Ipso Reid Survey finds Thunder Bay Happy
THUNDER BAY – A majority of people in Thunder Bay are happy with the services offered by the City of Thunder Bay. Residents are also happy with the quality of life in the city. Those are the findings of the Ipsos Reid 2013 City of Thunder Bay Citizen Satisfaction Survey. The survey, conducted by Ipsos Reid, shows 92 per cent of respondents feel the overall quality of life in Thunder Bay is “very good” or “good.” The number represents an increase from 2011, when 87 per cent of respondents said quality of life is “very good” or “good.”
89% of Thunder Bay Satisfied
Eighty-nine per cent of 2013 respondents are “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with city services (up from 86 per cent in 2011) while 75 per cent said they receive “very good” or “fairly good” value for their tax dollars, which increased from 73 per cent in 2011.
The majority of respondents also said they have positive perceptions of proposed major capital programs or projects, such as a new Youth Centre, the reconstruction of the Centennial Botanical Conservatory, a proposed Thunder Bay Event Centre, and the potential relocation of the Thunder Bay Art Gallery to Prince Arthur’s Landing. Over the past year, City Council has stepped forward into a pilot project in a public private partnership to help fund a Youth Centre in the Chapple Building in the downtown Fort William Business core. There are just over 2000 youth who have participated in the programs at the youth centre.
Residents identify road maintenance and storm water drainage as the services most in need of improvement. Litter and garbage clean-up is also a concern for citizens.
Investing in roads and infrastructure is seen by both men and women in the city as very important. Well over 90 percent of the five hundred people surveyed identified that priority.
The perception that one’s neighbourhood is safe for children to play outside has increased to 81 per cent from 74 per cent in 2011. The occurrence of crime among respondents has decreased to 20 per cent in this year’s survey from 28 per cent in 2011.
Racism an Issue to Residents
The positive news is that the City, along with the Thunder Bay Multicultural Association, and the Anti Racism Committee are stepping up actions to combat racism. The Thunder Bay Police Service has tasked Constable Larry Baxter with the role of being the Hate Crimes lead investigator. One of the goals Baxter has expressed is that the Thunder Bay Police Service wants to do more on combatting racism, but need residents to come forward and report incidents.
In conducting the survey, Ipsos Reid interviewed 500 randomly-selected residents over 18 years of age via phone between May 29 and June 14.
Thunder Bay 2013 Citizen Satisfaction Survey Results
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