Sociodemographic variables
Sociodemographic variables were obtained by health region from the 2011 National Household Survey (NHS), and the 2011-2012 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) administered by Statistics Canada. Both were voluntary surveys with the 2011 NHS sampling 30% of all private dwellings in Canada, and the 2011-2012 CCHS covering more than 97% of the Canadian population aged 12 and over. The CCHS excluded persons living in the Quebec health regions of Région du Nunavik and Région des Terres-Cries-de-la-Baie-James, and persons living on reserves and other Aboriginal settlements in the provinces. 
All variables available in both surveys that could have a potential association with cancer incidence and mortality were considered. NHS variables included in the model were education (% High school graduates aged 25 to 29, as a proportion of population aged 25 to 29), income (% Employment rate among 25-54 years, as a proportion of population aged 15 years and over), housing (% Households that are suitable, referring to whether a private household is living in suitable accommodations according to the National Occupancy Standard), and immigrant population (% of total population). The proportion of self-identified Aboriginals per health region was also extracted from the NHS. Aboriginal identity included persons who reported being an Aboriginal person, including First Nations (North American Indian), Métis, or Inuk (Inuit) and/or those who reported Registered or Treaty Indian status, and/or those who reported membership in a First Nation or Indian band \cite{p5mkaq}.     
CCHS variables included in the model were food security (% Households that were food secure, based on the CCHS Food Security module \cite{canadaca}), alcohol consumption (% Heavy drinking, defined as  males reporting having 5 or more drinks, or women reporting having 4 or more drinks, on one occasion, at least once a month in the past year), smoking (% Current smoker, daily or occasional), fruit and vegetable consumption (% consuming 5 times or more per day), physical activity (% reporting moderately active or active physical activity during leisure-time), and body mass index (% self-reported overweight or obese of those 18 years and over). Distance to nearest radiotherapy center was also included, calculated as mentioned earlier. Finally, we included the 2011 population count, obtained from the 2011 Canadian Census (XX).