Prepared for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and The Laidlaw Foundation
by Peter Clutterbuck and Marvyn Novick
(made available through CDH with the permission of the authors)
This report outlines strategies aimed at building communities through the use of a Social Inclusion Framework. This framework was created to serve as a helpful tool for policy creation and implementation. It adds social infrastructure to the already existing programs and initiatives that support the physical and economic infrastructures of municipalities. Social inclusion recognizes the interrelationship of health, social well-being and economic prosperity.
This report highlights the findings from 11 ‘soundings’ organized by the Laidlaw Foundation during the summer-fall of 2002. These ‘soundings’ took place in ten communities across Canada to elicit community perspectives on the social issues facing urban centres and the civic capacities required to respond to these issues. More than 240 community participants contributed their views in this process. This report reflects the community soundings’ identification of four broad areas important to creating social infrastructure for inclusive and supportive communities.