The richer Canada grows, the better our living standards will be. Right?
Well, not exactly. A new index measuring our quality of life offers up troubling news.
. While Canada's GDP - the value of all goods and services produced - grew by 28.9 per cent between 1994 and 2010, Canadians' living standards went up only by 5.7 per cent.
Indeed two particular quality-of-life categories - the environment and pursuit of leisure and culture activities - actually experienced deterioration.
. Worse, in the two years following the 2008 recession, living standards dropped by 24 per cent. GDP in that period dropped by 8.3 per cent.
The Canadian Index of Wellbeing is a creation of the CIW Network at the University of Waterloo, flowing primarily from Statistics Canada data.
The network is co-chaired by former Saskatchewan premier Roy Romanow and onetime federal health minister Monique Begin.
Calculated for the first time in 2011, the CIW aims to complement the traditional GDP measure which, the network asserts, tells only a partial story about how well off Canada is.
The index scrutinizes 64 indicators in eight areas believed to reflect individuals' well-being.
In its just-released report, titled How are Canadians Really Doing?, the network warns: "Despite years of prosperity, our economic growth has not translated into similar significant gains in our overall quality of life.
"Even more concerning is the considerable backslide Canadians have experienced since 2008."
In other words, "Canadians are not reaping many of the potential benefits of improved economic productivity."
That said, one category that has progressed almost in tandem with GDP growth is education.
Both high school and university graduation rates are way up.
A second category, community vitality, also reflects positive news. We have a high rate of volunteering, we feel safe walking after dark, and property and violent crime is way down.
The poverty rate, defined by Statistics Canada's low-income cut-off measure, dropped to nine per cent in 2010, from 14 per cent in 1994.
Canadians also report being more active but spending less on culture and recreation.
Many are caught in a "time crunch," linked perhaps to commute times at their highest levels in 17 years - an average of 60 minutes for a round trip in Vancouver. (Times are driven down by a large number of downtown residents.) Fewer teens smoke but many more of us suffer with depression and diabetes.
While Canadians' average incomes are up, inequality is growing - faster than in the U.S. - and job quality is deteriorating.
The environment has shown the greatest lack of progress, with greenhouse gas emissions up by 9.8 per cent from 1994 to 2010, says the report.
It notes Canada has "one of the biggest ecological footprints per person in the world." Since 1994, it increased by 17.2 per cent.
The network, which says it's non-partisan, hopes its findings will reorient politicians to focus more on social policy.
It recommends more funding for public transit and early childhood education, creation of a cross-Canada network of community health centres, a hike in corporate taxation and more technological innovation to encourage democratic involvement such as Internet voting.
"We have not been making the right investments in our people and in our communities," chastises the report. "It is time public policy focused more on the quality of our lives."
The reality, however, is that the Harper government's focus remains firmly on "jobs and growth."
And the fact the network is headed by Romanow, an NDPer, and Begin, a left-leaning Liberal, may make it easier for Conservatives to simply dismiss this compelling report as a leftie document.
Original Article
Source: canada.com
Author: Vancouver Sun
Well, not exactly. A new index measuring our quality of life offers up troubling news.
. While Canada's GDP - the value of all goods and services produced - grew by 28.9 per cent between 1994 and 2010, Canadians' living standards went up only by 5.7 per cent.
Indeed two particular quality-of-life categories - the environment and pursuit of leisure and culture activities - actually experienced deterioration.
. Worse, in the two years following the 2008 recession, living standards dropped by 24 per cent. GDP in that period dropped by 8.3 per cent.
The Canadian Index of Wellbeing is a creation of the CIW Network at the University of Waterloo, flowing primarily from Statistics Canada data.
The network is co-chaired by former Saskatchewan premier Roy Romanow and onetime federal health minister Monique Begin.
Calculated for the first time in 2011, the CIW aims to complement the traditional GDP measure which, the network asserts, tells only a partial story about how well off Canada is.
The index scrutinizes 64 indicators in eight areas believed to reflect individuals' well-being.
In its just-released report, titled How are Canadians Really Doing?, the network warns: "Despite years of prosperity, our economic growth has not translated into similar significant gains in our overall quality of life.
"Even more concerning is the considerable backslide Canadians have experienced since 2008."
In other words, "Canadians are not reaping many of the potential benefits of improved economic productivity."
That said, one category that has progressed almost in tandem with GDP growth is education.
Both high school and university graduation rates are way up.
A second category, community vitality, also reflects positive news. We have a high rate of volunteering, we feel safe walking after dark, and property and violent crime is way down.
The poverty rate, defined by Statistics Canada's low-income cut-off measure, dropped to nine per cent in 2010, from 14 per cent in 1994.
Canadians also report being more active but spending less on culture and recreation.
Many are caught in a "time crunch," linked perhaps to commute times at their highest levels in 17 years - an average of 60 minutes for a round trip in Vancouver. (Times are driven down by a large number of downtown residents.) Fewer teens smoke but many more of us suffer with depression and diabetes.
While Canadians' average incomes are up, inequality is growing - faster than in the U.S. - and job quality is deteriorating.
The environment has shown the greatest lack of progress, with greenhouse gas emissions up by 9.8 per cent from 1994 to 2010, says the report.
It notes Canada has "one of the biggest ecological footprints per person in the world." Since 1994, it increased by 17.2 per cent.
The network, which says it's non-partisan, hopes its findings will reorient politicians to focus more on social policy.
It recommends more funding for public transit and early childhood education, creation of a cross-Canada network of community health centres, a hike in corporate taxation and more technological innovation to encourage democratic involvement such as Internet voting.
"We have not been making the right investments in our people and in our communities," chastises the report. "It is time public policy focused more on the quality of our lives."
The reality, however, is that the Harper government's focus remains firmly on "jobs and growth."
And the fact the network is headed by Romanow, an NDPer, and Begin, a left-leaning Liberal, may make it easier for Conservatives to simply dismiss this compelling report as a leftie document.
Original Article
Source: canada.com
Author: Vancouver Sun
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