MINUTES

VitalSigns Committee Meeting

Date: October 5, 2010

Time: 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm local time
Location: GAI Boardroom
Attendees: Committee Members
Denise English Ron Oszust
Lynne Romano Holly Magoon
Nola Milum Devin Solberg
Ryan Watmough Krys Sikora
Regrets:
Laurel Fisher Karen Cathcart

Deadlin Discussion Item Resolution/Act

es ion
Call to Order: 2:00 pm by Denise
1. Approval of Agenda
- applications for new members
2. Approval of Minutes – Aug 30, 2010
- Carried.

3. Evening debrief
- Positive to and try
- Ron: no comments
- Denise E: liked the enthusiasm, disappointed by the turnout
- Ryan: like the new faces,
- Lynne: rich conversation, would have liked to see more, new
people; need to identify gaps first, move meeting to a non-
meal time
- Holly: away at meeting
- Nola: pleasantly surprised at some of the new faces; may
have missed the explanation of the Open Space Forum, we can
better define the limits of the discussion.
- Devin: will come back to him
4. Results and distribution of results
- Lynne presented the notes from the meeting
- A table was started, which will be completed by the sub-
committee and used to determine what we’ll present to the
Public at the next meeting
- Vital Signs Goals:
1. To measure the health of community
2. To provide accessible information

VSAC 10.08 1
 3. To engage community
4. To encourage action on issues
Next steps 1. Denise will
Novemb - Determine how to get ‘community engagement’ contact Leanne
er - What demographics need to be represented? and find out how
15t - Directly engage business, youth, non-profits, schools, health to ‘engage the
h
experts community’,
http://goldenandareaavitalsigns2011.blogspot.com target the
demographics,
and the
sequence of
events
2. Ryan to
publish news
release
3. Lynne & Co.
to complete
table below by
November 1st
4. Committee to
read all
documents on
the VS Blog
Next Meeting:
November 15th, 4:30pm @ GAI Boardroom
Adjournment: 3:30 pm

2
Example: Issue Areas & Indicators
- Look to 2010 Reports and BaseCamp for ‘new’ indicators

Which indicators are community foundations measuring?

Each community chooses its own indicators, but every year there are a set of common issue areas
and core indicators that all foundations include in their reports and upon which Community
Foundations of Canada bases its national report.

Community foundations consult with a wide range of local groups to ensure their indicators capture
their area's unique issues and attributes. For instance this set of core indicators may include:

•Violent crime rate

•Aboriginal high school completion rates
•Youth unemployment rate
•Birth weights

Vital Signs issue area Vital Signs 2009 indicator

The Gap Between Rich and Poor Total Income
Safety Violent Crime Rate
Health Incidence of Low Birth Weight
Learning Aboriginal High School Completion Rates
Housing Gross Income Shelter Ratio
Getting Started Youth Unemployment Rate
Arts and Culture Earnings for Professional Occupations in Arts/Culture
Environment Household Recycling Rate
Work Employment Rate
Belonging and Leadership Charitable Donations

How is Vital Signs different from other indicator initiatives?

There are a variety of indicator initiatives across Canada. Some track specific issues at a local level,
such as a police board monitoring crime levels. Others analyze national data from a particular
perspective, such as sustainability. All play an important role in helping us better understand our
communities.

Vital Signs builds on existing initiatives in four valuable ways:

•Collate broad range of data. Community foundations develop a distinctly broad picture of the
community using relevant national data and identifying local research on a wide range of subject
areas.
•Engage the community: Vital Signs reflects the community because it involves the community at
every level, from determining the report's indicators and exploring research sources, to assigning
grades.
•Create a national report: Because community foundations across Canada are participating in this
project we are able to provide Canadians with a national snapshot of the issues that are critical to
the vitality of our country and our communities. By linking data, stories and expert insight from
communities across the country, CFC hopes to engage Canadians in a deeper discussion about
national trends and to explore issues that are key to our shared success in the future.
•Publish research you can read! Community foundations are committed to publishing a reader-
friendly document that appeals to a wide range of readers looking for a snapshot of quality of life
and of community vitality.

VSAC 10.08 3
Table: Using 2009 & 2010 VS Indicators
Public Consultation Input from September 23, 2010

Discussion VS VS Research Metric/Stat/Dat Next Steps

Points Indicator - Indicator - & Key a Set
1 2 Contacts
Equity gap Gap between Work
between rich rich & poor
& poor
Funding
Democratic
Deficit/
Dislocation of
government
Youth Belonging & Getting
engagement Leadership started
Diversity Environment
respect for
differing views
Employment Work
Healthy Work Learning
business
Communicatio
n
Expectations
Marketing
Golden to the
world
Transportation Getting Safety
around
Project Work
completion
Community
apathy/engag
ement