A6 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2021
timescolonist.com | TIMES COLONIST
TIMES COLONIST | timescolonist.com
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2021
PRESENTING SPONSOR:
Get your copy of Victoria’s Vital Signs today!
You can find the full 36-page report in locations throughout Greater Victoria or online at victoriafoundation.ca.
Vital Signs 2021 measures the wellbeing of our region and reports citizens’ grades in a number of areas critical to Victoria’s vitality.
BEST THINGS AND MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES
2021 CITIZEN 2020 GRADES GRADES Arts & Culture
Belonging & Engagement Economy
Environmental Sustainability Getting Started Health & Wellness Housing
Learning
Safety
Sports & Recreation Standard of Living Transportation
B
BB-
BD+ BD+ B+ BB+ BB
IN GREATER VICTORIA
B
According to this year’s survey, these are the 13 best things about the region, ranked by the percentage of respondents who selected them.
57%
B-
B-
D+
50% 42% 24% 23% 21% NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
CLIMATE
AIR QUALITY
WALKABILITY
FRIENDS & FAMILY
21% 18% 13% 11% ACCESS TO LOCALLY GROWN FOOD
PARKS
9%
RECREATION CYCLING RESTAURANTS OPPORTUNITIES INFRASTRUCTURE
9%
8%
6%
ARTS & CULTURE
FEELING OF SAFETY
LOCAL BREWERIES
According to this year’s survey, these are the region’s top 13 issues, ranked by the percentage of respondents who selected them.
D+
62%
ARE SATISFIED WITH WORK AND HOME LIFE BALANCE
feel connected to community
B
B
rate their physical health as excellent or good
43% 40% 33% 30% 24% 18% 12% 10% COST OF LIVING
B
B
B-
HOUSING
HOMELESSNESS ADDICTIONS
MENTAL ILLNESS
HEALTH CARE
CLIMATE CHANGE
7%
7%
COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORTATION PLANNING/ STEWARDSHIP DEVELOPMENT
THE BEST THING about Greater Victoria, the natural environment, is also the focus of two of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDG #14, Life Below Water, speaks to conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. SDG #15, Life on Land, looks to protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
7%
7%
7%
ECONOMY
ELDERCARE
MUNICIPAL AMALGAMATION
THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE facing Greater Victoria, cost of living, is embodied in several of the SDGs, particularly #1, No Poverty, which looks to end poverty in all its forms everywhere, and #8, Decent Work and Economic Growth, which promotes inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all.
Through resident opinions, data-driven Equity Snapshots, and a series of feature articles from local authors, the 2021 Victoria’s Vital Signs sheds light on our collective successes, and what we need to work on to improve equity and inclusion in our region.
EQUITY
17%
You can visit Vital Victoria at: victoriafoundation.bc.ca/vital-victoria
SNAPSHOT
Watch for equity snapshots in the key issue areas (on pages 10 through 33) to see how Greater Victoria fares when we look at some specific data on equity and inclusion.
CUIxVictoria will create an opportunity for diverse sectors of Greater Victoria’s community to come together and grapple with community challenges and opportunities and generate actions that can be undertaken at many scales at once, from classrooms to neighbourhoods, from dinner tables to council tables. Hosted by the Canadian Urban Institute, the City of Victoria, and the Victoria Foundation, CUIxVictoria takes place from October 18-20 both online and in-person. Visit canurb.org/cui-x-victoria for more information. As part of CUIxVictoria, watch for our 2021 Vital Conversation: Building and Inclusive Economy on October 20! In partnership with Coast Capital.
THIS REPORT ONLY SCRATCHES THE SURFACE Want to learn more? Information is available, including details on indicators, sources, and survey results, at victoriafoundation.ca.
ISSUE SPONSORS: Booth Scott, Black Press Media, CIBC Wood Gundy - Blue Heron Advisory Group, Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce, Urban Systems, CREST, Tecnet, Maycock Eyecare, Country Grocer, Oakcrest Park Estate
67% FEEL THEY HAVE A STRONG SENSE OF PURPOSE IN LIFE
71%
DON’T HAVE AFFORDABLE HOME OWNERSHIP OPTIONS AVAILABLE
21%
71% HAVE AN EXCELLENT OR GOOD ABILITY TO ACCESS QUALITY EDUCATION
FEEL SAFE IN THEIR NEIGHBOURHOOD
HAVE EXCELLENT OR GOOD ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE CHILD CARE
50% 29%
42% HAVE AN EXCELLENT OR GOOD ABILITY TO AFFORD POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION
HAVE AN EXCELLENT OR GOOD ABILITY TO AFFORD NECESSITIES
OFTEN OR ALWAYS FEEL STRESS RELATING TO PERSONAL FINANCES
Top 5 things we could do for better equity and inclusion:
Top 5 things to make Greater Victoria an even better place to live:
1 AFFORDABLE HOUSING
EQUITY AND INCLUSION IN GREATER VICTORIA 95%
New this year is the launch of the Vital Victoria website, an online companion piece to Vital Signs that features interactive data, graphs, and information related to over 60 indicators. Vital Victoria also includes news and reports related to the indicators and issue areas, measurements tracking the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and a feature series on this year’s Vital Signs theme of equity and inclusion.
rate their mental health as excellent or good
63%
often or always feel lonely
EQUITY AND INCLUSION Exploring the topic of equity and inclusion is at the heart of the 2021 Victoria Vital Signs program. The theme focuses on the uneven hardships of the pandemic, the rallying cries for racial and gender equity, and the tragic reminders of the past and present injustices towards Indigenous peoples in this country.
72%
55%
HAVE A HIGH LEVEL OF SELF-ESTEEM AND SELF-RESPECT
64%
WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES FACING GREATER VICTORIA TODAY?
B
THE AVERAGE GRADE, WHEN PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED TO RATE THEIR OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE:
Vital Signs survey participants were asked a range of questions about their quality of life and feelings of connectedness to their community.
WHAT ARE THE BEST THINGS ABOUT GREATER VICTORIA?
B-
QUALITY OF LIFE IN GREATER VICTORIA
2 SOCIAL SERVICES
3 PUBLIC SAFETY
4 COST OF LIVING
5 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
VICTORIA FOUNDATION:
82%
88%
13%
said they are very accepting of people from different cultural backgrounds said it is important to foster, learn about, and respect Indigenous culture, values, and traditions
said they feel accepted for who they are
of BIPOC respondents said they frequently or always feel unsafe because of their religion, ethnicity, skin colour, culture, race, language, accent, disability, gender identity and/or sexual orientation
✔
58% OF BIPOC
RESPONDENTS SAID THEY FEEL INCLUDED
✔
✔
1 BE MORE INCLUSIVE
60% OF BIPOC
RESPONDENTS SAID THEY FEEL RESPECTED
54%
OF BIPOC RESPONDENTS SAID THEY HAVE EXCELLENT OR GOOD ACCESS TO NUTRITIOUS, CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE FOOD FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILY
23%
of BIPOC respondents said they frequently or consistently feel uncomfortable or out of place because of their religion, ethnicity, skin colour, culture, race, language, accent, disability, gender identify and/or sexual orientation
2 OFFER EDUCATION ON DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION
3 ADDRESS RACISM, DISCRIMINATION AND HATE
4 MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND RENTAL OPTIONS
NOTE: BIPOC STANDS FOR BLACK, INDIGENOUS AND PEOPLE OF COLOUR
5 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
#200 - 703 BROUGHTON STREET, VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA, V8W 1E2 | P: 250.381.5532 | E: info@victoriafoundation.bc.ca
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