ottawa best place to live healthy cities 2018 — (Josef Pittner/Shutterstock)

Access to health care isn’t something that’s typically at the top of people’s checklists when they’re looking for a place to live — but maybe it should be.

Living far from an urban centre might mean long trips and expensive overnight stays if you or someone in your family needs specialized care. Ambulances might take longer to reach you in emergency situations. And in some parts of the country, you might find yourself on a long waitlist for necessary treatments.

PHOTOS:

The Best Places to Live ranking has always included access to health care as an indicator, but this year, we beefed it up. We added data on health care wait times at both the regional and provincial level, awarding high marks to cities where residents can expect faster access to surgeries, cancer therapy and other treatments.

The results are clear: If you want plenty of family doctors, proximity to top hospitals and reasonable wait times, Ottawa is the place to be. In fact, five of the other cities in the top 10 best places for access to health care are within easy driving distance of Canada’s capital.

Thanks to the fastest health care wait times in the country, Ontario is also the clear winning province. Sherbrooke, Que., is the only one of the top 25 cities for access to health care that’s outside Ontario, thanks to its hospitals affiliated with the Université de Sherbrooke Faculty of Medicine and wait times for hip and knee replacements among the top 10 shortest in the country.

The access to health care category is worth 11 per cent of the main Best Places to Live ranking. The category considers the number of family doctors and specialists, the number of doctor’s offices, regional and provincial health care wait times and proximity to hospitals. For more information, please see the methodology page.

The Top 100

Search to filter by city or province:

