Media advisory - Vital Signs 2015: national report explores belonging and connection to community across Canada

OTTAWA, Oct. 1, 2015 /CNW/ - Community Foundations of Canada is releasing its national Vital Signs report, Belonging: Exploring connection to community, on October 6. Vital Signs 2015 features responses from a national belonging survey conducted in partnership with the Angus Reid Institute on Canadians' sense of belonging and connection to community.

In addition to the national report, community foundations in 26 communities across Canada are also releasing Vital Signs reports on the same day.

"Vital Signs builds and shares local knowledge so our communities are better prepared to mobilize around what matters most to them," says Ian Bird, President, Community Foundations of Canada. "This year our national focus is on how belonging can be a powerful catalyst for strengthening connection to community."

More than 50 community foundations in Canada are involved in the Vital Signs program – either producing a report or acting on the findings of previous reports. Communities releasing Vital Signs reports in 2015 include:

• British Columbia: Alberni Valley, Kelowna, Nanaimo, Penticton, Powell River, Surrey, Victoria
• Alberta: Calgary, Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat
• Saskatchewan: Saskatoon, Regina
• Ontario: Centre Wellington, Grey Bruce, Kingston, Kitchener-Waterloo, Napanee, Mississauga, Oakville, Peterborough, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor
• Québec: Montréal
• Atlantic: Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia

Follow the #VitalSigns2015 conversation on social media and join a #VSBelonging Twitter chat on October 6 at 12:00 p.m. EST.

About Vital Signs

Vital Signs is a national program led by community foundations that leverages local knowledge to measure the vitality of our communities and supports action towards improving our quality of life. More than 70 communities across Canada and around the world use Vital Signs to mobilize the power of community knowledge for greater local impact. Learn more at vitalsignscanada.ca.

Community Foundations of Canada is the national network for Canada's 191 community foundations, which help Canadians invest in building strong and resilient places to live, work and play. Find out more at communityfoundations.ca.

SOURCE Community Foundations of Canada

or to schedule interviews with Ian Bird, President, Community Foundations of Canada, please contact: David Venn, Director of Communications, Community Foundations of Canada, P: [phone] ext. 302, C: [phone], E: [email protected]