Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash

By Madison Fung

The 2024 York Health and Wellbeing Review outlines the key economic and social challenges faced by residents, along with notable improvements and government initiatives addressing these issues. Here are the key findings of the York Health and Wellbeing Review in 2024:

1. Housing

York residents are experiencing a serious housing affordability crisis. York has the highest percentage in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, with over 25% of homeowners and nearly half of the renters spending 30% or more of their household income on housing. 

Mortgage and consumer debt are at an all-time high in York region. Many York households are unable to provide sufficient funds to pay off their mortgage, and more are at risk of being unable to afford homes as interest rates increase. York residents hold the largest average mortgage and consumer debt in the GTHA in 2023, with a staggering amount of $731,517 and $82,133, respectively.

Homelessness is a major issue in York region. The average length of stay in emergency housing has escalated by 95% from 2019 to 2024, nearly doubling the amount of 26.5 days to 51.7 days. The number of known encampment locations has increased by more than five times since 2021, indicating the extreme growth of homelessness in the community. 

2. Income

Experts believe that high inflation rates and the end of pandemic-related welfares, such as the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit and the Canada Recovery Benefit,  have contributed to the decline in average income of York residents. The average total individual income dropped by 4.5% from 2021 to 2022. 

The amount of York region residents living below the low-income threshold experienced a significant growth of 43.8% from 2020, increasing to a number of 228,250 residents in 2022. The low income rate of York region is ranked 3rd highest in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

3. Health

Research indicates that mental health is worsening in the community. Between 2020 to 2023, the York regional police reported an 85% increase in suicide attempts and a 27% increase in calls reporting mental health occurrences.

In addition, the use of alcohol, cannabis, e-cigarettes and opioids by secondary students in York region has greatly increased, with opioid use rising from 10% in 2017 to 19% in 2023. Records shows opioid-related deaths grew by 38% from 60 reported cases in 2022 to a total of 83 in 2023.

Food insecurity is also a serious problem in the region. Around 19.4% of York households were faced with food insecurity in 2023. As they are unable to afford food, they have little options for food, leading to health issues, such as nutritional deficiency. 

On the other hand, there has been a steady increase in senior residents. Statistics predict that the number of seniors will go up to 24% of the population by 2051. This demonstrates that living conditions in York region are improving. Residents live healthier lifestyles, resulting in a higher life expectancy.

Work CitedThe Regional Municipality of York. “2024 York Region Health and Well-Being Review.” eSCRIBE Published Meetings, 16 January 2025, https://yorkpublishing.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=46087. Accessed 10 April 2025.