Citizen Perspectives Survey
The Town of Canmore uses the Citizen Perspectives Survey results to understand the needs and perceptions of residents, determine satisfaction with municipal services, identify spending priorities, identify areas for improvement, and overall quality of life in Canmore. The data in the telephone survey was randomly collected from residents to reflect the age/gender distribution of the actual population in Canmore according to the most recent Census data.
There is real value in conducting this exercise every few years to gather data on a broad number of benchmark questions as a tool to inform future priorities and direction for Town of Canmore Council and administration. The most recent survey results from the 2023 survey are below.
Highlights from the random telephone survey include:
- 93% of residents continue to rate the overall quality of life in Canmore as good or very good.
- 47% of the respondents indicated their quality of life in Canmore had improved or stayed the same over the past four years, and 52% indicated it had worsened.
- Top of mind issues are: cost of living, growth and development, housing affordability/availability, and governance/leadership were noted as a reasons for a deterioration in quality of life.
- 99% of residents continue to feel safe in Canmore, and 93% feel a sense of belonging in their own neighbourhood.
- 72% of the respondents feel they are getting good or very good value for their tax dollars.
- 86% are satisfied with the overall level and quality of services and programs provided by the Town of Canmore with 75% satisfied with what we’re doing to reduce our community impact on climate change, and 74% satisfied with our efforts to address the issue of human-wildlife interaction in Canmore.
- Citizens want us to provide them with more information about community planning/land use/new developments and want more community updates on roads and transportation, emergency services, budget/taxes, public/council, and generally “what’s new.”
- 84% of respondents note their desire to provide input into decision-making about Town of Canmore projects and services, 62% indicate that they have enough opportunities to provide input. 62% agree that the Town of Canmore uses input from residents when making decisions.
- 64% of residents are satisfied with how the community is being run.
- An area for improvement is to increase the number of residents feeling heard after they provide feedback, as only 55% agree we use input from residents in decision-making about our projects and services. Further, 48% agree our decision-making about projects and services is reflective of the voice of the majority of residents.
The five key takeaways are:
- Overall, the results are positive but lower than previous years.
- Issues around housing and the cost of living are more pronounced this year.
- Growth and development remains a priority but less so than 2021.
- Perceptions of the Town’s overall communications are positive but there is room to improve opportunities for engagement. Perceptions of availability and responsiveness have also slipped this year.
- Perceptions of environmental sustainability have improved.
