COVID-19 contributed to largest single-year decline of life expectancy in Canada: StatCan
The COVID-19 pandemic led to the largest single-year decline of life expectancy in Canada ever recorded, Statistics Canada said on Monday.
In 2020, life expectancy was 81.7 years, down 0.6 years from 82.3 years in 2019. It's the steepest decrease of life expectancy since national vital statistics started to be logged in 1921.
The largest declines in life expectancy were seen in Quebec, followed by Ontario, the Prairies and British Columbia. The drop in life expectancy for men was also steeper than for women -- 0.7 years for males compared to 0.4 years for females.
A total of 16,151 Canadians died in 2020 due to COVID-19, making it the third leading cause of death that year. COVID-19 accounted for 5.3 per cent of all deaths in Canada, behind cancer and heart disease, which accounted for 26.4 per cent and 17.5 per cent of deaths, respectively.
COVID-19 wasn't the only factor that led to an increase in deaths. As pandemic-related stressors related to lockdowns, deaths and the fear of getting sick worsened the mental health of many Canadians, some turned to drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism.
The mortality rate for those aged 25 to 39 was also the highest seen in 20 years, despite the fact that very few Canadians under 40 died due to COVID-19. StatCan says the increased mortality for younger age groups can be attributed to "notable increases" in deaths relating to substance use.
"The increase from 2019 to 2020 in the rate of deaths attributed to accidental poisonings was particularly acute for younger Canadians," StatCan said. The year 2020 saw 4,604 deaths due to accidental poisonings, including overdoses, compared to 3705 deaths reported in 2019.
For those under 45, alcohol-induced deaths hovered at around 360 from 2017 to 2019. But in in 2020, 542 Canadians in this age group died due to alcohol. For those aged 45 to 64, there were 1,946 alcohol-induced deaths in 2020 and 1,656 or fewer in the three years prior.
Mortality rates in lower-income neighbourhoods were also found to be much higher than elsewhere in the country, as the four leading causes of death were more common. People who lived in these neighbourhoods were 1.7 times as likely to die from COVID-19. The mortality rate for accidental injuries -- the fourth leading cause of death -- was also 1.9 times higher in these communities.
COVID-19 COVERAGE
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Horrifying' conspiracy theories swirl around Texas shooting
By now it's as predictable as the calls for thoughts and prayers: A mass shooting leaves many dead, and wild conspiracy theories and misinformation about the carnage soon follow. Within hours of Tuesday's school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, another rash began as internet users spread baseless claims about the man named as the gunman and his possible motives.

Texas school shooting: What we know so far about the victims
Families are sharing photos and stories of their loved ones, who lost their lives in a mass shooting in Texas that killed at least 19 children and two adults on Tuesday afternoon.
Four notable moments from the French Conservative leadership debate
Conservative Party of Canada leadership hopefuls Scott Aitchison, Roman Baber, Patrick Brown, Jean Charest, Leslyn Lewis, and Pierre Poilievre squared off in the second official party debate on Wednesday night in Laval, Que.
Onlookers urged police to charge into Texas school
Frustrated onlookers urged police officers to charge into the Texas elementary school where a gunman's rampage killed 19 children and two teachers, witnesses said Wednesday, as investigators worked to track the massacre that lasted upwards of 40 minutes and ended when the 18-year-old shooter was killed by a U.S. Border Patrol team.
Canada's 2022 summer weather forecast predicts huge differences from coast-to-coast
Several parts of the country, including British Columbia and Canada's Maritime provinces, are likely to see wetter-than-normal conditions this summer, according to AccuWeather's annual summer forecast.
Monkeypox in Canada: PHAC now confirms 16 cases nationwide
The Public Health Agency of Canada says it has now confirmed a total of 16 cases of monkeypox in the country, all in Quebec.
Canadian meets her long-lost sister for the first time on U.S. morning show
During an appearance on ABC's Good Morning America on Wednesday, adopted siblings Hannah Raleigh of Chicago and Limia Ravart of Montreal met in person for the first time after an ancestry test confirmed the two are in fact related.
Trudeau cancelled B.C. appearance after RCMP warned protest could escalate: CP source
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cancelled plans to appear in person at a Liberal fundraiser in British Columbia Tuesday after RCMP warned an aggressive protest outside the event could escalate if he arrived, said a source close to the decision. The source spoke to The Canadian Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the situation publicly.
'How to Murder Your Husband' author found guilty of murder
A jury in Portland has convicted a self-published romance novelist - who once wrote an essay titled 'How to Murder Your Husband' - of fatally shooting her husband four years ago.