From: THE PETERBOROUGH EXAMINER , Saturday, October 18, 1997 Page 1

Ontario quality of life declining, survey says

TORONTO (CP)--Ontario's quality of life has declined since 1990, according to a survey of the province's social, health, environmental and economic well-being. The survey, conducted by the Ontario Social Development Council, combines 12 indicators ranging from the number of Ontarians on welfare to the number of bankruptcies to create a quality of life index. Based on a comparison of these indicators in 1990 and 1997, the quality of life has dropped by 14 points. According to the survey the index has fallen to 86 from a base of 100 in 1990. Although the index shows a general decline in quality of life during the 1990s, there was some progress, council head Malcolm Shookner said. There was "significant improvement" in air quality, Blue Box recycling and a reduction in toxic waste spills, he said. Despite these improvements, there were "serious social setbacks" with more children in the care of Children's Aid Societies, more people on welfare and longer social housing waiting lists, he said.