Bulkley ValleySocial Planning

Society

CommunityVitality

REPORT CARD 2016

SMITHERS

ContentsDomain 1 arts & recreation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Domain 2 housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Domain 3 environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Domain 4 community safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Domain 5 transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Domain 6 food security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Domain 7 education & literacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Domain 8 employment & economic health . . . . . . .14

Domain 9 civic engagement & belonging . . . . . . . . .15

Smithers is a small, vibrant mountain town located in Northwest British Columbia’s Bulkley Valley, approximately 370 kilometres west of Prince George. With a population of roughly 5,000 people and a service area of 12,000, Smithers is home to a diverse economy based on forestry, mineral develop-ment, agriculture, tourism, government services and amenity migration. It is known for its character Main Street, its stunning alpine setting at the foot of Hudson Bay Mountain, and its local residents who are known as “Smithereens.” Smithers lies within the traditional territory of the Wet’suwet’en people and today approximately 11 percent of Smithers’ population is aboriginal.

IntroductionWE ALL WANT OUR COMMUNITY TO MOVE FORWARD. BUT WHAT DOES MOVING FORWARD MEAN?

In 2015, the Town of Smithers, Northern Health and the Bulkley Valley Social Planning Society undertook a project to answer precisely that question. It’s called “Community Vitality: How Do We Measure Prog-ress?” and this report card is one of its outcomes.

Historically, many have judged our community’s success using only a few metrics: things like the number of building permits or population growth. But we know these simple measures don’t paint a full picture of our community’s vitality.

The goal of this report card is to pull together a broader set of indi-cators that together give a sense of how our community is doing in all of its dimensions. Much of this data is already collected by various agencies but has never been compiled in one place.

Why take this on? As a famous management consultant once said, “What gets measured gets managed.” Measuring our community’s vitality in a more comprehensive way gives us a common language for discussing progress. We hope it will also provide a framework for undertaking practical actions and projects to improve our community.

This report card is not meant to provide a comprehensive, authorita-tive view; it’s meant to start a conversation. We recognize that many important facets of our community are tough to measure, or would require expensive and time consuming research. This said, we hope this document will spark your curiosity and inspire you to join in the ongoing eff ort to make our community healthier, happier and more full of vitality.

—Taylor Bachrach is the Mayor of Smithers

— Cormac Hikisch is the Bulkley Valley’s Health Services Administrator with Northern Health

44

ARTS AND RECREATION AMENITIES ARE STRONG IN OUR

COMMUNITY AND HELP FOSTER A CREATIVE, HEALTHY AND

INSPIRED COMMUNITY. With minor year-to-year fl uctuations, participation in arts and recreation programs and events remains fairly stable.

» INDICATOR 1

Number of visits to the Bulkley Valley Regional Pool & Recreation Centre

40,000

42,500

45,000

47,500

50,000

201520142013

45,468

49,394 49,234

» INDICATOR 2

Attendance

Midsummer Festival including performers & volunteers

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

201520142013

1,800*

* 30th anniversary year

1,500 1,500

BVX Fall Fair

14,000

14,750

15,500

16,250

17,000

201520142013

no data available for 2013

16,80016,400

DOMAIN 1 arts & r

55

Did you know?• There are over 70 community recreation and sports organizations in Smithers.

• Community organizations are instrumental in the continued development of local recreation amenities. Examples include the Smithers Mountain Bike Association Bike Park, Kinsmen’s Kiddie Park and Smithers Rotary Club sponsorship of upgrades to the Perimeter Trail system and development of Gordon L. Williams Rotary Park (former Mohawk service station).

• The Town of Smithers opened a new second arena in 2015.

