photo by Liam Verster

By Liam Verster

Community

2019 Vital Signs report looks at Grande Prairie and the region through statistics

Oct 8, 2019 | 2:51 PM

The Community Foundation of Northwestern Alberta has released their fifth Vital Signs report.

Using statistics gathered over the last two years, the report provides a snapshot of life in the City of Grande Prairie, the County of Grande Prairie, the M.D. of Greenview, and the surrounding communities.

The report looks at 10 areas, Work and Economy; Environment; Standard of Living; Housing; Health and Wellness; Belonging and Leadership; Transportation; Safety; Learning; and Arts, Culture and Recreation.

Comparing the stats collected for this report versus the years past, CEO of the Community Foundation of Northwestern Alberta, Tracey Vavrek says the number one issue she sees needing addressing is a sense of belonging.

“When people feel like they belong, we know that crime reduces, mental health challenges reduce. We know physical health improves, people contribute more in their place of work and their environment. We know the importance of a sense of belonging, and when people belong, our community will be stronger.”

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Vavrek adds another thing that stood out in the report is that almost 60 per cent of respondents felt they don’t have a role to play in reconciliation.

“It was a surprise, but it also helps our community to understand that we do need to talk more, we need to have some very bold conversations, and we’re in this together. As I mentioned, we’re all one community, so the opportunity of working together is really important. Reconciliation is part of our community, so the more we can do this together we have greater opportunities to ensure everyone has the best and the strongest community.”

The statistics also looks at what the public thinks are strengths or weaknesses in the community. Employment, K-12 education, recreation, a feeling of safety, and parks and green space topped the lists of strengths. However, crime, the cost of living, the quality of roads, mental health, and poverty or homelessness were seen as issues that needed addressing.

Grande Prairie Mayor, Bill Given, says he’s not surprised by the top issues, adding that the city is already working towards combating them.

“Policing costs is one of the largest portions of our budget and continue to be a focus for City Council. We increased our spending on road rehab and overlay in 2019. So I think it really demonstrates that Council has an alignment with the top priority of the community.”

He adds what’s more interesting is the mid range issues that the public is worried about.

“Poverty and homelessness, affordable housing, I think it really demonstrates that communities are complex entities that take a lot of layers to get right.”

The statistics also show that Grande Prairie has the highest fentanyl related deaths in Alberta, with 59 deaths per 100,000 population. Given says they have been working towards combating fentanyl overdoses through the Community Opioid Response Task Force, and will continue to try to fight the opioid crisis.

Along with collecting statistics on the region, the Community Foundation of Northwestern Alberta has also committed to meeting the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 to create stronger communities. Vavrek says they will be measuring the work they do at local level and watch to see how it compares to work on the global scale, and how it impacts the world.

The goals include ending poverty, ensuring healthy lives, achieve gender equality, promote sustained economic growth, and take action to combat climate change.

More details on the report, as well as a full list of the Sustainable Development Goals can be found on the Community Foundation of Northwestern Alberta’s website.