Key factors in developing a community indicator report-building best practice in British Columbia
Date
2003
Authors
Mueller, Brent Alan
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Abstract
This thesis explores the lessons learned from five community and regional indicator pilot projects funded by the B.C. Provincial Government in 2001-02. These projects were in Alberni-Clayoquot, New Westminster, Powell River, Quesnel, and Sechelt. Only in New Westminster and Quesnel were the projects completed, although significant progress was made in Sechelt and (to a lesser extent) Powell River. It is too early to tell whether the effort at indicator development will bear fruit in improved policy-making, but there is evidence to suggest that the process strengthened relations between decision-makers and clarified thinking on the issues to be addressed and the means to be used in measuring progress. The most successful pilot projects were in communities with strong support from local leaders, significant local research capacity, extensive experience in community development work, good relations between key officials, arid a manageable scale to the areas under consideration. Where there was a history of difficult community relations (Albemi-Clayoquot) or where the region was too large and diverse (Powell River - Sunshine Coast), it was difficult to get the process moving. Even under more favourable conditions, local priorities were sometimes at odds with provincial ones - especially the deadlines imposed by the province. The main lessons from these pilot projects are that (1) not all communities are willing and able to develop the comprehensive indicators that would be useful for policy-making, (2) the communities that do have the capacity need to be able work at a pace appropriate to them, and (3 ), even if the indicators themselves are not put to immediate and extensive use in policy-making, the process of developing them can be beneficial in terms of local capacity-development.