» INDICATOR 3

Number of community event bookings at Bovill Square, Old Church and the Della Herman Theatre

0

50

100

150

200201520142013

Della HemanOld ChurchBovill Square* partially unavailable due to fire

6* 1933

147

28 30 26

153162

» INDICATOR 4

Number of visitors to the Bulkley Valley Museum and Smithers Art Gallery

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000201520142013

Art GalleryMuseum

5,785 5,6114,846

6,000

5,000

6,000

recreation

66

HOUSING THAT SERVES ALL MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY IS A CORE NEED FOR

HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES. While new multi-family dwelling units have been built in the last few years, we are continually challenged to provide aff ordable, accessible and safe housing for all members of our community.

» INIDICATOR 1

Emergency shelter stays (Broadway Place)

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

201520142013

2,1722,032

2,182*

* to mid December

» INDICATOR 2

Average selling price and assessed value of a single family home

$150,000

$187,500

$225,000

$262,500

$300,000Assessed valueSelling price

201520142013

$25

4,8

53

$25

9,0

00

$265

,00

0

$276

,00

0

$24

7,4

58 $2

73,2

41

Did you know?• In November 2014, the Smithers Action Group Association conducted a

homeless count and found there were 22 people who were homeless in the community.

• The Broadway Place Emergency Shelter has been consistently used over the past three years, providing critical shelter to a vulnerable population.

• Local housing providers, such as High Road Services & Smithers Community Services Association, provide a diversity of housing options such as seniors housing, independent living and transitional housing.

housingDOMAIN 2

77

» INDICATOR 3

Housing starts

0

10

20

30

40

50

201520142013

Secondary suite

Carriage house

Multi-family units

Single family

9

2 41

3

8

3

47

10

6

A secondary suite is a self-contained dwelling within a home. A carriage house is a separate self-contained dwelling on a property in addition to the house. Both types of dwellings off er homeowners the option of a mortgage helper while adding to local rental options.

» INDICATOR 4

Rental vacancy rates

0.0%

0.5%

1.0%

1.5%

2.0%

2.5%

3.0%

201520142013

2.7%2.8%

2.5%

g

8

WE ARE PRIVILEGED TO LIVE IN AN ENVIRONMENT WITH STUNNING LANDSCAPES,

RIVERS AND WILDLIFE. In 2014 residential recycling was implemented by the Town of Smithers and has resulted in garbage being diverted from the landfi ll. While air quality advisories remain stable, levels of fi ne particulate air pollution from both domestic (wood stoves) and industrial sources are of on-going concern.

d

» INDICATOR 1

Residential recycling and garbage pickup by weight

0

225,000

450,000

675,000

900,00020152014**

GarbageRecycling

123,300 kg177,950 kg

352,095 kg

784,865 kg

* Town did not weigh garbage in 2013** Curbside residential recycling introduced in May 2014, with weighing both recycling and garbage beginning during this time.

» INDICATOR 2

Air quality

0

2

4

6

8

10

12Annual average PM 2.5 (Ug/m3)

201520142013

8.2 8.3

10.6

0

5

10

15

20Total number of advisory days

201520142013

11

16

8

environDOMAIN 3

9

Did you know?• Smithers is one of only three municipalities in northern BC that does not

continuously treat its drinking water with chemicals such as chlorine. Town crews conduct an annual chlorine disinfection and fl ushing of the water pipes.

• Fine particulate matter (PM) pollution from smoke and road dust have the largest impacts on local air quality. Visit www.cleanairplan.ca for more information.

nment

» INDICATOR 3

Water use

800,000

840,000

880,000

920,000

960,000

1,000,000Volume of water pumped from Town wells (m3)

201520142013

950,019m3 953,263m3

940,014m3

» INDICATOR 4

Salmon & steelhead returns

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000201520142013

Total SteelheadTotal Salmon

30,500

9,700

18,000 17,600

48,700

62,852

10

FEELING SAFE IN OUR COMMUNITY IS A BASIC NEED FOR ALL OF US. Our community is fortunate to have a relatively low crime rate and a skilled workforce of emergency responders, both paid and volunteer. Total victim assistance client referrals have declined over the last three years, while emergency call-outs have increased slightly.

community safety

» INDICATOR 1

Total call-outs: Fire, RCMP, Ambulance

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500201520142013

AmbulanceRCMP (Smithers only)

Fire Dep't

34 35 51

3,0

52

3,0

85

3,0

72

1,74

0

1,8

50

1,96

1

» INDICATOR 2

Total victim assistance client referrals (Northern Society for Domestic Peace)

0

50

100

150

200

201520142013

197

161

119

» INDICATOR 3

Crime

0

50

100

150

200Total Crime Rate

201520142013

183195

171

0

50

100

150

200Crime Severity index

201520142013

135.37

169.27

137.74

The increased crime severity index in 2014 was liekly due to a single severe crime, which in a small community can have a disproportionate effect on the index.

