Table 1.

Community background

	Community 1	Community 2	Community 3
Yearly Weather Conditionsa	Temp (Summer): 5° to 20°C	Temp (Summer): 18°C	Temp (Summer): 19°C
	Temp (Winter): 5° to -15°C	Temp (Winter): 4°C	Temp (Winter): 2°C
	Precipitation:2500 mm	Precipitation: 7559 mm	Precipitation: 6284 mm
	Snowfall: High levels in the winter months	Snow: Rare	Snow: Occasional snowfall in winter months
Travel Distance Time to Referral Centreb	452 km	203 km	298 km
	6 h travel over land	5 h travel via car and ferry	7 h travel via car and ferry
Demographicsc	Population: 135	Population: 1045	Population: 940
	Catchment: 2897	Catchment: 3000	Catchment: 2500
	50% Aboriginal	37% Aboriginal	37% Aboriginal

Source: Data adapted from http://rccbc.ca.

Notes:

^a“Temp” refers to the average seasonal temperature. “Precipitation” represents the annual average rainfall in the community.

^bTravel time reflects the average length of time during optimal weather conditions that it takes to access the nearest designated labour and delivery service with caesarean section back-up.

^c“Catchment” refers to the population living within one-hour travel time of the local hospital. This includes people who live in smaller, surrounding communities. “Aboriginal” people are the original peoples of Canada and include First Nations, Inuit, and Metis groups. We have included the percentage of Aboriginal people living in the one-hour catchment.