Media Release: Edmonton Social Planning Council Launches the Social Well-Being Tracker, Which Measures the Collective Health of Edmonton

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

EDMONTON – How many Edmontonians live in low-income or poverty? What is the voter turnout rate during elections in Edmonton? What is the average monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment? What is the high school completion rate at Edmonton’s public schools?

Questions like these on the collective health of Edmonton can be answered by the Social Well-Being Tracker (the Tracker), a new resource from the Edmonton Social Planning Council (ESPC). The Tracker is an online platform adapted from ESPC’s long-standing publication series Tracking the Trends, first released in 1989. As an online platform, the data is searchable, with quick links so users can jump between topics and indicators. Charts and graphs can be exported in various formats, which means that the data from Tracking the Trends is now easier to access and use.

“The way we govern and use data has changed since Tracking the Trends first debuted over 30 years ago,” according to Susan Morrissey, Executive Director of ESPC. “Data should be easy to understand and accessible to everyone—not just the ‘gurus.’ The Social Well-Being Tracker will enable community agencies, policy-makers, and the average citizen alike to access data in order to foster a complete understanding of social issues that affect Edmontonians, and work towards solutions for the common good.”

Data in the Tracker is organized around the social determinants of health framework. This framework is used by the Public Health Agency of Canada and places an emphasis on societal conditions and their impact on personal well-being.

While most Canadian publications and resources present data on a national or provincial level, the Tracker focuses primarily on the Edmonton region. This makes it a useful tool for people working on social issues in our city and the surrounding region. The Tracker will be regularly updated as new information and data is released.

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The Social Well-Being Tracker can be accessed on our website: https://edmontonsocialplanning.ca/social-well-being/

There will also be a virtual Launch event on Wednesday, July 14, 2021 at 12:00 PM. More information (including how to register) is here: bit.ly/3ddo1QB

For media inquiries, please contact:

Brett Lambert, Community Engagement Coordinator
E-mail: BrettL@edmontonsocialplanning.ca