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PostHeaderIcon What is Community Vitality?

The present community vitality monitoring initiative arises directly out of the recommendations of a joint Federal-Provincial Panel on Uranium Mining Developments in Northern Saskatchewan. As a result of the Panel review and reports, the revised surface leases for northern uranium mining projects require the companies to participate in a community vitality monitoring program.

The original idea of community vitality focused on the social well-being and quality of life experienced by community residents and how a community could respond to changes such as those that may be caused by an industrial project. In general, “community vitality” requires adequate formal services, a strong network of social supports, effective political leadership, and a viable local economy that is both diverse and resilient. Self-sufficiency is also an important part of the definition of community vitality.

There are, however, many alternative approaches to assessing a community’s vitality, including approaches that assess community health (physical, mental/emotional, spiritual/cultural, and social), community quality of life, community sustainable development, and community wellness. In the case of the CVMPP, northerners helped to define community vitality and to outline the related issues.