See the full report at: http://www.qli-ont.org
The Quality of Life in Ontario marred by Social Deficit
The Quality of Life in Ontario has recovered almost to the level of 1990. But there is a growing "social deficit." This deficit reflects the failure of society to care for its vulnerable populations. It refers not only to the immediate consequences of unmet basic needs, such as hunger and homelessness, but also the long term damage it inflicts, especially on the life chances of children. This is the trend revealed by the Quality of Life Index in the Spring of 1999.
This report is the fourth in the series on The Quality of Life in Ontario, which is published by the Ontario Social Development Council (OSDC) and the Social Planning Network of Ontario (SPNO). We are using the Quality of Life Index (QLI) as a tool to measure and monitor changes in living and working conditions which affect the quality of life in our communities.
There are twenty community partners across Ontario involved in the QLI project, using the Quality of Life Index to measure changes in their local communities. Their results, and those of those province, are included at http://www.qli-ont.org .
The main areas of progress have been in the environmental indicators, low birth weight babies, and social assistance. There are setbacks in public housing, child welfare, long term care, new cancer cases, and bankruptcies.
The sectoral trends in the QLI indicators show a disturbing undercurrent. The social indicators have been hardest hit since 1990, showing a decline of 21%. A social deficit has emerged in the '90s as a result of changes in public policies and the globalization of the economy. "The short term fiscal gains made by governments through drastic cuts in public services have come at the expense of long term pain for the vulnerable groups most affected by these negative social trends -children, the elderly, and the poor, who are mainly women and children. The gradual economic recovery is not being matched by a social recovery," says Malcolm Shookner, author of the report. Our quality of life has been the subject of public debate from many different points of view this spring. The trends and issues we have identified through the Quality of Life Index provide a basis for raising issues of public policy for attention by the newly elected provincial government.
Contact: Malcolm Shookner
Ontario Social Development Council
2 Carlton Street, Suite 1001, Toronto, Ontario M5B 1J3
Tel: (416) 345-8561 Fax: (416) 345-8904 Net: osdc@web.net