Citizen Perspectives Survey
The Town of Canmore uses the Citizen Perspectives Survey results to understand the needs and perceptions of residents, determine satisfaction with municipal services, identify spending priorities, identify areas for improvement, and overall quality of life in Canmore. The data in the telephone survey was randomly collected from residents to reflect the age/gender distribution of the actual population in Canmore according to the most recent Census data.
There is real value in conducting this exercise every few years to gather data on a broad number of benchmark questions as a tool to inform future priorities and direction for Town of Canmore Council and administration. The most recent survey results from the 2021 survey are below, and include results from both the random telephone survey and the self-selected online survey.
Highlights from the random telephone survey include:
- 83% of Canmore residents are satisfied with the Town of Canmore’s response to the pandemic.
- 98% of residents continue to rate the overall quality of life in Canmore as good or very good.
- 62% of the respondents indicated their quality of life in Canmore had improved or stayed the same over the past four years, and the other 38% indicated it had worsened.
- Top of mind issues are: too many tourists and visitors, population growth, too busy, too much development, cost of living, and increased traffic were noted as a reasons for a deterioration in quality of life.
- 99% of residents continue to feel safe in Canmore, and 93% feel a sense of belonging in their own neighbourhood.
- 84% of the respondents feel they are getting good or very good value for their tax dollars.
- Citizens want us to provide them with more information about planning/land use and development and want more community updates on roads and transportation, council meetings, community events, budget/taxes, and generally “what’s new.”
- 86% of respondents note their desire to provide input into decision-making about Town of Canmore projects and services, 64% indicate that they have enough opportunities to provide input. 62% agree that the Town of Canmore uses input from residents when making decisions.
- 73% of residents are satisfied with how the community is being run.
- It is clear that the public wants to be kept better informed about how the Town of Canmore will address growth, and fewer residents think we are doing a good job of managing the level of development and growth - especially in the Three Sisters area.
