Canadians Spending Less Time With Friends, Experts Say Structured Connections Help

Canadians are spending less time with friends than they did three decades ago, according to a Statistics Canada study from 1986 to 2022. The study found that in 1986, 47.9% of Canadians saw friends on an average day, but by 2022, that figure had dropped to 19.3%. The Toronto Dingos, an Australian rules football club, developed a weekly video check-in tradition called the 'Wednesday Waffle' after a teammate died by suicide in 2018. This structured connection helps maintain friendships through regular, meaningful interactions. Experts like Parveer Brar, a registered clinical counsellor, say friendships require consistency and intention, especially as busy schedules pull people apart. Kimberley Brownlee, a philosophy professor specializing in loneliness, notes that modern culture has 'watered down' friendship, making structured and repeated interactions crucial for building deeper connections.