Vital Signs 2011 shows expanding senior and dwindling young adult populations on the Coast dealing with a lack of affordable housing and a high cost of living, almost equal to that of Metro Vancouver.
Vital Signs 2011 is a report on 10 key areas of interest, each with four to six selected indicators that are measurable, compiled by the Sunshine Coast Community Foundation.
"Vital Signs has as its goal to raise awareness of important issues in our community, to build community capacity through shared knowledge for good decision making and to build a platform for good decision making and grant support that gives direction for charitable donations here on the Sunshine Coast," said Vital Signs co-manager Don Basham. "In Vital Signs we were trying to capture the essence of something that is short, something that is factual and something that is accountable."
The report was officially released to the public Oct. 4 at an early Tuesday morning launch at the Seaside Centre.
"What I see as the most pervasive theme in the material that we reviewed and in the report itself is the aging of our population," said Vital Signs 2011 co-manager Catharine Esson at the launch. "This isn't, of course, a new story, nor of itself a positive or negative one. It is, however, a significant continuing trend which will impact a wide variety of aspects of our life on the Coast."
In the first area reported on, titled Our Community, Esson talked about statistics around population, provincial gaming grants and B.C. Ferries.
"One trend that stuck out for me and may have particular implications for planning is that the greatest increase in population has been in those aged 55 to 65. In 2000, that group constituted 12 per cent of the population. By 2010, it constituted a whopping 20 per cent of the population," Esson said.
The Sunshine Coast's median age is 50.4 years old, 10 years older than the B.C. median age.
Also shown is the decrease of gaming grants to the Coast. In 2008/09 the Coast received $1,026,113 in gaming grants; in 2010/11 that total was only $541,115.
Esson also reported that ferry rates have gone up by 12.7 per cent from March 2009 to December 2010.
Under the heading of learning, statistics show a decline in the number of students but some positive elements about the quality of education on the Coast.
There have been improvements in the testing of kindergarten readiness and improvement in high school completion rates. The completion rates have risen to 79.2 per cent for the 2009/10 school year, up from 73.7 per cent in 2005/06.
On the environment front, statistics show gradual improvements in key environmental indicators of water consumption, recycling and landfill disposal.
In 2010 Coasters used nine per cent less water than in 2008, and in 2010 Coasters diverted 9,570 tonnes of solid waste from the landfill through recycling, which is up from 8,841 tonnes in 2009.
Bus ridership is up five per cent from 2008 figures, but the number of cars on the road is also up. There has been an increase of 2.5 per cent in traffic between 2005 and 2010.
In the realm of health and wellness, the Coast scored high in some areas and low in others.
"The statistics are generally positive," Esson said. "BC Stats ranks the Sunshine Coast third among regional districts on the composite index of health that's based on life expectancy at birth, teen pregnancy rates, infant mortality rates and potential lives lost due to premature death."
Also positive is that recreation membership increased 10 per cent from 2009 to 2010. While those numbers are encouraging, there is some serious concern for the health and wellness of vulnerable community members.
"A 2008 survey of high school students in the Coast Garibaldi Health area suggests a high rate of alcohol and drug use among teens in this area and in the province as a whole," Esson said.
The Sunshine Coast also has a higher proportion of children in care than the province and there's a shortage of facilities for seniors needing residential health care on the Coast.
Statistics show a decline in the number of young people on the Coast.
In 1990, six per cent of the Coast's population was aged 25 to 29; by 2010 that number had dropped to just 2.4 per cent.
Lack of entertainment and night time options were targeted as major issues for the young adult age bracket, as was the need for more local post-secondary options.
Housing was another area that did not score high for Sunshine Coasters.
"The news has not been particularly positive. Prices have risen more on the Coast than in B.C. generally for the last decade," Esson said.
Building permit numbers have declined across the Coast and many of the Coast's homes are owned by non-residents. Fifty-four per cent of homes are owned by people who do not live here regularly.
Affordable and special needs housing was highlighted as a major concern in this area.
"For example, the YEW Transition House, which provides housing for at-risk women and children for a maximum of 30 days, had to turn away four times as many people last year as the same period two years ago," Esson said.
Eighty-six per cent of respondents rated the availability of housing as fair, poor or a serious problem.
The Coast's economic health has been mixed and volatile during the past few years, but there are some signs of improvement.
The unemployment rate dropped from 439 people on Employment Insurance in 2009 to 270 in 2011.
Retail sales and hotel room revenues have also increased consistently since the recession.
One economic indicator that has not been positive is the gross domestic product coming from the Coast.
"The value of all goods and services we produce on the Sunshine Coast has declined every year for at least eight years," Esson said.
Satisfaction with the arts and culture sector is high, showing the majority of respondents rating it good or excellent. A decrease in gaming grants is hurting this sector, but increasing grants from local government have taken up some of the slack.
And in the area of safety, the Coast ranks high.
B.C. Statistics rank the Sunshine Coast as the third best among regional districts with a very low incidence of serious violent crime, serious property crime, motor vehicle thefts and illicit drug deaths.
The first Vital Signs report was published in October, 2009. To compile the 2011 Vital Signs report, the Foundation brought together community leaders and sourced statistics for the Sunshine Coast from all levels of government. In late August, community grading of the sectors was sought and the final report tabulated.
For more details on the process and to view the entire report, along with all of the data used to compile findings, see www.sccfoundation.com. Highlights of the report are also in Coast Reporter this week on pages 32 and 33.
