A new study by the Conference Board of Canada assessing the health performance of 10 Canadian cities has placed Montreal solidly at the bottom of the pack.
The Board's first-ever City Health Monitor ranked the cities in terms of population health, lifestyle, and access to health services.
Montreal got a D rating — the only city to get lower than a B.
The top three cities are all out west — Saskatoon came in first, followed by Calgary, and then Winnipeg. Each of those cities received a grade of A.
The others got a B grade — Quebec City ranked fourth, followed by Ottawa-Gatineau, Vancouver, Halifax, Edmonton and Toronto.
The Board's findings show Montreal did relatively well in terms of overall population health — though it had the highest rates of diabetes, asthma and heart disease.
Smoking rates in Montreal are generally higher and rates of physical activity are lower than other cities, and it's generally more difficult to get access to a family doctor or a specialist here.