From 1986 to 1999, the suicide rate in the Edmonton Regional Health Authority (RHA) was greater than that in the Calgary RHA. As a result, the authors conducted a study to determine whether a similar relation holds for parasuicide, & if so, whether the pattern can be explained at the ecologic level by sociodemographic factors. Their findings show that a similar pattern does exist for parasuicide, & that at the ecologic level, much of the variation in rates can be explained by average income & census metropolitan area. Implications are discussed. (13 refs)