A recent report found that on average, Ontario commute times are the highest in Canada. And the news gets worse for Torontonians, who at 65.6 minutes, have the highest average commute time of all.

The report from the University of Waterloo examined the well-being of Ontario using key performance indicators, including vitality, living standards and time use.

From 1994 to 2010, the average Ontario commute time increased by 11.9 per cent, representing an increase of 27 hours of additional commute time over the course of one year.

“In other words,” the report states, “working Ontarians have lost over an entire day’s worth of free time to commuting and have increased the detrimental impact on the environment, on their health, and on their overall well-being.”

The report said that long commute times “increases stress among commuters, reduces time available for other valued activities, and reduces business productivity. It contributes to higher levels of pollution, especially in urban areas, and diminishes environmental quality, thereby jeopardizing public health.”

Housing affordability was also a measure of overall well-being for Ontarians and, between 1994 and 2010, affordability has only increased by 1.2 per cent. This is due to a variety of factors, including widening income inequality, increases in long-term unemployment, decreases in economic security and lower job quality.

To address the issue of overall well-being in Canadians, the report offers some ideas for positive change, such as investment in a more efficient public transit strategy, thereby reducing commute times. It also recommended closing the widening gap of income inequality by reforming Canada’s tax and transfer system, thereby allowing lower-income Canadians to enjoy higher living standards.