A VILLAGE OF Things to celebrate QUALITY OF LIFE IN WHAT + things to improve GREATER WOULD IT LOOK 10 0 LIKE? SURVEY SAYS... VICTORIA Sarah Black, Athletic Therapist at Athletic Therapy Plus, working with paralympian Jackie Gay at the Athletic Centre. SPECIAL FEATURE BELONGING OR BARRIERS? How our institutions, public policies, social structures, and systems set the tone SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS Canada signs on to achieving these goals at home and abroad VITAL WHAT IS ® COMMUNITY GREGG ELIGH VITAL SIGNS ? NETWORK Measuring well-being, creating change Earlier this year, the Victoria’s Vital Signs® is an following community annual community check-up experts joined us to help that measures the vitality of guide Vital Signs® and its our region, identifies concerns, engagement throughout and supports action on issues the region. We thank them that are critical to our quality for their support. of life. The Victoria Foundation Marika Albert, Community produces the report to connect Social Planning Council philanthropy to community Andrea Carey, Sport needs and opportunities. This for Life The Victoria Foundation’s Sandra Richardson, Chief Executive Officer, and is the 12th consecutive year Jill Doucette, Synergy Patrick Kelly, Chair, Board of Directors the report has been published. Enterprises As part of our commitment to Colleen Hobson, Saanich ABOUT THE continual advancement, we Neighbourhood Place sought community feedback to Society VICTORIA FOUNDATION Vital Signs® that helped us to Catherine Holt, Greater Our vision: A vibrant, caring community for all make improvements this year Victoria Chamber of and beyond. Commerce Established in 1936, the Victoria Foundation is Canada’s second Special thanks to the oldest community foundation and the sixth largest of nearly Fran Hunt-Jinnouchi, Toronto Foundation for Aboriginal Coalition to End 200 nation-wide. We manage charitable gifts from donors, developing and sharing the Homelessness whose generosity allows us to create permanent, income-earning Vital Signs® concept and to funds. The proceeds from these funds are then distributed James Lam, CRD Arts Community Foundations Development Service as grants for charitable or educational purposes. To date, the of Canada for supporting Victoria Foundation has invested more Del Manak, Victoria Police a coordinated national than $188 million in people, projects, Vital Signs® initiative. For Jean McRae, Inter-Cultural and non-profit organizations that more information, visit Association of Greater strengthen communities in BC and Victoria communityfoundations.ca/ throughout Canada. vitalsigns. Nora McRae, University of Victoria With an estimated 14,200 people who identify as Aboriginal, Greater Jodi Mucha, BC Healthy Victoria is home to a rich diversity of Indigenous peoples and cultures. We Communities would like to acknowledge that the Victoria Foundation’s office is located Dave Obee, Times Colonist on the traditional territory of the Lekwungen people, as represented by the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. Christy Ridout, BC Transit THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS Our thanks to all of the individuals and organizations that helped to create this report, including the board and staff of the Victoria Foundation for their guidance and continuing support, and to our sponsors and donors whose generosity makes production and promotion of this report possible. We are grateful to all those who provided data and to the many individuals who participated in our survey. SIGNATURE SPONSOR KEY ISSUES SPONSORS TECHNOLOGY SURVEY SPONSOR SPONSOR 2 VICTORIA’S VITAL SIGNS TABLE OF CONTENTS The Victoria Foundation is committed to improving the quality of life in our community today and for generations to come. We inspire giving, care for the assets entrusted to us — and we invest FEATURE: Belonging or Barriers? in people, ideas, and activities that 4 Belonging is about feeling like an accepted and valued part of a strengthen our community. community. We look at how our institutions, public policies, social structures, and systems set the tone. #200 – 703 Broughton Street, Victoria, BC V8W 1E2 By Alex Van Tol Ph: 250.381.5532 Fax: 250.480.1129 victoriafoundation.ca 10 METHODOLOGY Charitable BN 13065 0898 RR0001 11 HOW TO READ THIS REPORT 12 HOW DID WE DO? THE VITAL SIGNS® TEAM SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS The Victoria Foundation: 13 Rob Janus, Project Manager QUALITY OF LIFE IN GREATER VICTORIA Jayna Brulotte 14 Carol Hall A VILLAGE OF 100 Louise MacDonald 16 Melanie Porter BEST THINGS AND MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES Jo-Ann Roberts 17 Sandra Richardson Kyle Wells Grace Wong Sneddon ® VITAL SIGNS KEY ISSUES Page One Publishing Inc., Publisher 18 ARTS & CULTURE 30 HOUSING Photography by Jeffrey Bosdet 