Toronto’s Strengths and Weaknesses Identified in City’s Vital Signs Report

Established in 1981, the Toronto Community Foundation is one of the largest community foundations in Canada.  With assets over $255 million dollar this foundation was created for the people of Toronto and by the people of Toronto. Its mission is “to connect philanthropy with community needs and opportunities to ensure the vitality of Toronto and make it the best place to live, work, learn and grow through the power of giving.”

Toronto’s Vital Signs Report 2011 image courtesy of tcf.ca

A collaborative effort of over 170 individuals and organizations, the Toronto Community Foundation’s recent annual report The Toronto Vital Signs 2011 identifies the strengths and deficiencies in different key areas of our city. The report was first introduced 10 years ago. Some highlights noted in the report that Torontonian’s should be proud of includes:

• 1st CIBC Economic Activity Index (out of 25 Canadian metropolitan regions)
• 2nd PricewaterhouseCoopers 2011 Cities of Opportunity (out of 26 global cities)
• 2nd Preferred Destination in North America for International Visitors
• 3rd British Council’s OPENCities Project (out of 26 cities)
• 3rd Exemplary Newcomer  Integration Policies (out of 31 countries)
• 4th The Economist 2011 Livability Ranking (out of 140 global cities) – Economist Magazine
• 4th FDI North American Cities of the Future 2011/2012 (out of 405 cities across North and South America)
• 6th Next Cities Index (ability to attract young talented workers)

Of course there are areas of concern that Torontonian’s should pay attention to and these include:

• Current youth unemployment rates in Toronto is 22% above the national average
• Educated immigrants are twice as likely to be unemployed in comparison to Canadian born Torontonians
• Poverty and child poverty rose 22% and 43% respectively
• Toronto ranks 75th in the world in affordable housing markets
• Transit and commute time rank the poorest amongst 14 other major cities

Broken down by area, other highlights also include:

• Education & Literacy – Enrollment in both high schools and post secondary education institutions continue to decline, while child care centres can only accommodate 1 in 5 children.
• Arts & Culture – Toronto finest attribute with a plethora of city sponsored arts and cultural events, is one of the top 5 North American regions to experience growth in this sector while most arts and cultural organizations have been significantly impacted by the recession.
• Employment – Potentially our city’s biggest liability, unemployment is still the highest rate compared to other regions. Almost 1 in 10 Torontonians are unemployed.
• Transportation – Overall the congestion in our city is our weakest link.  Commuting times total 80 minutes round trip travelling an average of 30km, with transit users adding an additional 16 minutes to those driving vehicles.  As over 100,000 people move into the region every year a significant amount of pressure is put on the transit system.
• New Canadians – Immigrants to Canada and Toronto integrate particularly well based specifically on Migrant Integration policies.  Philippines, India and China comprise the top 3 countries where most Canadian immigrants migrate from.
• Health – Well worth the long-term investment, almost 75% of Torontonians report good or excellent mental health and a decline in smoking rates.  However, children physical activities continue to be subpar mostly contributed to sedentary behaviour and lack of time.  Obesity levels have also been increasing by 20% since 2003.
• Environment – A sustainable and environmentally friendly city, we rank among the best in North America with great scores in air quality, municipal water conservation, residential waste, while we receiving a poor scores in areas such as storm water control, commercial waste and our transportation systems (we wrote about ranking 9th greenest city in North America )
• Housing – Marked as a region with a severely unaffordable housing market, the slowdown in the housing market and increase of new immigrants to the region, have contributed to low vacancy rates.  Overall, the city is falling short in meeting the demand for building new affordable housing, coupled with the increased need for social housing.
• Safety – We can be proud that crimes rates have been in a steady decline over the years, the lowest amongst the 32 Canadian metropolitan areas, with violent crimes dropping for the 5th consecutive year.
• Rich & Poor – The gap between rich and poor in Toronto is widening, mainly due to the recession which stalled the progress in closing this gap prior to 2008 and have contributed to the steady incline of poverty rates.

This comprehensive 177 page report is filled with insights and valuable statistics that comprise the health and vitality of Toronto and is well worth a read.  We should be proud of the accomplishments and strides we have made in our city but still look forward to strengthening our weaknesses so we stay at (or near) the top of provincial, national and international professional (and other) lists.
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