Community Wellbeing Strategy

The draft Strategy was developed based on:

• Existing plans and policies including the 1998 Social Plan and 2014 Official Community Plan
• Community input from the You Me Us process in 2018-19, and ongoing stakeholder engagement
• Community input shared through the Fall 2021 public engagement. Review our What We Heard report.
• Ongoing work and input from interested and impacted parties, non-profits, businesses, First Nations, other levels of government
• Current trends, best practices, and precedent research
• Gaps identified in our current programs and services
• Public health information
• City’s related work on: Housing Needs Report; Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion; Child Care Action Plan; Mobility Strategy; Climate and Environment Strategy; Economic Strategy; and more.

The draft Strategy includes six key pathways focused on enhancing and supporting our wellbeing. Each pathway provides clear policy directions and a series of objectives that communicate expectations and guide decision-making. 

The six pathways are: 

• Complete Communities: Create a City that is complete, connected, socially active, and where daily needs are met within a short walk or roll of every home. 
• Housing for All: Expand the supply and improve the quality, diversity, and affordability of housing in the City.
• City for All Ages: Create a City that contributes to wellbeing for all ages and phases of life.
• Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA): Create an inclusive City, where we celebrate diversity, and we commit to equity and accessibility for all.
• Poverty Reduction and Inclusive Economy : Include all residents in local economic opportunities and work together to break the cycle of poverty.
• Advocacy, Partnerships and Financial Supports: Build equitable and supportive partnerships that advance the City’s priorities for wellbeing, align City resources and funding, and advocate for the community’s needs. 

The Strategy is being developed, through the following process: 

Background Research | 2018 - 2020 | Complete

Researched existing plans, policies, trends, gaps, issues, best practices review, and public input. 

 

Develop Early Ideas | Spring/Summer 2021 | Complete

Developed draft vision, goals, and strategies. 

 

Phase 1  – Community Engagement | Fall 2021 | Complete

Gathered public input on preliminary vision, goals, and strategies and held stakeholder discussions.

 

Develop Draft Strategy | Winter 2021 - Spring 2023 | Complete

We've finalized a draft Community Wellbeing strategy that incorporates feedback from our previous engagement and a peer review process.

 

Phase 2 - Community Engagement | Summer - Fall 2023 | Current Stage

We’re currently in Phase 3!

We are sharing the draft Community Wellbeing Strategy and are seeking further community feedback.

 

Finalize Strategy | Winter 2023 (anticipated)

Finalize the Community Wellbeing Strategy and implement it.

The Strategy will help us build a City where everyone belongs and has opportunities to thrive. We aim to achieve this by focusing on: 

• Connection: Our City connects people with each other and to their daily needs closer to where we live.
• Equity: Our City is shaped by a diverse and inclusive representation of voices, experiences, and contributions.
• Investment: Our City’s social infrastructure (spaces, places, services, and programs) is consistently invested in and maintained over time, to benefit both the economy and society

What does community wellbeing mean?



Wellbeing is a highly subjective and broad term. This definition recognizes that community wellbeing is multi-faceted and impacted by many things, but in its simplest form it is about people’s health, happiness, belonging, and quality of life. 

Sutherland Secondary School’s Global Perspectives students created documentary films on what community wellbeing means to them – watch them now!

 

What influences our wellbeing?

Our health and wellbeing, both as individuals and as a whole community, are strongly influenced by the conditions in which we are born, grow, live, and age. The social conditions that determine our health (called “social determinants of health”) include a mix of factors:

*Alt text provided for accessibility.

People in our City experience different social conditions based on their own experiences and identities within the social determinants of health. The term “intersectionality” describes how our overlapping and interconnected identities work on multiple levels, resulting in unique experiences, barriers, and/or opportunities for each person.

Inequities in health and wellbeing are largely caused by systemic, avoidable factors, and are often outside the control of the people who are affected. To reduce these inequities, we need to reduce barriers, create enabling conditions, and commit to progressing health, happiness, belonging, and quality of life for everyone.