Canadian Index of Wellbeing Survey in Oxford now open

Oxford residents aged 16 and older have a chance to provide input and win prizes by taking part in the survey before the June 15 deadline

The Canadian Index of Wellbeing Survey in Oxford County opens today, May 1, 2025, inviting every Oxford resident over the age of 16 to take part to help shape a better future for Oxford. 

By taking part, participants will have a chance to win one of 10 $100 gift certificates from a local business. 

Oxford County and Safe and Well Oxford are sponsoring the Canadian Index of Wellbeing survey in Oxford to support the highest possible quality of life for residents. Results from the survey will be used to update the Safe and Well Oxford Plan to ensure it reflects local priorities and needs, and to help show trends in which aspects of our quality of life are improving and which still need attention. 

Oxford County is undertaking the Canadian Index of Wellbeing survey for the second time since 2016. The survey measures living standards, health, environmental sustainability, community vitality, education, work-life balance, democratic participation, and access and participation in leisure and cultural activities. A report sharing survey results and highlights will be shared in the fall of 2025.

Data from the survey can be shared with other community organizations in Oxford County to use in planning their programs and services. The Canadian Index of Wellbeing program at the University of Waterloo uses survey results from communities across Canada to measure quality of life at a national level, generating research data, highlighting the current experiences of Canadians, and helping set targets for the future. 

To complete the survey online, visit www.oxfordcounty.ca/wellbeing-survey. To request a paper copy, call 1-800-755-0394. The survey closes June 15, 2025.

Comment

Marcus Ryan, Warden, Oxford County

“Oxford is a community that cares. Developing and improving our capacity to measure community health, safety and well-being is a set goal in our Strategic Plan. Through the Canadian Index of Wellbeing Survey-- a renowned, trusted and research-backed tool—we are offering our residents a way to let us know how they are doing, and to offer insight to how we can best help.”

Background

• The Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW) is a national initiative supported by an independent, non-partisan group of national and international leaders, researchers, organizations, and grassroots citizens who are developing a new way of measuring wellbeing in Canada. The CIW Network is based at the University of Waterloo. Learn more at www.uwaterloo.ca/canadian-index-wellbeing
• Safe and Well Oxford represents the community safety and well-being plan that was developed and endorsed in 2021 by all eight of Oxford’s area municipalities. Community safety and well-being plans are provincially legislated and set out the approach for how government, service providers, residents and businesses can work together to address the root causes of the most complex social issues. In Oxford, there are currently five priority risks that Safe and Well Oxford is working to address through a social development and prevention lens: (1) mental health; (2) affordable housing; (3) substance misuse; (4) equity, diversity and inclusion; (5) gender-based violence. Learn more at www.safewelloxford.ca

About Oxford County 

Located in southwestern Ontario at the crossroads of Highways 401 and 403, Oxford County has a population of approximately 140,000 people across eight area municipalities that are “growing stronger together.” A partnership-oriented, two-tier municipal government, Oxford County is committed to 100% renewable energy, zero waste, zero poverty, and being 100% housed. Oxford County is situated in one of Ontario’s richest areas for farmland, with a diversified local economy that is home to an innovative agricultural industry, leading automotive manufacturers, and the Oxford County Cheese Trail. Oxford also offers a thriving local arts and culinary community, as well as conservation parks, natural areas and more than 100 kilometres of scenic trails. The County’s Strategic Plan puts forward a vision of “Working together for a healthy, vibrant, and sustainable future.” The Oxford County Administration Building is in Woodstock, Ontario. Visit www.oxfordcounty.ca, follow us on social media, or download our Facts and Stats to learn more.