NEWFOUNDLANDNEWFOUNDLAND ANDAND LABRADOR’SLABRADOR’S VVIITTAALLSSIIGGNNSS A provincewide checkup of quality of life REPORT in Newfoundland and Labrador for 2018. A collaboration between the Community Foundation of Newfoundland 2& Labrador and Memorial0 University’s1 Harris Centre.8 WELCOME Who We Are How to Use This Report The Community Foundation of START CONVERSATIONS Newfoundland and Labrador Use the information in this report to talk about how our province is doing The Community Foundation of Newfound- and where we should go from here. land and Labrador promotes and sustains healthy communities across our province PASS IT ON by providing grants to a wide range of com- Share this report and the informa- munity organizations. CFNL combines a tion in it with friends, colleagues, broad, provincewide reach with a grass- family or elected officials. roots focus on small organizations that can have a major impact in their local commu- FIND OUT MORE nities. The foundation’s goal is to address Learn about the organizations and community problems and to enrich the individuals in our province working lives of community members. to improve things, and ask how you can help. @NLFoundation CONTACT US @communityfoundationofnl If you are looking for ways to make a difference, we can help connect you. TAKE ACTION If you are moved by what you read, th Welcome to the 5 use this report as a starting point The Leslie Harris Centre of Regional for action. Edition of Newfoundland and Policy and Development Labrador’s Vital Signs Report The Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development is Memorial University’s LOOKING FOR MORE COPIES? hub for public policy and regional devel- If you would like more copies of the report Rob GREENWOOD Paul McDONALD opment issues. The Centre links Memorial Executive Director, Chair, Community Foundation of for your organization, business or class- faculty, students and staff with groups Harris Centre, Memorial University Newfoundland and Labrador room, please contact CFNL at (709) 753- across Newfoundland and Labrador, 9899 or the Harris Centre at (709) 864- supporting active community engagement. 3143. In the five years since the first Vital Signs sector, cross-sectoral partnerships for food Working with all units at Memorial, the report, many of the issues facing our province production, and government and community Harris Centre builds connections, encour- SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS have remained the same – aging population, partnerships to tackle big issues such as men- ages informed debate and supports collab- What do you think of the statistics in this economic uncertainty and an increasing shift tal health and addictions. With this renewed oration to enhance the province through year’s report? Do you have a story to share from rural to urban. But when you listen effort to work together there is also a growing mutually beneficial partnerships. about the changes you have seen in the closely around kitchen and boardroom tables, recognition and celebration of the differences province in the last five years? Share your many of the conversations are changing. which once divided us, and new programs @harriscentre ideas with us online using the hashtag... and initiatives that aim to bring @harriscentre There seems to be a growing groups together, learn from each focus on innovation and inven- other and build a vibrant, inclu- #VitalSignsNL tion – new ways of looking at There seems to sive province. While a lot of great old problems, and new ways of be a growing work is happening, there is still so capitalizing on core strengths. focus on much more to be done, and many There is also a renewed effort innovation and entrenched issues continue to to collaborate, recognizing that challenge us. we can accomplish more when invention we combine our assets and our Facing challenging issues howev- efforts and incorporate our er, is nothing new to Newfound- unique perspectives. landers and Labradorians, but how we deal with those issues is As we reflect back and identify the changes in changing, and at the heart of it is innovation, our province over the last five years, this tan- adaptation and a willingness to work together. gible shift toward collaborative solutions can We acknowledge that Newfoundland and Labrador is comprised of the traditional been seen through growth in our technology territories of diverse Indigenous groups, and we acknowledge with respect the diverse histories and cultures of the Beothuk, Mi’kmaq, Innu and Inuit of this province. 