina the lowest (210 physicians per 100,000).

APA

Temmer, J. (2017). Tracking the SDGs in Canadian Cities: SDG 3. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/tracking-sdgs-canadian-cities-sdg-3.pdf

Chicago

Temmer, Jennifer. Tracking the SDGs in Canadian Cities: SDG 3. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2017. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/tracking-sdgs-canadian-cities-sdg-3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Temmer |first1=Jennifer |title=Tracking the SDGs in Canadian Cities: SDG 3 |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=November 2017 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/tracking-sdgs-canadian-cities-sdg-3.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{temmer2017tracking, author = {Temmer, Jennifer}, title = {{Tracking the SDGs in Canadian Cities: SDG 3}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2017}, month = nov, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/tracking-sdgs-canadian-cities-sdg-3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }