How are the residents of ottawa really doing presentation

How are the residents of Ottawa really doing?

A report on the wellbeing of the Ottawa community using the Canadian Index of Wellbeing framework

Purpose To present a snapshot of the wellbeing of Ottawa residents from the perspective of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing  Why the Canadian Index of Wellbeing project? 

◦ Canadian Index of Wellbeing indicators from secondary sources ◦ Community programs in Ottawa aimed at improving community wellbeing ◦ Policy asks for the upcoming municipal election

Overview of today’s presentation What is the Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW)?  Review of data available for Ottawa for select indicators in each domain  Top areas of concern 

What is wellbeing? “The presence of the highest possible quality of life in its full breadth of expression focused on but not necessarily exclusive to: good living standards, robust health, a sustainable environment, vital communities, an educated populace, balanced time use, high levels of democratic participation, and access to and participation in leisure and culture.�

- Canadian Index of Wellbeing, University of Waterloo

An ecological view of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing domains Broad social, economic, cultural, health, environmental conditions Living and working conditions Social, family & community influences

Democratic Engagement Education

Living Standards

Environment Community Vitality

Leisure & Culture

Individual factors Time Use

Healthy Populations

Source: The Institute for Medicine Board on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. (2003). Who Will Keep the Public Healthy? Education Public Health Professionals for the 21st Century.

Data sources Statistics Canada - Census; Canadian Community Health Survey; Labour Force Survey  Ottawa Vital Signs reports  Ottawa Neighbourhood Study 

Healthy Populations

Individual factors Time Use

Healthy Populations

Life expectancy, personal well-being, functional health, physical health, and mental health ď‚— Lifestyle choices, health care services, and public health ď‚—

Findings The majority of Ottawa residents perceive their own health as excellent or very good  Life expectancy in Ottawa comparable to Ontario and Canada  More Ottawa residents get the flu shot  Teen (12 to 19 year-olds) smoking rates appeared to have decreased but rate remains high among 20 to 34 year-olds 

Findings, cont’d More female seniors spend their life in ill health compared to males  Higher diabetes mortality rates among seniors  Higher burden of disease due to diabetes in males  Higher proportion of Ottawa residents are affected by mood disorders, including depression, compared to Canada 

Time Use

Individual factors Time Use

Healthy Populations

Gendered, life stage approach (children, working age adults, seniors) ď‚— Each gender and life stage group show unique time use patterns and challenges ď‚—

Findings A good proportion of parents in Ottawa read daily to their children aged 0 to 5  Average commute time to work is 15 to 29 minutes for half of Ottawa’s population, higher than the Canadian average. 

Community Vitality

Social, family & community influences Community Vitality

Leisure & Culture

Social relationships, social norms and values ď‚— Social engagement, social support, crime and community safety, and attitudes towards others and the community ď‚—

Findings High volunteer rate that observed a declined between 2004 and 2007 ď‚— Ottawa residents had consistently reported a lower sense of community belonging from 2003 to 2012. ď‚—

Findings

Both property and violent crime rates have been declining since 1998 1600 1400

Rate per 100,000 population

ď‚—

1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0

Canada Ontario Ottawa

Leisure & Culture ď‚—

Social, family & community influences Community Vitality

Leisure & Culture

Participation, perceptions, experience, and opportunities

Findings ď‚—

Expenditures on recreation has been steady over between 1997 to 2006

Environment

Living and working conditions Education



Natural environment:

Living Standards

Environment

◦ Waste and damage prevention ◦ Quality and sustainability of our resources



Difficult to measure for Ottawa:

◦ Data unavailable ◦ Indicators meant to be measured at national and provincial levels

Findings 

Ottawa produces fewer GHG emissions compared to Canada ◦ Skewed towards regions with more energy production activities

% of residential waste diverted to landfills increased between 2009 and 2010  Water quality in the Ottawa River decreases as a result of our activities 

Education

Living and working conditions Education



Lifespan approach

◦ learning process that continues throughout the life course



Living Standards

Environment

Early childhood education, school readiness for kindergarten-aged children, competencies of youth in middle school, high school completion, and postsecondary education

Findings ď‚—

Higher need for childcare spaces than available spaces

Findings, cont’d Many of our senior kindergarten students meet the developmental expectations for school entry  High school completion rate in Ottawa is higher compared to Ontario and Canada  Higher university degree attainment compared to Ontario and Canada 

Living Standards

Living and working conditions Education

Living Standards

Environment

ď‚—

Income levels and distribution, economic security, poverty, employment and unemployment rates, job quality, and access to housing and food

Findings From 1987 to 2013, the employment rate decreased slightly overall 70 68

Employment rate, %

ď‚—

66 64 62

Canada

60

Ontario

58

Ottawa

56 54 52

Findings From 1987 to 2013, the unemployment rate decreased overall 12 10 Unemployment rate, %

ď‚—

8 6 4 2 0

Canada Ontario Ottawa

Findings Poverty continues to be a concern, with the young being most vulnerable  From 1987 to 2013, the employment rate increased and the unemployment rate decreased  One in five Ottawa families are considered living in unaffordable housing  Food insecurity affects 8% of Ottawa households 

Democratic Engagement

Broad social, economic, cultural, health, environmental Democratic Engagement

Individual, government, and global levels  Includes not just participation but also attitudes toward politics, satisfaction with democracy, gender equality in government, and Canada’s commitment to global development 

Findings Voter turnout in Ottawa is declining for elections at all three levels of government  Only 25% of elected officials are female  Ottawa residents are more likely to be very dissatisfied than very satisfied with their municipal government’s performance 

Data gaps Only select indicators are covered under each domain  We do not have enough data to produce a composite index for Ottawa  We don’t know how Ottawa is doing with respect to the indicators that we do not have data for 

Conclusions and areas of concern 

Overall, the residents of Ottawa: ◦ enjoy good health; ◦ are well educated; and ◦ live in a place with low crime rates

But...

Conclusions and areas of concern



Need for childcare spaces far exceeds the number of available spaces for over 70% of our wards Living Standards



Connectedness



◦ Poverty affects 11.7% of our population ◦ Affordable housing is an issue for one in five Ottawa families ◦ 8% of households are food insecure ◦ Consistently lower sense of community belonging reported since 2003 ◦ Lower voter turnout

Questions?