The fifth edition of Ottawa’s Vital Signs, an annual tally on the quality of life in Ottawa compiled by the Community Foundation of Ottawa, was released on Oct 5.
The Community Foundation of Ottawa is a non-profit organization that identifies and addresses issues of concern to residents of the city. It was founded in 1987 with the goal of connecting communities to address issues pertinent to improving the quality of life in Ottawa.
The population of the Ottawa-Gatineau metropolitan area in 2009 was reported to be 919,258 — 7 percent of the total population of Ontario. Vital Signs reports that Ottawa’s growth is due to “in-migration, and its residents include diverse visible minorities, predominantly living in the city’s urban core.”
The report examines 11 critical areas within Ottawa, and by doing so highlights the community’s strengths and weaknesses by assigning grades to key issues.
Areas covered by the report include the gap between the rich and the poor, housing, health and wellness, safety, distribution of low income persons living in Ottawa, learning, arts and culture, getting started, environment, work, getting around, belonging and leadership.
The lowest grade, D, was assigned to the gap between the rich and poor and housing while arts and culture and environment scored a B+.
Why you can trust Xtra
