Vital Signs attracts media coverage from coast to coast to coast

Along with our national report – Canada’s Vital Signs 2012 – Vital Youth  – community foundations in 14 communities across Canada also released Vital Signs 2012 reports last week.

And they garnered much media attention, as well. Here’s a sampling:

Calgary:

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Vital+Signs+survey+Calgarians+happy/7329225/story.html

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/story/2012/10/02/calgary-foundation-vital-signs.html

http://www.globaltvcalgary.com/video/kerry+longpre+the+calgary+foundation/video.html?v=2286052831#morningnews/video/special+guests

Toronto:

http://www.thestar.com/specialsections/vitalsigns/article/1264813–toronto-s-vital-signs-report-2012

http://metronews.ca/news/toronto/390444/torontos-vital-signs-report-says-were-doing-not-too-bad/

Clayoquot Sound Region:

http://www2.canada.com/westerly/story.html?id=326c3dea-3930-42f1-9b18-cff568b0f68e

Halifax:

http://thechronicleherald.ca/editorials/143535-halifax-vital-signs-fountain-of-youth-needs-fix

https://charityvillage.com/Content.aspx?topic=Vital_Signs_2012_Halifax

http://metronews.ca/news/halifax/390265/aging-population-reaching-crisis-point-in-halifax-report-suggests/

Victoria:

http://www.ctvvancouverisland.ca/tag/victoria-vital-signs/

http://www.timescolonist.com/Vital+Signs+grade+assessment+Greater+Victoria/7330798/story.html

Medicine Hat:

http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&ved=0CD4QFjAF&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.medicinehatnews.com%2Flocal-news%2Fmedia-panel-discuss-2012-vital-signs-10052012.html&ei=3L52UJW9KoH68gSVvIDgCQ&usg=AFQjCNETFM30SoOOrecLKvv3GN-KQ59r2Q&sig2=b2qw-wpRIe4lIqYqZeEQ4A

Winkler, MB:

http://www.pembinavalleyonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29286&Itemid=33

London:

http://www.lfpress.com/2012/10/01/vital-signs-study-were-broken-we-need-to-heal

http://www.londoncommunitynews.com/2012/10/child-poverty-in-london-doubled-in-two-years-vital-signs-report/

Waterloo Region:

http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/vital-signs-report-explores-how-to-improve-waterloo-region-1.980400

http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/810575–vital-signs-charities-offer-solution-to-decline-in-volunteerism

Hamilton:

http://www.cbc.ca/hamilton/news/story/2012/10/03/hamilton-domestic-violence-vital.html

http://www.thespec.com/opinion/editorial/article/810737–hamilton-lags-on-immigration-and-inequity

Burlington:

http://www.insidehalton.com/news/article/1512238–vital-signs-reports-poverty-youth-issues

Sudbury:

http://www.northernlife.ca/news/localNews/2012/10/02-vital-signs-report-sudbury.aspx

Kingston:

http://www.thewhig.com/2012/10/01/vital-signs-diagnosis-on-communitys-health

Montreal:

https://charityvillage.com/Content.aspx?topic=Vital_Signs_2012_Montreal

http://www.west-end-times.com/index.php/montreal-lags-behind/

“Providing communities with the information they need to make critical decisions about their future is just one of the many ways community foundations help to build smart and caring communities,” said Ian Bird, President and CEO of Community Foundations of Canada.

Our Vital Signs blog is moving! Check out our new home here…

TV partner helps Victoria Foundation spread the word about Vital Signs

By Stephanie Slater

On Sunday, Jan. 22, CHEK TV News aired a special feature story about the 1000 x 5 Children’s Book Recycling Project in Greater Victoria’s Saanich Peninsula.

The next morning, the phones started ringing at The Victoria Foundation, which had sponsored the story – the first in a weekly series called Vital People. 

1000 x 5 is a project supported by the foundation that aims to ensure every child in their region has a minimum of 1,000 books read to them by the time they are five years old. Callers wanted to donate books – and not just a few! Two callers each had collections of hundreds of books. Jim Munro, owner of Munro’s Books, asked for a meeting with the 1000 x 5 project leader. Other callers asked about replicating the program in their communities. One call came from an organization that works with people who have developmental disabilities. They arranged to bring some of their clients to the weekly sessions where the books are cleaned and sorted.

All this from one, three-minute television story! It was an immediate affirmation of the value of the project – a partnership between the foundation and CHEK TV. For a fraction of the regular cost of advertising, Vital People provides a weekly profile of people and organizations working on the vital issues outlined in Victoria’s Vital Signs® report.

“Vital People spreads the messages highlighted in the Vital Signs reports about needs and opportunities to make a difference in our communities,” said Sandra Richardson, CEO of The Victoria Foundation.

The series not only keeps Vital Signs alive throughout the year, it reinforces the community report card as a project of The Victoria Foundation, helping to boost awareness and understanding of the foundation’s breadth of work.

