Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2009, 6 2490 [Translation: We had [Family Physician] he was a full-time doctor. . . . Today, the [Family Physician]’s office is open only two days a week. He’s been trying to retire for quite a while, and we’re stuck without a doctor. We can’t get treatment, because he lives in Sudbury now, and he comes here two days a week to see patients here. Because in [town] there are a lot of old people. They’re used to him, and then it’s the same thing, they haven’t got the money, some of them don’t have a car, they don’t drive.] Thus, those who lived in close-knit francophone communities outside Sudbury had to circumvent the entanglement of multiple barriers, including severe weather, long-distance travel for primary or specialized health care, and limited availability of French-speaking Family Physicians, or any Family Physicians for that matter. 3.4. Time and Food Culture Urban participants described exposure to a close concentration of advertising, “fast foods” and sedentary entertainments that created constant opportunities to indulge in risk behaviours. Those who were employed described the stress and time pressure of commuting as significant barriers to incorporating new health behaviours into everyday routines. Women, and some retired men, described additional time constraints posed by caregiving responsibilities for children, grandchildren or parents. Retirees explained that their new-found luxury of time supported their efforts to change; this man contrasted his life with that of someone in middle years: …there are other priorities, they’ve got to make a living, and their boss says you stay till ten o’clock tonight, there’s this report, whatever. And, or you’ve got three children at home, and you have to, you know, you have to see to their needs. Torontonians described lives that were temporally, spatially, socially and even commercially “crowded”. They turned to processed or “fast” restaurant-prepared food in efforts to reduce time spent in meal preparation, and to make space for pleasure and stress release. In contrast, Sudbury participants found that loneliness and isolation were linked with time in the form of seasonal weather conditions. The winter months brought heavy snow, which even impeded travel for short distances, especially for those who lived outside the city itself. In isolated circumstances, indoor pastimes such as TV watching and computer games did not fully address the need for social companionship. Several Sudbury participants regularly met friends at “fast food” restaurants to socialize, yet the health benefits of social connection can be undermined by indulgence in inexpensive treats, as this man explains: We have friends that go to [coffee and donut chain], practically every night, so once in a while we’ll go there as a group. And that’s a good experience, because we sit and chat. But if you overdo any of this stuff, that’s not good.