The national Vital Signs report, issued by the Community Foundations of Canada (CFC), measures Canada ’s quality of life in terms of work, learning, public safety, poverty, health and wellness, arts and culture, and the environment. 159 community foundations make up the CFC.

The national Vital Signs report, issued by the Community Foundations of Canada (CFC), measures Canada’s quality of life in terms of work, learning, public safety, poverty, health and wellness, arts and culture, and the environment. 159 community foundations make up the CFC.

The report provides insight into current community strengths, opportunities, and challenges, explains a representative of the CFC. “Our reports are meant to be catalysts for action – guiding our foundations and galvanizing our communities.”

Some highlights from the quality of life report include:

• The proportion of Canadians who have completed post-secondary education has increased by 50 per cent since 1990, to 48.8 per cent.
• The national ratio of doctors to people is 191 per 100,000 people. The number of doctors in Canada increased by 3.6 per cent from 1997 to 2005.
• Violent crime has decreased by 10 per cent since 1991 and property crime has fallen 41.8 per cent.
• Median family income has grown by 6.4 per cent since 2000 (when adjusted for inflation).