Vital People stories are posted on the foundation’s website and are also available to the organizations profiled for posting on their websites. These stories will also be featured as part of the soon-to-be-launched Community Knowledge Centre – the searchable database that will showcase registered charities that have received grants from the foundation. Stay tuned for more developments!

For another example of bringing the Vital Signs message forward, see the new Vital Signs checklist featured in the January edition of The Victoria Foundation’s Philanthropy page – a monthly newspaper feature sponsored in partnership with Black Press.

Stephanie Slater is Director of Communications with The Victoria Foundation

Charitable donations dropped 5.3% in 2008: StatsCan

The Canadian Press

Reported charitable donations surpassed $8.1 billion in 2008, down 5.3% from 2007. But Statistics Canada says, based on tax returns, the number of donors increased 1.7% to just under 5.8 million.


The agency says the median donation was $250 in 2008, meaning half of the donors gave more and half less — unchanged from 2007.


Donors in Nunavut reported a median donation of $500, tops in the nation for the ninth straight year.

Donors in Prince Edward Island had the second highest median at $370, followed by those in Alberta with $360.

Donors in Abbotsford-Mission, B.C., had by far the highest median donation among cities at $600, the sixth straight year they have led the way.

Kelowna, B.C., followed with a median of $380, slightly ahead of Calgary with $360.

Read today’s commentary about the survey results in the Globe and Mail

Today’s Globe & Mail features our two-page Canada’s Vital Signs insert which features Vital Signs stories from across the country and the results of CFC’s new public opinion survey about quality of life in our communities, conducted by Environics Research Group.

Download the PDF version of the insert.

Read today’s commentary about the survey results, featured in the online edition of today’s Globe and Mail, written by Monica Patten, CFC’s President and CEO and Michael Adams of Environics, (below)

Vital Signs Day 2: Local issues in the media spotlight

• Toronto’s immigrants increasingly marginalized despite living in Canada’s most diverse city

• “Every school should have this program.” Aboriginal students in Hamiltonare completing high school at a rate ten times the national average• Oakville shows third highest gap between the rich and poor among this year’s VS participants

• The economy in Saint John is doing exceptionally well at handling the economic downturn, however there’s a significant shortage of beds in shelters and nursing homes and health concerns are growing

• In Guelph, the richest 10 per cent of families earn six times more than do the poorest 10 per cent

• Taking early action on poverty is key, especially as the number of poor elderly increases in Waterloo

• Although still a top concern, in Calgary residents gave their city a better mark on housing this year over 2008

• Mental health, particularly among youth is a top concern in Ottawa

• Red Deer’s Vital Signs revealed that law and order is perceived by residents as the number one concern. The same day the city announced plans to address security in the downtown core

What’s making early headlines across the country

Today Canadians awoke to tv and radio broadcasts announcing major social and health trends affecting Canadians.

Two significant findings – one on low infant birthweights, and the other a surge in youth unemployment were featured on CBC radio and Canada AM respectively.

On the local scene, the following made early news:
* Central Okanagan’s first Vital Signs Report reveals public concerned about two main issues: the gap between rich and poor and housing
* Calgarians feeling safer as crime rate dips below the national average 
* Ottawa needs to make health improvements its top priority 
* Medicine Hat’s residents are relying more on EI and food banks as a result of the recession 
* Red Deer residents rate law & order top concern, despite drop in crime rate  
* Toronto is described a city of contradictions, an affluent community where the poor get poorer
* Waterloo is experiencing rapid urbanization and an increase in the number of elderly living in poverty
* Victoria residents give their city high marks though youth surveyed are critical of area’s income disparity 
* Wolfville‘s first report report reveals economic inequality and a high child poverty rate  

 Watch for more key news coverage tomorrow and follow us on Twitter for the latest news coverage and information about Vital Signs 2009.

Jobless youth, aboriginal education are focus of community foundations report

This article was distributed to print and broadcast media across Canada by The Canadian Press, Canada’s national news agency and written by Anne-Marie Tobin.  

TORONTO — Concerns about young people, including the unemployed and aboriginal students who are at risk of dropping out of school, are a major focus of a report released Tuesday by Community Foundations of Canada. 

The Vital Signs report compiles statistics on subjects that help reflect the health and well-being of people in communities across the country.

This year, the annual report highlights the rise in youth unemployment from 10.7 per cent in January 2008 to more than 16 per cent this past summer in the midst of the economic downturn. It also notes that 19.2 per cent of students looking for summer jobs were out of luck.

“It’s really been youth who have become even more vulnerable than they have in the past,” said Monica Patten, president and CEO of the organization, which represents 165 community charitable foundations. “The figures for youth trying to find a job tell us that it has been tougher.”

She noted that statistics varied across the country, and some communities experienced the downturn more severely than others. 

Community charitable foundations are tackling the question about how to respond, Patten said.

She pointed to a Toronto sports leadership development program that provides training and accreditation to young people, allowing those from marginalized communities to develop skills such as lifeguarding that will lead to work.

In this program, Patten noted, about 400 young people from 13 communities have received training, and a very high percentage – three-quarters – have completed programs and found work. 

