Courtesy of the City of Grande Prairie

By Abby Zieverink

Vital signs survey 2021

Vital Signs survey highlights pandemic’s impact on Grande Prairie region

Nov 3, 2021 | 5:30 AM

The 2021 Vital Signs report for the Grande Prairie-Greenview Region has been released with a focus on the quality of life and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the region.

A total of 1,617 residents in the City of Grande Prairie, County of Grande Prairie, MD of Greenview, and surrounding communities took part in the report.

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Provincial and national data is also taken into consideration for the report, to provide a more robust description of areas of success and concern throughout the region.

Community Foundation of Northwestern Alberta CEO Laura LaValley says from the report this year, they noticed everyone was affected in different ways because of the pandemic, both positively and negatively.

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From the findings, LaValley explains fewer than 58 per cent of residents in the region reported to have volunteered during the past year, which is down from 72 per cent in 2019.

Despite that decrease, she explains 70 per cent of individuals reported to have helped out a neighbour, not considering it as volunteering.

“I think there was a decrease in the structured volunteer organization involvement that we might have seen just because of health restrictions, but we still saw people reaching out to help their neighbours and friends and family that were in need during the pandemic.”

The report showed 90 per cent of residents in the MD of Greenview, 88 per cent in the County of Grande Prairie, and 71 per cent of participants in the City of Grande Prairie reported that they know their neighbours well enough to ask for help.

“I really think that speaks to our region’s desire to look after each other, and I think that’s something we can hang onto,” said LaValley.

Across the country, 33% of Canadians reported an increased debt load because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

LaValley suggests this, among other topics, are areas of recovery coming out of the pandemic.

“We obviously are still having a very prominent effect on the drug poisonings in the City of Grande Prairie, that was a really alarming statistic,” explained LaValley.

“Childcare is continuing to be a priority across Alberta, obviously that has been really impacted by the COVID-19 health restrictions, and parents needing to work from home, and schools being shut down.”

Residents wanting to access the report can find it here.