Winnipeg's quality of life improving overall, with critical areas for improvement remaining, annual check-up reveals

WINNIPEG—March 27, 2014–Winnipeg is improving or staying the same in 11 out of 16 key indicators but losing ground for five key indicators highlighted in a city-wide check-up that looks at everything from core housing need to personal disposable income to premature mortality rates.  

Our City: A Peg report on Winnipeg’s well-being presents data on 16 economic, social and environmental indicators to give a picture of how the community is doing overall. This first annual well-being report is the only publication of its kind in Winnipeg and was released by Peg, the community indicator system launched in December 2013 by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and United Way of Winnipeg (UWW).

Among other findings, the report reveals that while we have been steadily reducing our daily water use over the last few years, Winnipeggers are less likely to use public transit to get to work than residents of other Canadian cities. The diabetes rate is up, but fewer Winnipeggers are dying before the age of 75.  

The report breaks data down across 12 Winnipeg community areas, and where available, provides comparisons to provincial or national data. “Our goal is to provide an overview of how Winnipeg is doing as a community, celebrating areas progress is being made and highlighting those areas where more work needs to be done,” said Ayn Wilcox, Chair of UWW’s Board of Trustees. 

“Peg integrates environmental, economic, and social information so that we can keep our eye on the key issues, and see if we are making a difference in our city,” noted Scott Vaughan, President of IISD.

The report is available on the Peg website, www.mypeg.ca

Since 1965, United Way of Winnipeg has supported and strengthened an essential network of agencies, programs and services in our community, numbering over 100 today. Focused on three key community impact areas – helpings kids be all they can be, moving people from poverty to possibility, and supporting healthy people and healthy communities, UWW acts on the simple but profound belief that we can accomplish more by working together than we ever could on our own.

IISD is a non-partisan, charitable organization specializing in policy research, analysis and information exchange to further global goals for sustainable development. Through its head office in Winnipeg, and its branches in Ottawa, New York City, Geneva and Beijing, IISD applies human ingenuity to help improve the well-being of the world's environment, economy and society. For more information, please contact:

Louise WaldmanDirector, CommunicationsUnited Way of WinnipegPhone: 204-924-4251 (office) | 204-807-2942 (cell) Email: lwaldman@UnitedWayWinnipeg.mb.ca

Sumeep BathMedia and Communications OfficerInternational Institute for Sustainable DevelopmentPhone: 204-958-7740 Email: sbath@iisd.org