Cultivating connections

Our goal: Vancouverites are connected and engaged in the places and spaces that matter to us

VOTER TURNOUT

increase in voter turnout since 2008

In addition to our personal relationships and social networks, the opportunity to participate in civic life is a core human need.

We may draw on our social networks to help with many aspects of our health, including:

Accessing food and shelter
Finding employment and training opportunities
To enhance our self-confidence
Help during illness
Healing from death or life change
To enjoy ourselves and relieve stress

Being engaged is also about giving back to our communities, which benefits those who give as well as those who receive. A sense of belonging, connectedness and engagement in the places and spaces that matter to us is critical for our physical and mental well-being

Our targets: All Vancouverites have 4 people in their network that they can rely on, and increase municipal voter turnout to at least 60%

Progress we've made so far

VOTER TURNOUT

Data Source: City of Vancouver, local election results

Read our success stories

How we measure change

We use a number of data sources to monitor trends in the health of the city. We monitor progress toward Cultivating Connections using data from public health surveys, the federal census program and electoral agencies.
Social support network size
- 50% of adults have four or more people to confide in or turn to for help
  Source: My Health My Community Survey, 2014
Sense of trust
- 50% of adults feel a neighbour would probably or definitely return a wallet containing money
  Source: My Health My Community Survey, 2014
Volunteerism
- 52% of adults volunteer at least once a year
  Source: My Health My Community Survey, 2014
Municipal voter turnout
- Voter turnout in the most recent local election was 43% (2014)
  Source: City of Vancouver, Elections Office
Children in foster care
- 35% percentage of children in care in the Coast Fraser region who are Indigenous (2015)
  Source: Cases in Care Demographics (BC Ministry of Children and Family Development)
- 3.8 overall rate per 1,000 children 0-18 of children in care in the Coast Fraser region (2015)
  Source: Cases in Care Demographics (BC Ministry of Children and Family Development) ; Population Estimates (BC Stats)
2015-2018 Priority actions

Steps toward achieving this goal in the first four years of the Healthy City Strategy.
1. Create a Sharing City framework and strategies, and identify other key public and private partners.
  - Results: We will proactively promote the beneficial outcomes of sharing initiatives and reduce challenges or issues that prevent sharing city activities.
2. Examine regulations, policies, and processes that affect our relationships with and between residents - past, present and future.
  - Results: We will ensure that a broader diversity of residents are engaged and participating in civic life more often.
3. Build on the Engaged City recommendations to create new social connection initiatives, connect existing initiatives, and magnify their collective impact in collaboration with partners.
  - Results: We will increase Vancouverites' participation and sense of belonging as a result of better alignment and leveraging of city resources and/or activities.