Measuring a sustainable community

( Fort McMurray, AB – January 26, 2006) The Regional Municipality with the Athabasca Regional Issues Working Group (RIWG) and Suncor Energy has developed the first Sustainable Community Indicators for the Wood Buffalo region. The indicators can be used to measure quality of life in our community as compared to other communities in Alberta. The comparator communities include Edmonton, Grande Prairie, and Medicine Hat.

“The committee first looked at more than 1,000 indicators. This was eventually narrowed down by community stakeholders and the municipality to 21 indicators,” says Beth Sanders, manager, planning and development. “The 21 indicators selected measure the quality of life in the Wood Buffalo region, identify pressure points and track progress toward sustainability.”

The indicators include: economy – affordability and housing affordability; environment – air quality, water use and recycling/composting; public safety - crime rate and traffic collision rates; community – United Way donations and volunteering; government – voter participation; recreation/culture – facilities; housing – availability; transportation – public transit use; health – physicians and length of stay in emergency room; and other population resources – growth rate, migration and population by age and sex.

“The indicators studied provide a mixed picture of the quality of life in Fort McMurray and the Wood Buffalo region,” continues Sanders. “The indicators show both strengths and weaknesses. Having this statistical data will allow the municipality to strategically plan for our future knowing we’re making informed decisions that address our pressure points. This will be key as we will continue to experience growth for many years to come.”

The indicators show that high incomes more than compensate for the higher cost of living for most residents of Fort McMurray, but for many the cost of living is rising more quickly than income, due primarily to increases in the cost is housing. In other words, the “affordability advantage” enjoyed by most Fort McMurrayites is decreasing. The higher cost of living in Fort McMurray places a serious burden on families living on low or modest incomes, especially lone-parent families, and rising costs are increasing that burden.

On the environment side, air quality in downtown Fort McMurray is generally but not always better than in Edmonton. Fort McMurray residents could do more to reduce their ecological footprint, since they use more water, recycle less and use public transit less than residents of Edmonton.

The indicators show that public safely concerns of Fort McMurray residents are justified where crime is concerned, since the overall crime rate in the urban service area is higher than in most comparator communities and in the province as a whole. On a more positive note, crime rates in Fort McMurray have been decreasing.

Community involvement of Fort McMurray residents suggests both financial generosity and shortage of time. They give more generously than most comparator communities to the United Way, but they volunteer and vote less.

Where health services are concerned, residents of Fort McMurray have cause for both concern and comfort. There are fewer physicians in Fort McMurray relative to population than in any other health region in Alberta, but there are shorter emergency room wait times than in the comparator health regions.

The Sustainable Community Indicators provide the municipality baseline data to measure and determine improvements in quality of life in our community. Data will be updated on an ongoing basis as each indicator is measured at different intervals.

The working and summary documents of the Sustainable Community Indicators can be viewed on our website by PDF. Hard copies of the working document or a CD containing the working and summary documents can be purchased through the Planning and Development Department, 4 th floor, Municipal Hall.

-30-

Media contacts:
Beth Sanders
Manager, Planning and Development
Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo
(780) 743-7881

Brenda Erskine
Director, Community Relations
Suncor Energy
(780) 799-6964