GREATER SAINT JOHN’S 2008 ® Our Region’s Annual Check-Up A Project Of: A MessageTABLE from the Chairman 3 Introductory OF Section 4 Indicators: CONTENTS Gap Between Rich and Poor 6 Safety 8 Health and Wellness 10 Learning 12 Housing 14 Getting Started in Our Community 16 Arts & Culture 18 Environment 20 Work 23 Belonging and Leadership 24 Glossary 26 With the help of a community In dire need of corrective action Of survey,concern, we haveneeds assigned attention the following grades in this report: Progress is being made We’re doing well and head Greater Saint John has top grades, let’s keep it up! Only four sub-groupings per indicator were ed in the right direction graded through the community survey. Get Involved Looking for ways to get involved? Check out the M an p y G action items listed with each indicator. These la un oo c ce iq d ele in ue N simple suggestions can help you make a real br o a ew at u nd s S e. r c i t difference. W om nn or e a m ov ie wh re u at s ic s nit iv h ha y wh e i w rin ni e c g ic tia an so h tiv a m are es ll t e l c ta ak oc au ke e a se pr l s t id tor o e. ie s i n 2 A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN Mission To serve as a trustee of gifts, support charitable organizations and inspire community leadership. Vision To ensure a sustainable future and improve the quality of life in Greater Saint John. We are proud to be part of a national initiative through Community Foundations of Canada called VitalSigns®, by which we “take the pulse” of Greater Saint John, using agreed upon indicators of our quality of life. As a public foundation whose mission is to improve the local quality of life, we need to measure it, rate ourselves and take regular “soundings”. We should celebrate our successes and be open to challenges which demand our collective efforts. Taking a “snapshot” of our community helps us to understand where we have been, where we are and where we should be going. Whether you are a public servant, newcomer, educator, physician, volunteer, social worker, entrepreneur, elected official or interested citizen, it is a valuable tool for all sectors of our community. In 2006, we inaugurated this program with our precursor document “Taking Stock” and in 2007 and 2008 officially participated as a VitalSigns® community foundation. We are pleased to have been able to engage the Saint John Human Development Council to help research and prepare them. Recognizing that it is a subjective process, we expanded the “star” grading process to the broader community this year. We acknowledge the help of over three hundred community members for participating in the online survey. Others helped identify additional sources of data and information against which we can measure ourselves in the ten key indicator groupings and sub-groupings. We thank Community Foundations of Canada for their ongoing support. Through their vision, across Canada, 15 other communities are launching their own versions of VitalSigns® simultaneously. These communities include: Victoria, Metro Vancouver, Calgary, Medicine Hat, Red Deer, Ottawa, Toronto, Oakville, Guelph & Wellington, Waterloo Region, London & Middlesex, Greater Sudbury, Greater Montreal, Fredericton, and Greater Saint John. The VitalSigns® trademark is used with permission from the Toronto Community Foundation, whose original concept sparked interest in making this a national initiative. The Greater Saint John Community Foundation has committed to producing VitalSigns® for a decade. Our hope is that we can look back over ten years and see measurable improvements, as Greater Saint John’s VitalSigns® are evaluated. Michael Doyle, FCA, Chairman Greater Saint John Community Foundation The VitalSigns trademark is used with permission from Community Foundations of Canada. 3 INTRODUCTORY SECTION Population and Demographics According to the most recent census in 2006, the population of the Saint John Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) (which includes the parishes of Petersville, Greenwich, Kingston, Hampton, Upham, Saint Martins, Rothesay, Simonds, Westfield, Lepreau, and Musquash, the Towns of Hampton, Quispamsis, Rothesay, and Grand Bay-Westfield, the City of Saint John, and the Village of St. Martins) was 122,389, which represented 16.8% of the provincial population. The population fell by 289 (0.2%) from its 2001 level of 122,678. 