1 • NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR’S VITAL SIGNS REPORT 2018 A VILLAGE OF If Newfoundland and Labrador was made up of 100100 people there would be approximately... * 4 living in 61 Gander/Gambo aged 2 visible area 4 20 - 64 years minorities 4 aged 4 living in and under Clarenville/ 19 Bonavista area aged 2 5 living in 65+ years immigrants Grand Falls- 15 Windsor/Norris aged Arm area 5 to 19 9 living in 9 7 Trinity Conception Indigenous living in area peoples Corner Brook area 40 5 living in living in Support For Vital Signs Northeast Labrador 49 Avalon men The production of Vital Signs is not possible without financial support from CFNL, the Harris Centre, Saltwire Network and community and business con- tributors. The funds raised cover the basic costs of researchers, writers, graph- ic design and data access. Additional support would allow for more community 51 engagement in creating the report, more in-depth research into specific issues women and the development of more robust online tools to enhance the powerful infor- mation in the report. If you would like more information about how to support NL’s Vital Signs please get in touch. [email protected]. *See map on page 7 for all regions. Source: Statistics Canada NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR’S VITAL SIGNS REPORT 2018 • 2 What are the growth areas of our economy? How has our individual ECONOMY prosperity changed? Are we adjusting to current economic conditions? Top GDP Top Employment Contributing Industries Contributing Industries (percentage share of total GDP) (percentage share of total employment) 2012 2017 2012 2017 Mining, Quarrying, and Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction Oil and Gas Extraction Educational Services Educational Services 34% 24% 8% 7% Construction Construction Construction Construction 9% 12% 9% 9% Real Estate and Real Estate and Wholesale and Wholesale and Rental and Leasing Rental and Leasing Retail Trade Retail Trade 8% 10% 16% 18% Health Care and Health Care and Health Care and Health Care and Social Assistance Social Assistance Social Assistance Social Assistance 8% 8% 16% 18% Public Administration Public Administration Public Administration Public Administration 7% 8% 8% 7% The top five contributing industries have The top five industry employers are the same be- stayed consistent over the past five years tween 2012 and 2017 though their rankings have though percentage share of GDP has changed. changed slightly. In 2017, the top five employ- In 2017, the top five GDP industries accounted ment industries accounted for 59% of overall Sparking Unprecedented Growth for 61% of total GDP. Source: Statistics Canada employment. Source: Statistics Canada While the traditional images of this province’s successful business here,” says Teo. “NL is great rocky shores, pristine forests and wooden because the community that exists here are fishing boats might seem like the furthest thing always willing to help and are supportive of one from the fast-paced world of tech startups, the another.” Unpacking the NL tech sector is seeing unprecedented growth. Investor and entrepreneur Mark Dobbin agrees Gender Wage Gap “The sector has been rapidly expanding since with Teo’s take on the culture of collaboration Women continue to face restrictions on 2014 with many new entrepreneurial support amongst entrepreneurs in NL. “The current their level of engagement in the labour entities emerging to foster the growth,” says generation of entrepreneurs in the province Jenny WRIGHT force because they are still more likely to St. John’s Status of Michelle Simms, President and CEO of Genesis have found a way to work together for their be responsible for unpaid care in the home Women Council which includes Memorial University’s innova- mutual benefit. They freely share ideas, lessons for both children and seniors. Statistics tion hub for technology-based ventures with learned and contacts so that the individual com- Canada reports that women – and particu- larly mothers – accounted for nearly two- high-growth potential. “The focus on innovation panies have a much greater chance of success,” Brenda GRZETIC by the provincial and federal governments said Dobbin, founder and President of Killick thirds of all the hours of household work St. John’s Status of and Memorial University is certainly having a Capital, an investment firm that is currently in- done by Canadian parents. Workplace pol- Women Council profound impact.” The past few years have seen vested in 10 venture companies, eight of which icies for flexible time for parents are gen- significant investments in the sector through are in NL. erally sporadic and poorly implemented. groups like Memorial’s Genesis, Centre for En- Another day, another 66 cents for wom- So, even when a woman welder makes the trepreneurship, Centre for Social Enterprise and Of course, there is still room for improvement. en in Newfoundland and Labrador. Our same wage as the man working beside her, Navigate (a partnership between Memorial’s Teo cautions that scaling businesses is new province has the unfortunate distinction over the course of a year she often doesn’t Grenfell Campus and the College of the North ground for entrepreneurs in NL. “As entrepre- of having the largest gender wage gap work the same number of hours due to Atlantic in Corner Brook). neurs based in NL, we need to invest time and in the country. The reasons behind the family responsibilities, as well as lack of effort in sourcing knowledge and connecting gender wage gap are complex to say the seniority or interest in giving her access HeyOrca is just one of the many startups fos- with entrepreneurs from elsewhere who have least.