The author argues that the reason why comparisons between the Northwest Territories (NWT) & other provinces often show significant differences on a variety of population health measures is because the social, economic & environmental conditions there are quite different from the norm. In order to develop a better perspective of population health in the NWT, he explores comparisons with regions of Canada that more closely resemble the NWT in these terms. In doing so he finds that the suicide rate in the NWT, while still a casue for concern, is among the lowest of all northern regions of Canada.