ISQOLS Webinar, "Putting Quality of Life Data at the Fingertips of Society"

In 2019 almost 13,000 residents in the Province of Nova Scotia (Canada) responded to a comprehensive Quality of Life Survey administered by Engage Nova Scotia, in collaboration with the Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW, housed at the University of Waterloo).  With Dalhousie University, they have developed two ground-breaking interactive online tools to extract findings down to more granular geographic levels to reveal the experiences, perceptions and behaviours of community residents that have been historically marginalized because of their income, background, and/or other personal characteristics. Partners in government, academia and community have been analysing the findings, using the tools, to inform budgeting, policymaking, research, measurement, and advocacy. Prof. Bryan Smale, Director of the CIW, Danny Graham, CEO of Engage Nova Scotia, and Taylor Hill, Research and Data Lead for Engage Nova Scotia, will outline the conceptual foundation of the survey, highlight findings, and demonstrate the versatility of the tools.  

Presenters: 

Taylor Hill: Research and Data Lead

Taylor is a PhD student in Experimental Psychology at Dalhousie University, with a strong interest in methodology. With her doctoral work, she is developing a translational research program rooted in well-being science to understand psychosocial and community resources that contribute to positive mental health and healthy communities. The overall goal of her research is to contribute to an evidence base that can inform policy, programming, and practice in improving population mental health and well-being.

Danny Graham: Chief Engagement Officer

Over a thirty-year period, Danny Graham has held senior positions in business, law, and

government. For 10 years he was the Chief Negotiator on Aboriginal Rights for the Province of Nova Scotia. He is credited with starting the Nova Scotia Restorative Justice Program and has worked to advance justice reforms with the United Nations and countries spanning four continents. He has been recognized by organizations throughout Atlantic Canada for his community and public service. He is currently the Chief Engagement Officer for Engage Nova Scotia – an independent non- profit that is leading the Nova Scotia Quality of Life Initiative, with an extensive network of partners from the public, private, academic and community sectors – provincially, nationally, and internationally. In 2019 almost 13,000 Nova Scotians responded to a 230-question survey administered by Engage NS in cooperation with the Canadian Index of Wellbeing. With Dalhousie University, they have developed pioneering tools to extract the findings of the survey in real time across demographic and neighbourhood profiles. Partners in all three levels of government, are considering the findings of the survey and the use of the tools to catalyse new action, inform policy decisions and shape the narrative about how to build a successful society.

Bryan Smale, Ph.D., is Director of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW) housed in the Faculty of Health at the University of Waterloo (UW), Emeritus Professor in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies and cross-appointed to the Department of Geography and Environmental Management. He received his Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Western Ontario and both his Master’s and B.A. in Leisure Studies from the University of Waterloo. He is currently a member of Statistics Canada’s Advisory Committee on Social Conditions, Research Consultant on UNICEF Canada’s Child and Youth Well-being Index, a former Research Advisor to the Vanier Institute’s Canadian Family Well-Being Index, former Chair and President of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Association of Leisure Studies (CALS), and past Editor-in-Chief of Leisure/Loisir. His research focuses on the wellbeing of individuals and communities, the role of leisure in wellbeing, the spatial distribution and analysis of leisure in communities, time use allocation, and social indicators research. He was elected a Fellow to the Academy of Leisure Sciences in 2012, awarded the Hall of Heroes Leadership award in 2020 by the Community Indicators Consortium, and honoured in 2020 with the Outstanding Contribution to Leisure Studies Award by the Canadian Association of Leisure Studies.