The report also highlights statistics showing that 39.3 per cent of Inuit Canadians 15 and older completed high school, while the rate for aboriginals on reserves was 40.5 per cent. Overall, the high school completion rate for aboriginal Canadians was 56.3 per cent in 2006, compared to 76.9 per cent among non-aboriginals. 

“This has huge implications for their future, for their work, for their sense of self-worth, for their productivity. And that has huge implications for the whole country,” said Patten. 

The 165 foundations provided $169 million to local charities and organizations in 2008. Patten said they received $230 million in new gifts in 2008, whereas in the past, they’ve received more than $300 million a year. 

Investments were way down at one point, but are now reporting a slow but comfortable and steady return, she said. However, it will take several years to get back to where they were a few years ago. 

Besides the statistics on young people, the report highlighted several issues dealing with the population at large:

-Violent crime has fallen 12 per cent since 1991.

-Low birth weight increased from 5.7 per cent in 2002 to 6.1 per cent in 2008, in part due to more pre-term births linked to fertility treatments, an increase in maternal age and C-sections.

-Housing has become less affordable. The average home price in Canada was 3.23 times the average pre-tax income in 2000. By 2006, it had risen to 4.35 times the average pre-tax income.

-Ninety-eight per cent of Canadians with access to recycling programs were taking part in the programs.

-The median charitable donation rose from $170 in 1997 to $250 in 2007, but the proportion of Canadians declaring charitable donations dropped from 25.7 per cent to 24 per cent.

Copyright © 2009 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Media advisory: 8 days until Vital Signs 2009

OTTAWA (Sept. 28, 2009) – Community foundations in 16 Canadian communities are releasing their annual Vital Signs report cards, aimed at measuring the vitality of their communities, on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009. The reports will be posted at http://www.vitalsignscanada.ca/.

Vital Signs gives each community foundation, its donors, and the community-at-large valuable insight into the area’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges. The reader-friendly report cards track quality of life in key areas such as learning, health, housing, and the environment.

“We know leaders, citizens and organizations across the country are looking for ways to have an impact on the challenges facing our communities. Vital Signs provides a blueprint for reflection, discussion and action,” says Monica Patten, President and CEO of Community Foundations of Canada.

This year’s participants are:

• Victoria, BC
• Central Okanagan, BC*
(includes Kelowna and area)
• Sunshine Coast, BC*
• Boundary Communities, BC*
(includes Christina Lake, Grand Forks, Greenwood, Midway, Rock Creek., Bridesville, Beaverdell )
• Calgary, AB
• Medicine Hat, AB
• Red Deer, AB
• Kingston & Area, ON*
• Ottawa, ON
• Toronto, ON
• Oakville, ON
• Guelph & Wellington, ON
• Waterloo Region, ON
(includes Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge)
• Greater Sudbury, ON
• Greater Saint John, NB
• Wolfville, NS*
*denotes a community releasing its first Vital Signs report


Community Foundations of Canada, the national membership association for the country’s 165 community foundations, will also be releasing Canada’s Vital Signs 2009, a national report that tracks trends, shares success stories, and encourages deeper discussion and debate. The report will be published online on Oct. 6 at http://www.vitalsignscanada.ca.


Polling released on Oct. 14
In addition to the publication of Canada’s Vital Signs, Community Foundations of Canada has conducted national polling about the quality of life in our communities. The polling, conducted by Environics Research Group, will be released on Wednesday, Oct. 14 and featured in an insert in The Globe and Mail.


For ongoing updates, follow Canada’s Vital Signs on Twitter.


About Vital Signs & Community Foundations
Canada’s 165 community foundations are local charitable foundations that help Canadians invest in building strong and resilient places to live, work, and play. Together we are one of the largest supporters of Canadian communities, providing $169 million in support of local priorities and organizations in 2008. To find out more visit http://www.cfc-fcc.ca/.


The national Vital Signs project is based on Toronto’s Vital Signs,® an extremely successful indicator report developed by Toronto Community Foundation, which was first published in 2001. Since expanding to the national scene in 2006, Vital Signs has become the platform for local action among a wide range of community leaders, including governments, not-for-profits, philanthropists, the private sector, and individual citizens.


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Media contacts
Anne-Marie McElrone
Director of Communications and Marketing
902.461.8284 (w)
902.223.0674 (c)
amcelrone@cfc-fcc.ca

Skana Gee
Vital Signs Communications Coordinator
902.466.7191 (w)
902.223.5234 (c)
gee.skana@gmail.com


*Communiqué disponible en français

Advertising space still available for October 14 Globe insert

Canada’s Vital Signs is a national report that measures the vitality of our communities and our country by focusing on a series of common indicators included in all Vital Signs reports.
The report will be available online on Tuesday, October 6 and will also be featured in an insert in the October 14th edition of The Globe and Mail, Canada’s largest national newspaper.
Advertising for the insert is still available. For information download our ad info sheet (PDF) now.