20 BELONGING & ENGAGEMENT 32 LEARNING (unless otherwise specified) Balfour Consulting Group, 22 ECONOMY 34 SAFETY Research Consultant 24 ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY 36 SPORTS & RECREATION NRG Research Group, Survey Consultant 26 GETTING STARTED 38 STANDARD OF LIVING Times Colonist and 98.5 The Ocean, 28 HEALTH &WELLNESS 40 TRANSPORTATION Media Partners Community Foundations of Canada Vital Signs® at work in the community International Institute for 42 The Vital Signs® report provides a valuable overview of Greater Sustainable Development Victoria and, in many ways, it is relied upon to guide decisions about our community now and for the future. VITAL SIGNS® is designed and published by /VicFoundation /TheVictoriaFoundation /VicFoundation 580 Ardersier Road, Victoria British Columbia, V8Z 1C7 pageonepublishing.ca 3 FEATURE BY ALEX VAN TOL Canadian Council of the Blind: Get Together with Technology — A monthly meeting hosted at the Greater Victoria Public Library to help those who are visually impaired learn to use low-vision and blindness-related technology. 4 VICTORIA’S VITAL SIGNS BELONGING OR BARRIERS? HOW OUR INSTITUTIONS, PUBLIC POLICIES, SOCIAL STRUCTURES, AND SYSTEMS CREATE BELONGING OR BARRIERS here do you belong? Do you feel you belong in Victoria? Are you able to afford life here? Can you get around? How do you connect with your community and take Wpart in activities that enrich your life and the lives of others? Are you treated with respect and included regardless of your age, skin colour, gender identity, physical abilities, or socioeconomic status? Belonging is about feeling like an accepted and valued part of a community. In its national 2016 report, Community Foundations of Canada (CFC) defined belonging as “being part of a collective we. It’s a two-way street: It’s about communities sending signals of acceptance and inclusion, and about individuals cultivating their own connections to community.” The more we get involved in the community as active participants, then, the more we feel like we belong — but that involvement is easier for some than others. Last year, Victoria’s Vital Signs® looked at what belonging is, and why it matters to people living in Greater Victoria. We focused on a few key groups who historically have struggled harder to feel included: Aboriginal people, seniors, youth, and new immigrants. But there are other groups who struggle, too: people barely scraping by on low incomes, people who live with disabilities, people whose gender identity positions them outside the mainstream. While inclusion begins with the individuals within a society — within the hearts and victoriafoundation.ca 5 minds of the humans therein — it’s often the initiatives, such as setting aside traditional institutions and social structures that dictate the Lekwungen lands in Beacon Hill Park for re- speed, depth, and strength of that inclusiveness. burial of First Nations remains and construction It’s great if the community feels new immigrants of a longhouse. Going forward, City Council are welcome, but unless our policies, systems, will host quarterly meetings with Songhees and and social structures reflect that open door, Esquimalt chiefs and councils, and every public we’ve got a gap in belonging. meeting at City Hall commences with recognition This year, Victoria's Vital Signs® looks at that council work takes place on traditional First how institutions, policies, and social structures Nations territories. create a deeper sense of belonging and inclusion. Educating people about what’s missing is the The good news? Greater Victoria is aglow with place to start when trying to strengthen belonging initiatives and processes that foster inclusion, and inclusion across a community. “Inclusion from programs offering conversational English is one of our most dearly held values,” says for new immigrants to open-mic nights for queer Reverend Melora Lynngood of First Unitarian youth at recreation centres to art installations Church of Victoria. “The first of our seven honouring Indigenous people and the traditional Unitarian Universalist principles is to affirm the It’s great if the territories we share. There is powerful work inherent worth and dignity of all people.” happening in the community. And, as always, First Unitarian's commitment to belonging community feels there is room to grow. includes accessible walkways, pay-what-you-can new immigrants are events, support for an Indigenous library, and welcome, but unless GETTING EDUCATED sermons about how to be deliberately inclusive our policies, systems, UNDERSTANDING BARRIERS HELPS US and affirming of Muslim women, to name a few “ BREAK THEM DOWN examples. First Unitarian also seeks to educate and social structures Becoming a more inclusive society requires a beyond the obvious, calling on its members to reflect