Some Winnipeg neighbourhoods 'left behind' by rest of city: report

Measuring the wellbeing of Winnipeg A new report sheds light on a number of health indicators in Winnipeg, finding a big disparity among communities.

Winnipeg — While Winnipeg is making strides when it comes to the environment, education and income, some neighbourhoods are being left behind by the rest of the city, according to a new report measuring the city's progress.

The 2019 'Our City' report gives a snapshot of recent years in Winnipeg, based on data tracked on My Peg, a website that collects data from multiple official agencies.

"I think the report points out a lot of areas where we've already made progress, which is incredibly encouraging, "said Beth Timmers, a project manager with the International Institute for Sustainable Development.

This year's report, which was released by IISD and United Way Winnipeg, shows Winnipeggers have cut down water usage to 223 litres per capita daily, a decrease of nearly 22 per cent since 2008.

It also shows Winnipeggers’ perceptions of health and safety are rising, and Winnipeggers are more generous with their money: the median charitable donation in the city was $410 in 2017, about $110 more than the national median.

LEFT BEHIND

While the report boasts progress for the city, it also shows certain neighbourhoods are lacking.

"The differences between neighborhoods in Winnipeg is one of our biggest concerns coming from the report, that we're leaving some neighborhoods behind," Timmers said.

A stark example of this is a snapshot of the median household income in Winnipeg based on neighbourhoods.

The report shows Point Douglas and Downtown had the lowest incomes in the city, falling under $45,000, while in Assiniboine South the median household income was the highest in the city, at more than $75,000.

The rates of students who graduated high school on time from 2014-2018 in the Winnipeg School Division fell well below other divisions, at less than 70 per cent. A spokesperson for the division said when looking at graduations for people who completed high school within six years, the 2018 rates increase to 75 per cent.

Here is a look at income, graduation rates, children in care, and personal safety based on areas of the city. Press the rectangle icon in the upper left hand corner of the map to access a collapsible menu that lets you toggle different maps on and off.

As to why these discrepancies between neighbourhoods in Winnipeg exist, Timmers said the report doesn't explain why, and that’s intentional.

Timmers said this report should be a first step: a way of informing decision-makers and Winnipeggers, and challenging their perceptions of the city.

"Even though there's less progress in other areas, we see tremendous opportunity and a lot of potential for positive change because now we know where we're at," Timmers said. "We know what progress has been made and where we can direct decision makers to work in the future."

You can read the full '2019 Our City: A Peg Report on Winnipeg and the Sustainable Development Goals' here: