The City ofHamilton’s vision to be the best place in Canada to raise a child isn’t being reached , according to a three-part series by CBC Hamilton.
The first part of the series focused on statistics that show Hamilton has made very little progress over the last 10 years on a variety of childhood health and well-being measures. One of the measures highlighted was EDI vulnerability, which has remained relatively stable at around 26 per cent since 2005.
The second part of the series examined why the city isn’t making progress, despite some important initiatives including the Tastebuds student nutrition program and new recreation programming for kids.
Dr. Magdalena Janus was interviewed in the second part of the series, explaining the statistics need to be viewed within the broader context of what’s going on in Hamilton and across Canada. With so many powerful economic factors—such as a slow economy, precarious employment, and record debt levels—the fact that many of Hamilton’s childhood indicators remain stable could be viewed as a positive.
“We have made big changes for a small number of children, but that doesn’t show in the big numbers,” Dr. Janus told CBC’s Adam Carter.
The final part of the series looked at the five ways to make Hamilton a better place for children. Some of the suggestions include improving affordable childcare, funding school nutrition programs, and creating more affordable housing options.