While not a surprise to many, according to Vital Statistics’ most recent report, Victoria has scored an F for first time in 17 years, and it went to housing.
While housing received a failing grade, Victoria scored a B+ for quality of life.
The 2022 report, released by the Victoria Foundation, was collected from an annual online survey completed by just over 2,500 people and data from secondary sources—it’s the 17th annual report completed by the organization.
Majority of those who completed the survey are employed, live in Greater Victoria and are between the ages of 31 and 44, and over age 65.
The report explores how the region is doing in 12 key issue areas. Respondents provide feedback on the issue areas which include quality of life, belonging and engagement, and arts and culture to name a few.
This year’s theme focused on “What does community mean to you?”. From that, 68% said they feel connected to the community, and 57% said they were able to engage in the community the way they want.
“The past few years have been challenging for everyone, but through it all we have seen the tremendous power of community to help lift us up. When we asked the question ‘What does community mean to you?’ we heard a range of answers that not only inspired us but made us pause and think about how we can work together to make our community even better,” said Sandra Richardson, CEO of Victoria Foundation.
“The report makes it clear we face significant issues in Greater Victoria, especially around housing and cost of living. With so many people struggling, it’s more important than ever to work collectively to find solutions that work for everyone.”
The report identifies housing, cost of living, and healthcare as the most pressing issues, with majority of respondents saying there is not enough affordable home ownership options or affordable rental accommodations.
Overall quality of life in Greater Victoria scored a B+ grade, which is an improvement over the 2020 and 2021 grade of B.
When asked what would make Greater Victoria an even better place to live, 44 per cent said affordable housing and more rental options.
According to the report, the median sale price for a single-family home in May 2022 was $1.25 million, up from just over $1 million the previous year. House sales were down 27% from May 2021.
Areas that scored high include sports and education, which earned a B+, arts and culture scored a B, belonging and engagement scored a B-; and education finished with a B+.
Click here to read the full report.
