(Photo courtesy of the Windsor-Essex Community Foundation)(Photo courtesy of the Windsor-Essex Community Foundation)
Windsor

Want to affect positive change? Fill out the Vital Signs Survey

It's the time of year when the Windsor-Essex Community Foundation asks for your opinions on the issues that data has shown matter most to Windsor-Essex residents.

Since 2013, the Vital Signs report has catalyzed positive change in the community. Over the years, analysts have used the data to calculate how opinions and priorities have changed in Windsor-Essex and provided policymakers with a valuable resource for evidence-based decision-making.

A key component is the community survey. The foundation launched 2022 edition online on Wednesday.

Last year's report included ten different issue areas. This year, the survey asks residents about 11 issues of concern touching on a broad range of topics, including food security, work, the environment, accessibility to arts and culture, governance and sense of belonging, and transportation.

Change has come as a result of these surveys. For example, the Town of Tecumseh and the Municipality of Leamington have moved away from fixed-route public transit to on-demand services. Chad Jeffrey, the manager of planning services in Tecumseh, said councillors decided to take action after repeated surveys indicated public transit service was inadequate to meet the needs of residents. The bus traveled 400 km daily, costly given current fuel prices. There were delays, and the bus was empty much of the time.

In March, it launched a pilot project that allowed riders to use a smartphone app or call-in services to order a ride.

"The potential benefits of on-demand transit are an improved service, as a result of shorter trips, and improved reliability in trip transparency. The app allows you to see where the bus is in real-time. Because of that improved service, we're hoping to see an increased ridership," said Jeffrey.

If the service is successful, it will become a permanent offering next January.

The survey should take no more than 20 minutes to complete. As an added incentive, those who fill it out could win $100.

"Questions in this year's survey were selected based on the top priorities indicated in 2021," said Executive Director Lisa Kolody. "While some questions may be added from year to year, we try to keep our survey questions as consistent as possible so we and other organizations, have the opportunity to compare."

The first survey was in Toronto in 2001. Since then, it's been adopted globally.

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