VICTORIA– Exploring the topic of equity and inclusion is at the heart of the 2021 Victoria Vital Signs program. The theme focuses on the uneven hardships of the pandemic, the rallying cries for racial and gender equity, and the tragic reminders of the past and present injustices towards Indigenous peoples in this country.
Through resident opinions, data-driven Equity Snapshots, and a series of feature articles from local authors, the 2021 Victoria’s Vital Signs sheds light on collective successes, and what we have to work on when it comes to equity and inclusion in our region.
“With everything we’ve seen in our community, and around the world, especially over the past two years, we recognize that issues of equity and inclusion remain deeply important to investigate, reflect on, and find solutions to,” said Sandra Richardson, CEO of the Victoria Foundation. “Every community has room for growth when it comes to these issues, and Greater Victoria is no exception. Through our 2021 Vital Signs program we resolved to bring equity and inclusion to the forefront to inspire important conversations and help our community become a kinder place for all.”
This is just one of the many fascinating areas explored in the 2021 Vital Signs program via a combination of data and the results of a survey completed by over 3,700 residents in our region.
Along with questions on equity and inclusion, residents also weighed in on how our region is faring in 12 key issue areas and provided information on how they are managing the COVID-19 pandemic in its second year, to bring to light some of the greatest triumphs and challenges of our region. The overall quality of life, as graded by survey respondents, has remained the same from 2020, sitting at a B, and out of the 12 key issue areas the report focuses on, seven have seen a change in grade.
Victoria’s Vital Signs and its publication is made possible with the support of presenting sponsor Coast Capital.
“Having quality, year-over-year data about the needs of the region is a strength of the Vital Signs program. The Vital Signs report, along with the subsequent conversations and action, is possible thanks to key partnerships including from presenting sponsor Coast Capital,” said Richardson. “It will be great to build on the conversation created by the report at the 2021 Vital Conversation: Building an Inclusive Economy on October 20 in partnership with Coast Capital.”
The magazine-style final report is available at various locations throughout the community, as well as online at victoriafoundation.ca.
New this year, after 16 years of publishing Vital Signs reports, the Victoria Foundation is now introducing an online companion website that is a wealth of information about our community and includes over 60 measurable indicators on our quality of life. Vital Victoria also includes news and reports related to the indicators and issue areas, measurements tracking the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and an exclusive feature series on this year’s Vital Signs theme of equity and inclusion.
