The Baylor University study was released today.
In part it says, of the 4,585 completed surveys, 79 per cent of respondents stated that they enjoy living in North Bay and 91 per cent stated that growth is important.
Based on the respondents that declared they like living in North Bay, 29 per cent trust the
municipal government, while of those who stated they dislike living in North Bay, 7 per cent trust the municipal government. Trust at 24 per cent aligns with national research statistics.
Overall though, numbers indicated that 46% of residents surveyed didn’t trust the municipal government.
Mayor Al McDonald admitted that number stung.
“I will be honest I don’t trust government as well, I think Canadians traditionally don’t trust governments but we are rated about the same as everyone else,” said McDonald.
“It was about 50 percent and really that is about the same on the national average so every city in North America has about the same percentage. But there is no question when you love your city and you are working hard for your city, that comes through. But you know what we know what the data is and it's up to us to seize those opportunities, find solutions to the challenges, and to engage the community in making our city a better place,” added the Mayor.
The news came in a one-hour presentation by Baylor University students at the North Bay Regional Health Centre Auditorium this afternoon which marked the end of Phase one of the Baylor Focus Firm Partnership Project.
Kevin Hutchison helped coordinate the Baylor study. He stands as a member of Invest North Bay Development Corporation Board and the project co-lead along with his brother Tim Hutchison.
He believes the study is helping to do what’s right and that’s effect positive change.
“Interestingly enough following an early session we had a deep dive-in session where we spoke about ‘what did we experience?’ Unanimously we came up with strategy, cohesion and communication. We tested those and we couldn't find another word or words that needed to be a part of that list and based on the data we feel even more strongly that those three are core areas that we need to tackle,” said Hutchison.
As far as the plans and goals for the City of North Bay, only 15 per cent of respondents indicated they have an understanding of what they may be, while 56 per cent of those who understand the plans/goals disagree with them.
Phase II of the project will further dissect the appetite and requirements of the community and explore the strategic priorities that the research deems suitable for the City.
The second stage will begin in January and involves up to 25 new Baylor University MBA candidates.
Today’s presentation on the survey results can be accessed by visiting investinnorthbay.ca and clicking on “Baylor Survey Presentation” in the Quick Link section of the homepage.
