What Have We Been Up To?
The Canadian Index of Wellbeing has been busy leading up to the release of the 2016 edition of our National Index report on November 22nd. We hope you enjoy this update on our projects, community involvement, and more!
The CIW Team Nov. 2, 2016
Oxford County Community Wellbeing Survey
In spring 2016 the CIW partnered with Community Oxford to conduct a Community Wellbeing Survey to learn more about resident perceptions of quality of life in Oxford County. For each of the CIW’s eight domains of wellbeing, information was collected from a random sample of households throughout Oxford County. Following a workshop to review survey results, five themes were chosen for a second report including: Community Engagement, Accessibility, Quality of Work, Health Behaviours and Perceptions, and Environmental Concerns. Comparisons were also made between selected demographic characteristics and previously surveyed communities. Community Oxford (as part of the Future Oxford Community Sustainability Plan) will use this baseline data to help set specific targets outlined in the Plan to move their communities to a future of more sustainable wellbeing.
Ontario Regional Wellbeing Profiles
The CIW recently completed five regional wellbeing reports for the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) as a follow up to our first Provincial Report, How are Ontarians Really Doing?, released in 2014. These reports divide Ontario into five regions, as identified by the Ministry of Community and Social Services (North, East, Central, West, and Toronto) and profile the differences in wellbeing in people’s lives throughout the province. The regional reports will be released by OTF early in December 2016, providing policy makers, program developers and granting agencies with new data to inform decisions that benefit the wellbeing of residents in each region. 
Mapping the CIW to UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
There is a growing interest in measuring and reporting social progress and impact. We are putting the final touches on a Working Paper, commissioned by Manulife, that maps indicators drawn from the CIW’s national index and from questions in the CIW’s Community Wellbeing Survey that align with each of the UN’s SDGs. CIW Director, Bryan Smale, will be sharing the findings at an LBG Canada/Volunteer Canada conference, hosted at Manulife in Toronto on November 10th. Check www.ciw.ca that day to download the report.
National Policy Workshop
On September 15th, policy makers and community leaders from across Canada gathered at the UNICEF Canada head office in Toronto to review the CIW’s latest research and discuss the policies, programs and activities that will move our country closer to achieving a high level of wellbeing for all Canadians. The action-packed day was a success, generating ideas focused on the CIW’s eight interconnected domains, that have informed our National Index report, to be released November 22nd.
Upcoming Launch The 2016 edition of the CIW’s National Index report: How are Canadians Really Doing? will be released on Tuesday, November 22nd, 2016. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates, to read interesting statistics, join the discussions, and share the report!