Taming Canada's sweet tooth could have saved the economy up to $5 billion: U of A study - Edmonton Journal | Canada News Media
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Taming Canada's sweet tooth could have saved the economy up to $5 billion: U of A study – Edmonton Journal

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The results of a study published Wednesday in the Canadian Journal of Public Health estimate that if Canadians reduce their consumption of “free sugar” to less than 10 per cent of their total energy intake in 2019, it could have saved $2.5 billion in health care and other costs.

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Cutting sugar consumption could save Canada’s economy billions, but simply taxing sweetened drinks may not be the best way to change consumer tastes, University of Alberta research suggests.

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The results of a study published Wednesday in the Canadian Journal of Public Health estimate that if Canadians reduce their consumption of “free sugar” — sugar added to food and drink or naturally occurring in syrups, honey or fruit juice — to less than 10 per cent of their total energy intake in 2019, it could have saved $2.5 billion in health care and other costs.

Those savings reach $5 billion by cutting free sugar consumption to less than five per cent, the study added.

Paul J. Veugelers, professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the university’s school of public health, said those figures include not just the direct health-care costs of chronic diseases related to excess sugar consumption — such as diabetes, various cancers and chronic kidney disease — they also include indirect, productivity costs due to illness and disability.

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“We call that ‘loss of human capital,’” said Veugelers, the study’s principal investigator. “Because people get sick, cannot go to work, and they die too early.”

The study used sugar consumption data from the 2015 Canadian Community Health Survey, which members of the research team used in 2020 to learn that nearly two-thirds of Canadians ate more than the recommended amount of free sugar. The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests limiting sugar consumption to less than 10 per cent (and ideally less than five per cent) of total energy intake.

While it’s difficult to quantify the WHO’s recommendation for the average person, since everyone’s energy intake is going to be different and depends on how much a person consumes, Veugelers recommends exercising a little common sense when it comes to phasing out free sugars.

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“Be a conscious consumer,” he said. “You know which products are sweet — start there.”

Paul Veugelers, professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Alberta’s school of public health. supplied

To reduce sugar consumption and the economic consequences of related chronic disease, the study recommends interventions such as taxes, subsidies and education to help change consumption patterns.

The province of Newfoundland and Labrador is trying something along those lines in September, when it plans to impose a tax on sugar sweetened beverages. But Veugelers said a levy on drinks alone may not be sufficient since, as the study notes, they only account for 17 per cent of free sugar consumption in Canada.

“Ideally we would put a tax on all sugar, not just sugar-sweetened beverages,” he said. “And the revenue from all that should be put towards subsidies of other, healthful food items so that, on balance, the food is not going to be more expensive for the consumer, and we achieve a shift in the choice of food.”

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The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the need to act sooner than later, Veugelers added, since reports show adverse affects on Canadian lifestyles such as increased consumption of unhealthy food and less physical activity.

Early in the pandemic, Statistics Canada surveys found an increasing number of respondents were eating junk food and sweets, spending time on the internet and playing video games.

In September, the agency reported just over 32 per cent of youths between the ages of 12 and 17 met Canadian physical activity recommendations in fall 2020 — down from nearly 51 per cent in fall 2018.

hissawi@postmedia.com

@hamdiissawi

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Canada’s unemployment rate holds steady at 6.5% in October, economy adds 15,000 jobs

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OTTAWA – Canada’s unemployment rate held steady at 6.5 per cent last month as hiring remained weak across the economy.

Statistics Canada’s labour force survey on Friday said employment rose by a modest 15,000 jobs in October.

Business, building and support services saw the largest gain in employment.

Meanwhile, finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing experienced the largest decline.

Many economists see weakness in the job market continuing in the short term, before the Bank of Canada’s interest rate cuts spark a rebound in economic growth next year.

Despite ongoing softness in the labour market, however, strong wage growth has raged on in Canada. Average hourly wages in October grew 4.9 per cent from a year ago, reaching $35.76.

Friday’s report also shed some light on the financial health of households.

According to the agency, 28.8 per cent of Canadians aged 15 or older were living in a household that had difficulty meeting financial needs – like food and housing – in the previous four weeks.

