Report takes big picture look at well-being in Newfoundland and Labrador

Premier Roger Grimes, and Gerald Smith, Minister of Health and Community Services and lead minister for the Strategic Social Plan, today released From the Ground Up, the province�s first-ever report that measures well-being and quality of life in Newfoundland and Labrador.

"The development of government�s social and economic agendas must occur hand in hand. The establishment of the Strategic Social Plan in 1998 provided the basis for this to occur as a companion piece to the Strategic Economic Plan," said Premier Grimes. "We are really breaking new ground here. We are the first province in Canada to take this kind of big picture look at our social and economic well-being."

The Premier continued, "The Social Audit is designed to measure strengths and deficiencies in the social and economic development of this province so that appropriate interventions can be made where necessary. The relative successes of such interventions can be measured and used as a basis for further growth and development. We want people to start thinking about the connections, for example, between education levels, health status, employment and economic prosperity," said the Premier. "People have talked about these connections for a long time, they have told us that social and economic development go hand in hand. These relationships, though, have never been reported in an integrated way, until now."

From the Ground Up is part of the first-ever Social Audit for this province and for the country, and marks the beginning of government�s reporting back about people�s well-being and quality of life. It takes the vision of the Strategic Social Plan and translates it into a series of key social and economic indicators.

"We�ve chosen indicators that are commonly used nationally and internationally to measure social and economic well-being," said Minister Smith. "This makes it possible to compare our province with other places. For example, From the Ground Up reports that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians rate their own health at levels slightly higher than the Canadian average, that people in the province are achieving higher levels of education, and their incomes are rising."

The report also looks at levels of physical activity, smoking and alcohol consumption, involvement in music and fine arts, volunteering and caring for others.

"We committed to reporting back on our social progress when we launched the Strategic Social Plan in 1998," said Premier Grimes. "Release of From the Ground Up is an important part of that commitment. A government must have the courage to challenge itself to measure the work it is doing; this is one way we remain accountable to the people we serve and find out if we are moving in the right direction."

"This document is important because it gives us a point we can use to check our progress over time," said Minister Smith. "One of the goals in the SSP focuses on using evidence as a basis for our decision making. Having the appropriate evidence will help us determine if our actions are making a difference, and if we are meeting our goals."

Development of From the Ground Up, and a background document, From the Ground Up: Benchmarking the Vision, Values and Goals of the Strategic Social Plan, was a consultative process that involved officials from the Strategic Social Plan, The Premier�s Council on Social Development, the Newfoundland and Labrador Statistics Agency (NLSA), and Memorial University, as well as government departments. Information was compiled using the best available data from a variety of sources, including the NLSA, Statistics Canada and Human Resources Development Canada.

This statistical information is available through Community Accounts, the web-based information system launched last September as the first phase of the Social Audit.

The Social Audit is an independent review of social and economic well being in Newfoundland and Labrador. It�s about taking stock, finding ways to measure what�s happening in our daily lives and making certain that programs and policies are meeting people�s needs. The audit is scheduled to be completed and released publicly by the end of 2003.

"It really is gratifying to see all of this work coming together, and it is exciting to be forging new directions in terms of social policy development, which is what the Strategic Social Plan is all about," said Brendan Doyle, chair of the Premier�s Council on Social Development which guides the work of the SSP. "From the Ground Up brings economic and social indicators together for a valuable look at our well being and quality of life. This is information that will benefit all of us, and is available to everyone. I encourage people to use From the Ground Up as a basis for discussion and debate."

From the Ground Up and the background document are available through the SSP web site at www.gov.nl.ca/ssp/, or at www.communityaccounts.ca

Media contact: Marcia Porter, Communications, (709) 729-0175.

• From the Ground Up takes the vision of the Strategic Social Plan and translates it into a series of key social and economic indicators.

• The document includes information on interrelated topics including health, education, employment, income and economic prosperity.

• Information was compiled using the best available data from a variety of sources such as the Newfoundland and Labrador Statistics Agency, Statistics Canada, and Human Resources Development Canada.

• All information in From the Ground Up can be verified through Community Accounts at www.communityaccounts.ca

• Community Accounts, released last September as phase one of the Social Audit, is an on-line information system that measures well-being in communities, regions and the province as a whole, and houses information on topics including health, education, income, and economic prosperity.

• Completing a Social Audit is a commitment that government made in 1998 to measure social progress in the province five years after SSP implementation.

• The Social Audit is an independent review of social and economic well-being in Newfoundland and Labrador. It is designed to measure strengths and deficiencies in the social and economic development of the province so that real change can be made where necessary and the successes can be applauded and used as a basis for further growth and accomplishments.

• The final two phases of the Audit will look at what government is doing to meet identified social needs and whether departments are working in a way that is consistent with the SSP. Recent evaluations of government programs and services will also be assessed to find out if they are meeting people�s needs. All phases will be completed by the end of 2003.

• Development of the Audit involved the Newfoundland and Labrador Statistics Agency, the Premier�s Council on Social Development and staff from the SSP.

• From the Ground Up, the second phase of the Social Audit, is available at www.gov.nl.ca/ssp or www.communityaccounts.ca

2003 04 02                                        9:10 a.m.