The events of the past two years have laid bare many of the inequalities long existing in our communities. 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 have all led to the first two years of the 2020s as a time of reckoning.
But with the pain and hardship has come opportunity. The opportunity to do better than we have in the past. The opportunity to face hard truths and come up with viable solutions. The opportunity to heal and grow and change.
Recognizing the important work that needs to be done on equity and inclusion in our own community, the Victoria Foundation chose this subject as the theme of the 2021 Victoria’s Vital Signs.
The capital region is no exception from these hard truths. We know, through both data and lived experiences, discrimination exists in our community, and that for many people in our community the experience of living, working and playing in Greater Victoria is different than it is for others.
Drawing from local, provincial and national data, along with the results of a resident survey taken by nearly 4,000 people in our region, the 2021 Victoria’s Vital Signs explores the experiences of living in Greater Victoria and how we can do better as a community. In addition, Vital Signs provides up-to-date reporting on 12 key issue areas in our community, along with a countdown of the top things to celebrate about our region and the top areas in need of improvement, as chosen by residents of our region.
Also, after 16 years of publishing Vital Signs reports, the Victoria Foundation is this year introducing a new website that is a wealth of information about our community and includes over 80 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 a feature series on this year’s Vital Signs theme of equity and inclusion.
Visit victoria-vital-signs.tracking-progress.org to explore this exciting new resource for our community. And find your copy of the 2021 Victoria’s Vital Signs report in locations throughout Greater Victoria, or online at victoriafoundation.ca.
