Visual 2020 Vital Signs of Greater Montréal report SDGs

Montréal, June 9, 2020 – To mark its 20th anniversary, and in conjunction with a virtual conference organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montréal, the Foundation of Greater Montréal (FGM) today launched a special edition of its Vital Signs of Greater Montréal series of reports. The report paints a portrait of 20 years of evolution in Greater Montréal, through the prism of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At a time when the COVID-19 crisis has underlined several social issues, this report gives us an in-depth perspective on the state of the Greater Montréal community. It also looks at the challenges is it going to have to meet in the coming years.

“There are several key conclusions we can draw from this new report,” stated FGM’s President and CEO, Yvan Gauthier. “One of the most significant, certainly, is Greater Montréal’s impressive economic recovery over the last few years. This upward swing, among other things, has pushed the unemployment rate to its lowest level in decades. Major investments have also been made in our public infrastructure, especially in transportation and in hospitals.”

Stagnating social indicators

“On the other hand, this growth has not allowed us to alleviate the social problems in our community. For example, food insecurity, poverty, the situation of housing, violence against women, or the school dropout rate have not gotten better. We haven’t been able to bring about the social transformation we need. In the current crisis, this lack of resilience is hitting us hard. There has been some progress, but there’s still a lot left to do. We need to better support the most vulnerable populations. These people, right now, are hardest hit by the impacts of COVID-19,” Mr. Gauthier added.

A call to action

The Vital Signs of Greater Montréal series, produced by FGM since 2006, draws attention to the important issues facing Montréal. It also aims to better inform its population about the state of the community. “That is also the thrust of the second part of the report, in which we’ve asked future leaders to give us their perspectives on the decade to come,” concluded the FGM’s President and CEO. “They are, in their own way, also working to achieve the SDGs and a more resilient society in their respective fields”.

The Foundation thanks its partners and the members of the Vital Signs strategic committee for their contributions. “The Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation is very proud to have supported the production of the report. It’s a document that is going to be vital in stimulating discussion on issues and priorities we share. It will be tremendously useful to charitable organizations, but also to the entire community,” stated its president, Jean-Marc Chouinard.

The 2020 Vital Signs of Greater Montréal report is available on FGM’s website, and the key findings are gathered in this document.

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Source : Foundation of Greater Montréal
For more information : Simon Delorme, Project Manager for Communications –
(514) 866-0808 local 107, simon.delorme@fgmtl.org

About the Foundation of Greater Montréal

The Foundation of Greater Montréal (FGM) helps individuals, families and organizations support their community by creating philanthropic funds. FGM manages the assets of over 650 funds, guides donors and supports community organizations. A member of the Community Foundations of Canada, FGM encourages philanthropy as a major driver for well-being in Greater Montréal.