That was down from 33.1 per cent in October 2023 and 35.5 per cent in October 2022, but still above the 20.4 per cent figure recorded in October 2020.

People living in a rented home were more likely to report difficulty meeting financial needs, with nearly four in 10 reporting that was the case.

That compares with just under a quarter of those living in an owned home by a household member.

Immigrants were also more likely to report facing financial strain last month, with about four out of 10 immigrants who landed in the last year doing so.

That compares with about three in 10 more established immigrants and one in four of people born in Canada.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Health-care spending expected to outpace economy and reach $372 billion in 2024: CIHI

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The Canadian Institute for Health Information says health-care spending in Canada is projected to reach a new high in 2024.

The annual report released Thursday says total health spending is expected to hit $372 billion, or $9,054 per Canadian.

CIHI’s national analysis predicts expenditures will rise by 5.7 per cent in 2024, compared to 4.5 per cent in 2023 and 1.7 per cent in 2022.

This year’s health spending is estimated to represent 12.4 per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product. Excluding two years of the pandemic, it would be the highest ratio in the country’s history.

While it’s not unusual for health expenditures to outpace economic growth, the report says this could be the case for the next several years due to Canada’s growing population and its aging demographic.

Canada’s per capita spending on health care in 2022 was among the highest in the world, but still less than countries such as the United States and Sweden.

The report notes that the Canadian dental and pharmacare plans could push health-care spending even further as more people who previously couldn’t afford these services start using them.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.

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Trump’s victory sparks concerns over ripple effect on Canadian economy

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As Canadians wake up to news that Donald Trump will return to the White House, the president-elect’s protectionist stance is casting a spotlight on what effect his second term will have on Canada-U.S. economic ties.

Some Canadian business leaders have expressed worry over Trump’s promise to introduce a universal 10 per cent tariff on all American imports.

A Canadian Chamber of Commerce report released last month suggested those tariffs would shrink the Canadian economy, resulting in around $30 billion per year in economic costs.

More than 77 per cent of Canadian exports go to the U.S.

Canada’s manufacturing sector faces the biggest risk should Trump push forward on imposing broad tariffs, said Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters president and CEO Dennis Darby. He said the sector is the “most trade-exposed” within Canada.

“It’s in the U.S.’s best interest, it’s in our best interest, but most importantly for consumers across North America, that we’re able to trade goods, materials, ingredients, as we have under the trade agreements,” Darby said in an interview.

“It’s a more complex or complicated outcome than it would have been with the Democrats, but we’ve had to deal with this before and we’re going to do our best to deal with it again.”

American economists have also warned Trump’s plan could cause inflation and possibly a recession, which could have ripple effects in Canada.

It’s consumers who will ultimately feel the burden of any inflationary effect caused by broad tariffs, said Darby.

“A tariff tends to raise costs, and it ultimately raises prices, so that’s something that we have to be prepared for,” he said.

“It could tilt production mandates. A tariff makes goods more expensive, but on the same token, it also will make inputs for the U.S. more expensive.”

A report last month by TD economist Marc Ercolao said research shows a full-scale implementation of Trump’s tariff plan could lead to a near-five per cent reduction in Canadian export volumes to the U.S. by early-2027, relative to current baseline forecasts.

Retaliation by Canada would also increase costs for domestic producers, and push import volumes lower in the process.

“Slowing import activity mitigates some of the negative net trade impact on total GDP enough to avoid a technical recession, but still produces a period of extended stagnation through 2025 and 2026,” Ercolao said.

Since the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement came into effect in 2020, trade between Canada and the U.S. has surged by 46 per cent, according to the Toronto Region Board of Trade.

With that deal is up for review in 2026, Canadian Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Candace Laing said the Canadian government “must collaborate effectively with the Trump administration to preserve and strengthen our bilateral economic partnership.”

“With an impressive $3.6 billion in daily trade, Canada and the United States are each other’s closest international partners. The secure and efficient flow of goods and people across our border … remains essential for the economies of both countries,” she said in a statement.

“By resisting tariffs and trade barriers that will only raise prices and hurt consumers in both countries, Canada and the United States can strengthen resilient cross-border supply chains that enhance our shared economic security.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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