The Sunshine Coast Foundation has released its first full Vital Signs report in a decade and says it’s the first report to the community since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vital Signs 2024 examines several key areas, such as the economy, environment, housing, income, safety, culture, education, and health.
It found that 7000 residents of the Sunshine Coast do not have a family doctor, and the population is getting older, with a median age of 56, compared to 43 for the province.
There were 639 households that made use of the food bank last year.
The Sunshine Coast’s tourism sector contributed over 300-million dollars to the local economy and employed more than 13-hundred people.
Sechelt ranks third in Canada for the proportion of people making a living in the arts.
The number of classes in SD46 with an Education Assistant increased from 138 to 383 over 10 years.
Eighty per cent the Sunshine Coast’s current housing stock is single detached homes.
The Sunshine Coast Foundation says Vital Signs 2024 gives the public and decision-makers a sense of the area’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as providing insight into life on the coast.
Sunshine Coast Foundation Board Chair, Doug Allan says the report demonstrates the “importance of community knowledge and leadership in addressing the social challenges the Sunshine Coast faces,” and the approach puts the needs of the community at the heart of decision making.
The Vital Signs 2024 report is available at the Sunshine Coast Foundation website.