1996 2001 2006 2006 Private Land area in Population Population Population Population Median Dwellings, 2006 km2 Density per km2 Age (2006) (2006) Saint John CMA 125,705 122,678 122,389 40.5 55,583 3,359.5 36.4 City of Saint John 72,494 69,661 68,043 41.3 32,090 315.5 215.7 Rothesay 11,470 11,505 11,637 39.1 4,536 34.7 335.0 Quispamsis 13,579 13,757 15,239 37.5 5,324 57.1 267.1 Grand Bay-Westfield 4,880 4,949 4,981 40.7 1,895 59.7 83.4 St. Martins 396 374 386 42.7 195 2.3 168.5 Hampton 4,081 3,997 4,004 40.0 1,440 21.0 190.6 NB Health Region 2 177,822 175,849 174,869 -- -- 10,600 -- Source: Statistics Canada 4 INTRODUCTORY SECTION Average and Median Family Income Saint John CMA’s 2006 average and median family incomes were $72,722 and $59,600, up from $59,586 and $47,800 in 2000, compared to Canada’s 2006 average and median family incomes of $82,390 and $63,600 and New Brunswick’s of $64,614 and $54,000. Average Family Income in Current Dollars 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Canada $64,650 $67,941 $69,821 $70,881 $73,928 $77,553 $82,390 New Brunswick $52,355 $54,302 $56,244 $57,522 $59,473 $61,751 $64,614 Saint John CMA $59,586 $61,191 $62,691 $64,494 $68,234 $69,603 $72,722 Source: Statistics Canada Median Family Income in Current Dollars 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Canada $50,800 $53,500 $55,000 $56,000 $58,100 $60,600 $63,600 New Brunswick $43,200 $45,200 $46,800 $48,000 $49,700 $51,500 $54,000 Saint John CMA $47,800 $49,600 $51,200 $52,900 $55,200 $57,000 $59,600 Source: Statistics Canada Structure of Employment by Industry Saint John CMA’s 2007 total employment rate was 63.5%, up from 60.4% in 2000. Of its employed citizens, 20.2% were working in the goods producing sector, while 79.8% were working in the service producing sector. For Canada as a whole, 23.6% were working in the goods producing sector, while 76.3% were working in the service producing sector. In New Brunswick, 23.0% were in the goods producing sector and 77.0% were in the service producing sector. Source: Statistics Canada Proportion of Foreign Born Saint John CMA’s 2006 population of foreign born persons was 5,030 (4.2%), compared to Canada’s proportion of 18.4% and New Brunswick’s of 3.1%. The Saint John CMA increased from 4,615 (3.8%) in 2001. Source: Statistics Canada Proportion of the Population Classified as a Visible Minority Visible Minorities 1996 2001 2006 Saint John CMA Minority population % of total population Minority population % of total population Minority population % of total population 2,555 2.1% 3,160 2.6% 3,805 3.1% Source: Statistics Canada Regional Breakdown, 2006 Number of persons classified as a visible minority % of total population classified as a visible minority Saint John CMA 3,805 3.1% Saint John City 3,060 4.5% Rothesay 275 2.4% Quispamsis 215 1.4% Grand Bay-Westfield 15 0.3% Hampton 15 0.4% St. Martins 0 0.0% Source: Statistics Canada Median Age and Age Structure of the Population The population in the Saint John CMA is aging. Between 2001 and 2006 the percentage of the population 65 and over increased from 13.2% to 13.9%. The median age of the population in Saint John was 40.5 years in 2006. Source: Statistics Canada 5 GAP BETWEEN RICH & POOR Child Poverty Rate According to the 2006 Census, the Saint John CMA’s child poverty rate was 18.0%, down from the 2001 Census.The CMA child poverty rate was higher than the national or provincial rate. Saint John CMA’s child poverty rate breakdown: 28.3% (City of Saint John), 10.0% (Rothesay), 3.8% (Quispamsis), and 12.6% (Grand Bay-Westfield). Before Tax Child Poverty 2006 and 2001 (using LICO) Before Tax Child Poverty by Municipality in 2006 (using LICO) 2001 2006 Percent Municipality Pre-Tax Change Poverty Rate Canada 18.5 17.7 - 4.3% Saint John CMA 18.0% New Brunswick 18.1 16.2 -10.5% Saint John 28.3% Saint John CMA 21.7 18.0 -17.0% Rothesay 10.0% Fredericton 13.6 14.2 4.1% Quispamsis 3.8% Montreal 24.6 22.7 -7.8% Grand Bay–Westfield 12.6% Source: Statistics Canada Source: Statistics Canada Overall Poverty Rate According to the 2006 Census, Saint John CMA’s overall poverty rate was 14.7% (down from 17.9% in the 2001 Census). Breakdown: 20.8% (City of Saint John), 7.6% (Rothesay), 4.6% (Quispamsis), and 9.2% (Grand Bay-Westfield). Before Tax Poverty 2006 and 2001 (using LICO) Before Tax Overall Poverty by Municipality in 2006 (using LICO) 2001 2006 Percentage Municipality Pre-Tax Persons in Change Poverty Rate Poverty Canada 16.3 15.3 -6.1% Saint John CMA 14.7% 17,991 New Brunswick 15.7 13.5 -14.0% Saint John 20.8% 14,153 Saint john CMA 17.9 14.7 -17.9% Rothesay 7.6% 884 Fredericton 13.2 13.3 0.8% Quispamsis 4.6% 701 Montreal 22.3 21.1 -5.4% Grand Bay – Westfield 9.2% 458 Source: Statistics Canada Source: Statistics Canada Incidence of Low Income Before Tax, by Neighbourhood 2000 2005 Crescent Valley 68.9% 61.6% Lower West Side 50.7% 56.1% Old North End 52.3% 46.8% South End 44.1% 37.5% Waterloo Village * 38.0% 31.5% Source: Statistics Canada * Note: The Waterloo Village is bounded by City Road, Marsh Creek, Union Street and Carleton Street.