» INDICATOR 4

Flood alerts/advisories

No fl ood advisories or alerts were issued in the Town of Smithers for 2013, 2014 or 2015.

Did you know?• Community Policing in Smithers, a volunteer-based organization, off ers a

number of community saf ety programs, including Crimestoppers, DARE, Citizens on Patrol, SpeedWatch, BlockWatch, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, Lost and Stolen Bike Program, Bike Safety Rodeo, and more.

DOMAIN 4

11

transportationLIKE OTHER SMALL, NORTHERN COMMUNITIES, OUR VEHICLES ARE AN IMPORTANT

PART OF OUR TRANSPORTATION REALITY, AS REFLECTED IN THE NUMBER OF

PASSENGER VEHICLES. We also recognize that car alternatives, such as walking and biking, contribute to our health and reduce environmental impacts. We are fortunate to also have a regional airport that provides daily regional service.

» INDICATOR 1

Number of registered passenger vehicles in Smithers

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

201520142013

3,900 4,000 4,200

» INDICATOR 2

Bike to Work Week participation

0

100

200

300

400

500

201520142013

322

215

489

» INDICATOR 3

Smithers public transit service ridership

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

201520142013

19,45617,564 16,644

» INDICATOR 4

Total annual scheduled and chartered passengers through the Smithers Regional Airport (arriving and departing)

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

201520142013

79,901 82,76876,046

Did you know?• On Tuesdays and Fridays there

is bus service between Hazelton and Smithers. http://bctransit.com/smithers/home. In addition, the BC government off ers a non-refundable tax credit if you use a monthly transit pass! https://bctransit.com/smithers/fares/transit-pass-credit

• In 2016, the BC government com-mitted to moving forward on a $5 million Highway 16 Transportation

Action Plan, which includes up to $2.4 million over 3 years for transit expansion.

• A number of local initiatives have been implemented to better support local cycling. New bike racks, a designated shared bike route along Third Avenue & new multiuse pathways along Fulton Avenue and the perimeter trail are all ways to encourage us to bike!

DOMAIN 5

12

food securityWE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE A LOCAL FOOD ECONOMY, COMMUNITY GARDENS

AND SEVERAL FOOD PRODUCERS OFFERING A WIDE RANGE OF LOCALLY GROWN

PRODUCTS. Our local food bank continues to see modest but steady use.

» INDICATOR 1

Salvation Army food bank

40,000

48,000

56,000

64,000

72,000Value of food distributed

201520142013

$57,770$61,209

$68,375

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000Visits

201520142013

2,216 2,328

2,876

» INDICATOR 2

Average number of vendor stalls at the outdoor BV Farmers Market

0

10

20

30

40

50

201520142013

49

42 41

» INDICATOR 3

Plots at the Northern Root Community Garden

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35AvailablePlots in use

201520142013

6 people waitlistedin 2015

353535

0 00

» INDICATOR 4

Average monthly food basket cost

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200Northern health region

2015201320112009

$876 $939

$1,121

$841

Based on a reference family of 4.

Did you know?• The Bulkley Valley Farmers’ Market

has been operating for over 25 years with more than 40 vendors.

• The Provincial Health Services Authority works with key stakeholders such as the Ministry of Health, the fi ve regional health authorities, First Nations Health Authority, and Dietitians of Canada to monitor the cost of a nutritionally adequate diet in British Columbia. A copy of the full “Food Costing in BC 2015” report is available online.

