A new partnership with the Canadian Council on Social Development will give the Town of Banff access to valuable data on social programs throughout the country.
The Town of Banff, along with the Town of Canmore, have joined the Community Data Program, an information hub for municipalities reporting and monitoring on social and economic development trends in communities nation-wide. Being part of this program will help the Town achieve many of its objectives around monitoring the progress of community strategies related to housing, economic prosperity and social development.
“The communities of the Bow Valley are very much looking forward to accessing an extensive range of data sets and products which, until now, have only been acquired on a very limited basis or not at all, due to cost,” said Alison Gerrits, manager of the Town of Banff’s Family and Community Support Services and Social Planning.
The Bow Valley is now part of the data consortia family in Alberta, which includes Red Deer, Calgary and Wood Buffalo, and represents over one third of Alberta’s population – about 1.4 million people. The national network is made up of over 25 consortia, with communities representing 52.6 per cent of the Canadian population, or over 17.6 million people.
“Developing the local social programs Canadians need is best done based on research, and that means reliable data,” said Peggy Taillon, president and CEO of the Canadian Council on Social Development. “Our community data holdings are unique and continue to grow. The Bow Valley Consortium will be able to demonstrate evidence-based program development, effective use of resources and the well-being of their citizens.”
For more on the Canadian Council on Social Development, visit http://www.ccsd.ca/