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From voter turnout to wildfires, consumer confidence and property values, the State of the Basin reveals conditions and trends, as well as residents’ perceptions, about the state of our rural region.
2015 marks the fifth release of the State of the Basin, an initiative of the Columbia Basin Rural Development Institute (RDI) at Selkirk College. The State of the Basin monitors indicators of economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being in the Columbia Basin-Boundary region.
“The RDI’s research aims to help our region improve its overall well-being, and the State of the Basin is our flagship program,” says Lauren Rethoret, Researcher at the RDI. “Many of our local government and non-profit partners look to our annual State of the Basin reports for a comprehensive check-up on the diverse issues facing their community.”
Compared to last year, income inequality has dropped, human-bear conflict has increased, and the number of residents satisfied with job availability has remained relatively stable.
Regional statistics are the focus of the annual State of the Basin Snapshot Report, while a Trends Analysis for each indicator breaks down regional findings to smaller geographic scales. For example, the Snapshot Report indicates that, at the regional scale, residential property values remained relatively stable from 2014 to 2015, while the Trends Analysis provides details for individual communities, which shows rates of change from +3.9% to -4.3%.
The regional focus of the State of the Basin draws attention to the fact that many of our communities experience common opportunities and challenges. It also encourages collaboration in finding solutions and celebrating successes.
In addition to monitoring the status of our well-being, the State of the Basin makes data on regional priorities more accessible to decision-makers. Reports are supported by an online data portal, the Digital Basin, which was custom built by the Selkirk Geospatial Research Centre, also at Selkirk College.
To download the State of the Basin report or indicator-specific Trends Analyses, visit the State of the Basin.
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