Rank	City	Province	Family doctors per 100,000 residents in health region	Specialists per 100,000 residents in health region	Doctors' offices	Days on wait list for a hip replacement [1]	Days on wait list for a knee replacement [1]	Days on wait list for bypass surgery [2]	Days on wait list for cataract surgery [2]	Days on wait list for breast cancer surgery [2]	Days on wait list for lung cancer surgery [2]	Days on wait list for colorectal cancer surgery [2]	Days on wait list for bladder cancer surgery [2]	Days on wait list for radiation therapy [2]	Days on wait list for hip fracture repair [2]	Days on wait list for prostate cancer surgery [2]
1	Ottawa	ON	142	149	779	83	83	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
2	Cornwall	ON	142	149	74	83	83	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
3	Thunder Bay	ON	135	78	192	77	65	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
4	Hawkesbury	ON	142	149	22	83	83	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
5	Pembroke	ON	142	149	21	83	83	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
6	North Dundas	ON	142	149	10	83	83	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
7	Greater Sudbury	ON	120	76	151	69	87	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
8	Sault Ste. Marie	ON	120	76	141	69	87	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
9	Kingston	ON	137	131	189	95	101	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
10	Carleton Place	ON	142	149	8	83	83	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
11	North Bay	ON	120	76	80	69	87	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
12	Sherbrooke	QC	130	133	183	53	65	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
13	Belleville	ON	137	131	98	95	101	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
14	Kenora	ON	135	78	21	77	65	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
15	North Glengarry	ON	142	149	6	83	83	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
16	North Grenville	ON	142	149	6	83	83	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
17	Mississippi Mills	ON	142	149	6	83	83	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
18	Timmins	ON	120	76	40	69	87	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
19	Brockville	ON	137	131	48	95	101	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
20	Markham	ON	95	77	238	72	78	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
21	South Glengarry	ON	142	149	2	83	83	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
22	The Nation	ON	142	149	2	83	83	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
23	Richmond Hill	ON	95	77	184	72	78	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
24	Newmarket	ON	95	77	131	72	78	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
25	Prince Edward County	ON	137	131	26	95	101	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
26	Granby	QC	130	133	35	53	65	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
27	Prince Albert	SK	126	66	97	43	65	3	59	21	16	19	18	7	82	50
28	Quinte West	ON	137	131	21	95	101	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
29	Trois-Rivières	QC	110	88	192	63	60	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
30	Temiskaming Shores	ON	120	76	14	69	87	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
31	West Nipissing	ON	120	76	10	69	87	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
32	Drummondville	QC	110	88	91	63	60	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
33	Aurora	ON	95	77	31	72	78	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
34	Montréal	QC	124	221	1059	86	94	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
35	Georgina	ON	95	77	27	72	78	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
36	Greater Napanee	ON	137	131	10	95	101	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
37	Shawinigan	QC	110	88	67	63	60	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
38	Victoriaville	QC	110	88	54	63	60	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
39	Magog	QC	130	133	11	53	65	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
40	Peterborough	ON	81	66	187	71	78	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
41	Cowansville	QC	130	133	9	53	65	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
42	Oshawa	ON	81	66	115	71	78	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
43	Gaspé	QC	198	100	4	40	47	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
44	Whitby	ON	81	66	81	71	78	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
45	Ajax	ON	81	66	80	71	78	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
46	Westmount	QC	124	221	78	86	94	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
47	Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine	QC	198	100	3	40	47	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
48	New Tecumseth	ON	95	77	13	72	78	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
49	Elliot Lake	ON	120	76	3	69	87	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
50	Pointe-Claire	QC	124	221	61	86	94	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
51	Kawartha Lakes	ON	81	66	58	71	78	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
52	Pickering	ON	81	66	50	71	78	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
53	Sept-Îles	QC	172	76	12	37	77	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
54	Oakville	ON	91	73	220	77	100	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
55	Rouyn-Noranda	QC	139	89	41	81	83	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
56	Baie-Comeau	QC	172	76	10	37	77	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
57	Mont-Royal	QC	124	221	25	86	94	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
58	Barrie	ON	105	68	195	95	104	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
59	Milton	ON	91	73	63	77	100	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
60	Cobourg	ON	81	66	20	71	78	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
61	Dollard-Des Ormeaux	QC	124	221	19	86	94	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
62	Val-d'Or	QC	139	89	20	81	83	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
63	Vancouver	BC	177	299	958	94	127	7	78	18	24	21	23	9	84	40
64	Dorval	QC	124	221	18	86	94	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
65	Hamilton	ON	100	118	569	116	106	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
66	Saguenay	QC	132	102	168	80	106	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
67	Clarington	ON	81	66	17	71	78	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
68	Kirkland	QC	124	221	17	86	94	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
69	Windsor	ON	93	64	378	69	110	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
70	Côte-Saint-Luc	QC	124	221	15	86	94	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
71	Orillia	ON	105	68	69	95	104	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
72	St. Catharines	ON	100	118	201	116	106	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
73	Amos	QC	139	89	16	81	83	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
74	Burlington	ON	100	118	197	116	106	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
75	St. John's	NL	130	148	250	92	149	6	63	14	23	12	21	12	87	34
76	La Tuque	QC	110	88	6	63	60	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
77	Collingwood	ON	105	68	44	95	104	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
78	Halton Hills	ON	91	73	27	77	100	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
79	Uxbridge	ON	81	66	11	71	78	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
80	Adjala-Tosorontio	ON	95	77	0	72	78	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
81	Niagara Falls	ON	100	118	94	116	106	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
82	Brantford	ON	100	118	94	116	106	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
83	Midland	ON	105	68	34	95	104	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
84	Sarnia	ON	93	64	80	69	110	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
85	Chatham-Kent	ON	93	64	75	69	110	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
86	Port Hope	ON	81	66	8	71	78	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
87	Alma	QC	132	102	39	80	106	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
88	Bracebridge	ON	105	68	24	95	104	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
89	Trent Hills	ON	81	66	6	71	78	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
90	Huntsville	ON	105	68	23	95	104	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
91	Welland	ON	100	118	42	116	106	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
92	Roberval	QC	132	102	25	80	106	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
93	Lévis	QC	106	87	59	85	94	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
94	Leamington	ON	93	64	36	69	110	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
95	Scugog	ON	81	66	4	71	78	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34
96	Saskatoon	SK	118	161	602	114	152	3	59	21	16	19	18	7	82	50
97	Saint-Georges	QC	106	87	44	85	94	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
98	Corner Brook	NL	139	90	45	92	140	6	63	14	23	12	21	12	87	34
99	Beaconsfield	QC	124	221	3	86	94	N/A	41	19	21	20	26	N/A	N/A	35
100	Kitchener	ON	99	68	249	95	148	7	67	15	16	19	24	7.7	86	34