03 Jun Sunshine Coast’s Vital Signs 2024 Report Out Now!

The Sunshine Coast’s Vital Signs 2024 report mobilizes the power of community knowledge for greater local impact. It is the Foundation’s first full Vital Signs report in a decade, and it’s also our first report to the community since the COVID-19 pandemic and, in several ways, the first look at how the pandemic impacted the people of the Sunshine Coast.

The goal of our Vital Signs report is to highlight important issues and build community capacity by giving the public and decision-makers a sense of the Sunshine Coast’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as providing insight into aspects of life on the Coast they might not otherwise have known.

The information in this year’s Vital Signs report offers a launch pad for conversations among residents, businesses, community organizations, educational institutions, and government leaders to act and direct resources where they will have the greatest impact.

This year’s report has taken a deep dive into several key areas, including Economic Health, Environment, Housing, Low Income, Safety, Health and Wellness, Arts and Culture, and Learning.

Some key findings from the 2024 report are:

-The median age of Sunshine Coast residents is 56 (BC’s median age is 43).

-1,303 jobs are supported by the tourism sector with an economic impact of $305.1 million.

-32 wildfires reported on the Sunshine Coast and Powell River in 2023.

-80% of the Sunshine Coast’s current housing stock is single detached homes.

-639 households used the Sunshine Coast Community Services Society’s food bank in 2023.

-Local business break and enters up 81% over 2022.

-An estimated 7,000 community members are without a family doctor.

-Sechelt ranks third among all Canadian municipalities in the proportion of people making a living in the arts.

-The number of SD46 classes with an Education Assistant has increased from 138 to 383 in the last 10 years.

Doug Allan, Board Chair of the Sunshine Coast Foundation, stresses, “This year’s Vital Signs report demonstrates the importance of community knowledge and leadership in addressing the social challenges the Sunshine Coast faces. This ground-up approach puts the needs of our community at the heart of how we inspire and strengthen communities where everyone belongs.”

The Sunshine Coast’s Vital Signs 2024 report is part of a global program that has engaged more than 100 communities in Canada and around the world to mobilize the power of community knowledge for greater local impact.

Andrea Dicks, President of Community Foundations of Canada, notes, “Today, we see evidence from coast to coast to coast that many people are being left behind. Programs such as Vital Signs, with its local data and community-driven knowledge, help us make bolder and better decisions that ensure everyone has the support and opportunity to flourish.”

Read the full Sunshine Coast’s Vital Signs 2024 report here:
https://sunshinecoastfoundation.org/vital-signs-2024/

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About the Sunshine Coast Foundation

The Sunshine Coast Foundation is a charitable organization that brings together people who care about the Sunshine Coast community. We strive to inspire and strengthen community on the Sunshine Coast by building endowments, making meaningful grants and being a community leader. Sunshine Coast’s Vital Signs 2024 is the Foundation’s 10^th Vital Signs publication since our first report in 2009.

About Community Foundations of Canada

Community Foundations of Canada is the national network for over 200 community foundations in Canada. Together we are a philanthropic movement working across sectors to help people across the country invest in building strong and resilient communities.

About Vital Signs

Vital Signs is a national program led by community foundations and coordinated by Community Foundations of Canada that leverages local knowledge to measure the vitality of our communities and support action towards improving our collective quality of life.

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