The education and economic status of Vancouver Island's north end may be improving, but its health outcomes are not as encouraging.

The bright side, according to the region's Medical Health Officer, Dr. Charmaine Enns, is that much of those outcomes are preventable, or can be modified.

“We’re partners with the same goals including the health and well-being of the people in the area,” she told Port Hardy councillors at their Sept. 9 meeting.

Enns said the median household income of the North Island — population 11,642 — rose from $57,000 in 2016 to $68,500 in 2021. She also noted that 65 per cent of resident has a post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree, which is far better than the provincial average of 57 per cent.

Despite those positives trends, life expectancy in the region is

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