From: THE TORONTO STAR, Saturday, October 18, 1997 Page A23

By Laurie Monsebraaten
Social Policy Reporter

Ontario's quality of life has declined since 1990, according to a new survey of key indicators 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 during this period to 86 from a base of 100 in 1990, according to the survey. The council, which plans to update the index quarterly, hopes the measure will become a standard social tool or frame of reference similar to the consumer price index. Although the index shows a general decline in quality of life during the 1990s, there was some progress, particularly in the environmental area, council head Malcolm Shookner said. There was "significant improvement" in air quality, Blue Box recycling and a reduction in toxic waste spills, he said. "And there was a surprising drop in the number of suicides," Shookner added. 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. In the health area, waiting lists for nursing home beds grew and there was a "serious" rise in the incidence of low-birthweight babies, Shookner said.

WARNING SIGN

"This is not only a marker for poverty but a warning sign about the number of children who are at risk of a whole host of problems over the rest of their lives," he said. The economic front was also "troublesome" with significant increases in bankruptcies and unemployment. Shookner said he hopes the project, funded by a $55,000 Health Canada grant, will eventually go nation-wide, so that the index can be reported along with national economic indicators. "Quality of life something we need to pay more attention to," said Josephine Grey of Low Income Families Together. Although Grey is pleased that Ottawa funded the project, she said federal policies are partly to blame for the lower quality of life and increase in social distress she has seen since 1990. Cutting social spending and allowing provinces to introduce work-for-welfare policies are just two of the way Ottawa is hurting the disadvantaged, she said. In the future, the council hopes that government agencies will start keeping more current and complete statistics. For example, the most recent information about low-birthweight babies was from 1994. And the provincial social services ministry was unable to provide data on the number of kids under the care of Children's Aid Societies. The Council had to get that information directly from the Ontario Association Children's Aid Societies, Shookner said.

© Ontario Social Development Council & Social Planning Network of Ontario