A Canada Pulse Insights poll found residents across three B.C. regions gave their communities an average grade of C+ for quality of life, while housing plans received the lowest marks.
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Residents across Metro Vancouver, Vancouver Island, and the Okanagan Valley gave their communities an average grade of C+ for quality of life in a new Canada Pulse Insights poll.
The survey assessed 13 aspects of local life. Parks and green spaces were rated the strongest, receiving B grades in Metro Vancouver and the Okanagan Valley and a B+ on Vancouver Island. On Vancouver Island, 85 per cent of residents gave parks and green spaces an A or B.
Municipal plans to make housing more accessible and affordable scored the lowest in all three regions, receiving a C-. Around four in 10 residents said their municipality’s housing plans deserved a failing grade: 38 per cent in Metro Vancouver, 40 per cent on Vancouver Island, and 41 per cent in the Okanagan Valley. Just 21 to 23 per cent in each region gave those plans an A or B.
Vancouver Island received the highest overall quality-of-life grade, at a B. Three-quarters of residents there gave their quality of life an A or B, compared with 58 per cent in Metro Vancouver and 65 per cent in the Okanagan Valley.
Despite worries about housing and other aspects of community life, most residents said their municipality was a good place to raise a family, ranging from 77 per cent in Metro Vancouver to 84 per cent in the Okanagan Valley.
Fewer respondents said they were proud of their municipality and how it operates, with support ranging from 58 to 61 per cent. Residents also gave C grades to how their communities care for vulnerable people and to their own ability and opportunity to get ahead financially.
The poll was conducted from Sept. 28 to Oct. 14 with 1,374 respondents from Metro Vancouver, 511 from Vancouver Island, and 498 from the Okanagan Valley.
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