Thanks to our Universal health care system, the medical facilities in Canada are not always at the top of our lists when considering where we should buy a home. However, knowing what services are available in terms of health care can be beneficial as you consider the best place to make your home. Buying some Etobicoke real estate may mean you have a harder time gaining access to certain types of health care than in other neighbourhoods in southern Ontario.
Generally, a solid rule of thumb is that the more affluent a city is, the larger the range and number of health care options it will have to offer its citizens. For example, in large cities with a substantial number of wealthy citizens such as Edmonton, botox and other second tier health services can be found. Smaller and less influential cities do not have the market foundation to make this type of business viable. So, if you are interested in the more 'superfluous' aspects of health care, a larger city might be the best place to make your home.
Even if you are looking at health care in strictly the "needs" sense, more affluent communities will often have better options available. It should come as no surprise then that, as one of the most affluent municipalities in Canada, Oakville has several advantages over other cities in terms of healthcare.
Chief among these advantages is the ability for residents to find a family doctor. Many municipalities in Canada suffer from a chronic shortage of family practitioners. Whether they own a home in Kamloops British Columbia or a piece of central Toronto real estate, families across the country are desperate to find a regular doctor so that they do not have to rely on the emergency room or walk in clinics. Unlike other locations, there are actually doctors in Oakville who are taking patients on; in fact, 20 at last count. This is a significant amount compared to most places in the country.
As it is a community with just over 165,000 residents, Oakville has need for only one major hospital. The Trafalgar Memorial is an acute care facility which offers the full range of health care options to Oakville residents, from emergency services to family counselling. Toronto is the nearest centre for specialized services including cancer clinics, but Oakville fits the bill nicely as far as the common medical needs for most families.
Finally, families have no need to be concerned about their oral health when they choose to live in Oakville. Dentists are available for every person in the community; at last count there were over 200 dentists practicing in the city!
In conclusion, it is safe to say that if healthcare is on your list when it comes to important factors in a community, Oakville is definitely worth a second look. The city includes all of the 'regular' services offered in similar size towns across the country. In fact, one could say that the number of family doctors taking patients in the city place it ahead of many municipalities in terms of healthcare based desirability.
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