The votes have been counted, the referendum arguments finally won or lost, and Salt Spring will go on going on. But how much do you really know about the place you call home?
For the past six months, the Salt Spring Island Foundation has, with professional help, been compiling VitalSignsÂź, a compelling report that looks under the covers of our little island.
There are 10,557 of us (at last count) and, truth be told, weâre toward the grey end of the scale. Our average age is 50.3 years old, but more than 40% of us are over 60. And weâre a responsible lotâ76% of us turned out to vote in the provincial elections compared to a feeble 61% for the rest of the province.
Salt Springâs Vital Signs report isnât just a simple survey. It is part of a national program led by local foundations and coordinated by Community Foundations of Canada. It uses local knowledge to measure the vitality of the community and will support action toward improving our quality of life. The 24-page report has 12 areas of special interest, including arts and culture, health and wellness, housing, the environment, seniors, work and the economy and more.
Some of its findings are uplifting, some depressing, and some downright weird. We live longer, and volunteerism on the island is flourishing. Compared to the rest of the province, weâre mostly educated to a remarkably high level but with little prospect of furthering our education without getting off the island.
While the Vital Signs report is so much more than mere number crunching, the numbers themselves are fascinating. Would you like to know how many books were borrowed from the library? How many kilometres of public trails there are on the island? Or how the cost of a basket of healthy food purchased here compares with the cost in Victoria? Vital Signs has these statistics and many more.
Away from the numbers, find out how islanders rate their mental health, what keeps them on the island, or which local issues most concern them.
The attractively designed Vital Signs report is free to anyone and will be available on the Foundation website, along with the Vital Signs survey results. But if you want to pick up a copy and learn more about how it was compiled, why not attend the Vital Signs launch at the Salt Spring Island Public Library on October 3? The launch runs from 2:30 to 5 pm and there will be two presentations, at 2:45 and again at 4. Representatives of the Foundation will be on hand to answer your questions about Vital Signs. Copies of the report will also be available at the Foundation office, 158A Fulford Ganges Road, after October 3.
The Foundation is grateful to the generous sponsors who stepped up to help make the report a reality: Country Grocer, the CRD, the R. Joni Ganderton Group and BMO Nesbitt Burns, Investors Group and Markus Wenzel, Mouatâs, and Pharmasave.
