Checking the city’s vital signs

The Community Foundation has released its annual Vital Signs report. It provides the latest statistics and relevant facts to provide a snapshot of the well-being and livability of the city.

“It’s a really great way to make sure our granting is effective,” said Joey Going, communications coordinator with Community Foundation. “And seeing if there are any gaps in services that we can maybe direct our granting towards.”

The completed report shares stories and figures on a variety of topics, like immigration. Lethbridge has 1,000 Bhutanese refugees living and working in the city, making it the largest Bhutanese population resettlement in Canada.

“Immigrant services is one of the busiest places I’ve ever visited,” said Going. “They do an amazing job. They really are trying to find ways to get the refugees involved in the community.”

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Not all the statistics are flattering. A number of studies have been done on early childhood development and show that 25.7% of southwestern Alberta’s 5-year olds are experiencing great difficulty in one or more areas of development (Physical Health, Social Competence, Emotional Maturity, Language and Thinking Skills, Communication Skills and General Knowledge).

The report also recognizes the fact that Canadian youth ages 8-18 are not getting the recommended amount of physical activity. On average, per week, a youth will spend 42 hours on multimedia and under nine hours exercising.

“The issue is trying to find ways to reverse that. So for the Foundation, a lot of that is why we fund things like the skate park or playgrounds and walkways. Things like that to try and get kids out there.”

There is also a drop in activity at the voting booth. Despite a rising population, the Vital Signs report shows an 8.2 percent drop in voter turnout of 61.9% in 2004 to 53.7% in 2011.

To view the report for yourself, visit: http://www.vitalsignscanada.ca/en/foundations-42-community-foundation-of-lethbridge-southwestern