Canada's Vital Signs 2009
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Each fall, Canadian community foundations from the Atlantic to the Pacific prepare local report cards for, and about, their communities. Like an annual check-up, each Vital Signs report looks at how one community is doing across many aspects of quality of life. What makes for 'good' quality of life varies from one community to another just as surely as Canada's varied peoples, geography and even weather shape so much of our daily realities. Each Vital Signs report reflects this diversity, tracking the measures that are important to its community.
Alongside diverse local priorities, runs the thread of shared concerns - issues that are important to all Canadians. To capture these issues, Community Foundations of Canada produces Canada's Vital Signs. Collected from the 'street level' view provided by local reports, Canada's Vital Signs zooms out to report on national issues that local communities all agree are a priority. Within each Vital Signs issue area, an indicator is chosen to provide a snapshot of how our communities are doing across the country. This year's issue areas and indicators are:
| Vital Signs issue area | Vital Signs 2009 indicator |
|---|---|
| The Gap Between Rich and Poor | Total Income |
| Safety | Violent Crime Rate |
| Health | Incidence of Low Birth Weight |
| Learning | Aboriginal High School Completion Rates |
| Housing | Gross Income Shelter Ratio |
| Getting Started | Youth Unemployment Rate |
| Arts and Culture | Earnings for Professional Occupations in Arts/Culture |
| Environment | Household Recycling Rate |
| Work | Employment Rate |
| Belonging and Leadership | Charitable Donations |
Vital Signs monitors change, informs needed action and celebrates signs of community health. But the work of Vital Signs doesn't stop with the publication of the local and national reports. The reports are a catalyst, designed to encourage ongoing discussion, debate and action, led by community foundations and their local partners, who keep the issues in the spotlight year-round with meetings, events, speeches and grantmaking opportunities.
Participating Communities
Every year a varying group of community foundations participate in the Vital Signs program and the publication of Vital Signs reports. For more information about the community foundation movement visit www.cfc-fcc.ca. The communities participating in Vital Signs 2009 are:
Boundary Communities, BC* (includes Christina Lake, Grand Forks, Greenwood, Midway, Rock Creek., Bridesville, Beaverdell ), Phoenix Foundation of the Boundary Communities
Calgary, AB, The Calgary Foundation
Guelph & Wellington, ON, The Guelph Community Foundation
Kelowna, BC, Central Okanagan Foundation
Kingston & Area, ON*, Community Foundation for Kingston & Area
Medicine Hat, AB, Community Foundation of Medicine Hat and Southeastern Alberta
Oakville, ON, The Community Foundation of Oakville
Ottawa, ON, Community Foundation of Ottawa
Red Deer, AB, Red Deer & District Community Foundation
Greater Saint John, NB, The Greater Saint John Community Foundation
Greater Sudbury, ON, Sudbury Community Foundation
Sunshine Coast, BC*, Sunshine Coast Community Foundation
Toronto, ON, Toronto Community Foundation
Victoria, BC, Victoria Foundation
Waterloo Region, ON, Cambridge & North Dumfries Community Foundation and The Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation
Wolfville, NS*, Wolfville Community Fund, Community Foundation of Nova Scotia
* denotes a community releasing its first Vital Signs report
For more information see our Vital Signs FAQ.