DOMAIN 6

13

HAVING AN EDUCATED, LITERATE COMMUNITY ENABLES US TO BETTER

PARTICIPATE IN COMMUNITY LIFE AND THE LOCAL ECONOMY. Both formal and informal education contribute to this aspect of community vitality. Local indicators confi rm a stable education base continues to exist within our community.

» INDICATOR 1

Smithers Secondary School Grade 12 graduation rates (%)

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

201520142013

94%87% 89%

The graduation rate is calculated on the percentage of student who complete grade 12 within six years from the time they enroll in grade 8. The rate is adjusted for migration in and out of BC.

» INDICATOR 2

NWCC enrolment at the Smithers campus

0

200

400

600

800

1000

201520142013

708739

938

In 2015 there was an increase in development and continuing education programs offered.

» INDICATOR 3

Smithers Public Library usage

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000Active card holders

201520142013

4,0133,650

5,907

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000Items borrowed

201520142013

85,90479,595

100,753

Did you know?• Each winter the Bulkley Valley Research Centre hosts a free public seminar

series.

• The Health Hub and Smithers Health Committee provides lunch hour health talks once a month on a variety of topics.

• In 2015, the provincial average graduation rate was 84% (Smithers was 89%).

education & literacyDOMAIN 7

14

OUR LOCAL ECONOMY SUPPORTS A WIDE RANGE OF OCCUPATIONS AND

LIFESTYLE CHOICES. While the natural resource sectors remain important, other sectors such as tourism, government services and amenity migration provide stability and diversity. Local business licenses continue to remain stable.

» INDICATOR 1

Number of individual business licenses

500

535

570

605

640

675

201520142013

644645 645

» INDICATOR 2

Unemployment rates

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

201520142013

7.1%

9.1%7.8%

» INDICATOR 3

Household median income

$0

$20,000

$40,000

$60,000

$80,000

201120062001

$51,937$62,380 $65,291

Did you know?• In 2015 there were 299 individuals & families in Smithers receiving income

assistance.

• Creel Net, a fi shing licensing and regulatory applications app for smart phones, was started by two Smithers entrepreneurs. In 2015 they were one of 11 businesses chosen as a recipient of the highly competitive nationwide Spin Master Innovation Fund.

employment & economic health

DOMAIN 8

15

WE STRIVE TO BE A COMMUNITY WHERE EVERYONE FEELS A SENSE OF BELONGING

AND RESIDENTS PARTICIPATE IN LOCAL DECISION MAKING. Over the past several years, the Town of Smithers and various community organizations have initiated projects to reduce racism and discrimination and engage citizens in local politics. Indicators in this category are a work in progress and more general in nature.

» INDICATOR 1

Town of Smithers municipal voter turn-out

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

201420112008

1,5611,294 1,290

» INDICATOR 2

General Indicators

• Smithers Community Services Association’s English Language & Multicultural Services program has over 60 participants from over 25 countries. In the last few years the number of participants has doubled.

• We celebrate our diff erent cultures through events that bring all community members together. Examples include Aboriginal Day Celebrations, Taste of Culture, Canada Day and the Festival of Nations.

• Formed in 2002, the Smithers Bridging Committee takes an active role in furthering multicultural relations throughout the Bulkley Valley by hosting events, encouraging dialogue, building relationships and educating the community about racism and discrimination.

• Smithers Secondary School’s Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) is an advocacy and support group for high-school students.

civic engagement & belonging

DOMAIN 9

BU

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ALL

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PR

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250.847.1600 | www.smithers.ca

This project has received funding from the Healthy Communities Capacity Building Fund (HCCBF). The

HCCBF is part of PlanH, a partnership between BC Healthy Communities Society and Healthy Families

BC and is informed by health authorities and other stakeholders. The PlanH program facilitates local

government learning, partnership development and planning for healthier communities where we live,

learn, work and play.

To learn about this project, contribute your ideas or get involved, visit www.smithers.ca/vitality

Bulkley ValleySocial Planning

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