Sudbury citizens wealthy but give pittance to charity

BY WENDY BIRD

For the first time the Sudbury Community Foundation (SCF) published its 2007 Vital Signs report, a community check-up that measures the vitality of the city and identifies significant trends.

The report was published in the Wednesday issue of Northern Life, and it can be downloaded at www.vitalsignssudbury.ca

The report card data is a compilation of numerous research sources, much of it local, that will help Sudburians get a clearer picture about what is going on in their community.

“People need to be informed about their community,” said Carmen Simmons, executive director with SCF. “This report highlights areas of need.”

The report was launched at the Art Gallery of Sudbury, a venue significant to the study, as research identified the pitiful state of arts funding in the community.

Spending on libraries declined slightly, however, local spending on arts and culture has been slipping in recent years, and local arts grants are below the Ontario median, the report stated.

“This report will be valuable for all Sudburians, including policy makers, students, business people, charities and newcomers to our community,” said Jo-Anne Palkovits, president of the SCF board of directors.

SCF launched Vital Signs to help disseminate local information to a wide range of community groups. The project will benefit SCF, increasing the effectiveness of its grant making and helping to inform donors about issues and opportunities in the community.

“It’s a different way of looking at our community,” Simmons said. “The report will be invaluable to businesses looking at setting up here and it will be helpful to city council in terms of decision making.”

Policy makers will find many interesting revelations in the report. For example, with respect to the environment, Greater Sudbury has been a national and international leader in environmental action, especially on the “regreening” front. However, in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, Sudbury produces far more emissions per capita than any of the other 22 cities studied across Canada. Simmons said this is likely to do with people’s heavy reliance on personal vehicles and relatively little use of public transportation.

The report also notes Sudburians tend to be wealthier than Ontarians and Canadians in general. The city’s median income was $66,100 (2.5 percent higher than Ontario and 9.1 percent higher than the Canadian level). However, in 2005, close to 20 percent of Sudburians lived below the poverty line.

Also in 2005, the median charitable donation for Greater Sudbury was $210. This was lower than the Ontario median ($300) and the Canadian median ($240).

The report also revealed that, although Sudbury is known as a resource-based economy, 77 percent of employed Sudburians work in service-producing occupations.

“Until you take these silos of information and put them side-by-side, you don’t really make the connection,” Simmons said, referring to the comparisons made throughout the report.

“We hope the Vital Signs report will raise important questions that will initiate discussion and lead to action.”

On Oct. 2 a total of 11 cities launched their own Vital Signs reports, including Vancouver, Victoria, Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, St. John, Medicine Hat, Red Deer, Waterloo Region, as well as Sudbury.

Sudbury’s Vital Signs is an initiative of the SCF, however, they consult with a number of community organizations and leaders, including the United Way, the Social Planning Council, the chamber of commerce, the city, the health unit, Laurentian University, the Workforce Partnerships Board, the Sudbury Arts Council and so on.

“Because our community foundation works with a wide range of community groups, we get a comprehensive view of local issues,” Simmons said.

“Measuring our community’s vitality in critical areas will increase the effectiveness of our grant-making, help us to inform our donors about issues and opportunities in the community and assist us in making connections between individuals and groups to address those issues.”