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Community Accounts ([1]) is an innovative information system providing users at all levels with a source of community, regional, and provincial data. Based out of Newfoundland and Labrador, a province of Canada, it is a public-wide, online data retrieval system for locating, sharing and exchanging information related to the province and its people.

This system allows users to custom generate tables and graphics on key social and economic indicators organized by geography and data topic within ten distinct accounts: Household Spending, Income, Social, Health, Labour Market, Production, Demographics, Education, Resource/Wealth and Environment. An additional account, termed Well-Being, allows users to compile indicators from each of the above domains to develop a better understanding of the factors that determine the status and progress of their communities and regions.

Under this structure, information can be retrieved according to 400 communities, 80 census consolidated subdivisions (local areas), 20 economic development zones, and the province. Information can also be retrieved at the level of Rural Secretariat Regions, Health Authorities, School Districts, and Human Resources Development Canada Regions.

In 2003, the Community Accounts won two awards. The Newfoundland and Labrador Statistics Agency was the recipient of the National IPAC (The Institute of Public Administration of Canada) Award for Innovative Management. The theme for 2003 was "In the Know, Managing Knowledge". The Agency was also the recipient of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador 2002 Public Service Award of Excellence, which recognizes individuals and teams who have made outstanding contributions to the public service in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The Community Accounts is based on a model designed by Dr. Doug May of Memorial University in collaboration with the Newfoundland and Labrador Statistics Agency. Continued work on this project is completed through a team effort of the entire Economics and Statistics Branch in collaboration with other government departments as well as private organizations and individuals.

History

In 1996, a Social Policy Advisory Committee (SPAC) was established to conduct public consultations throughout the province to determine what was happening in the daily lives of the province's citizens and whether programs and policies were meeting needs. After extensive research and consultation, one of the committee's major recommendations was that government programs and policies be developed and implemented based on strong statistical evidence, clear target groups, and measurable results.

To achieve this community of practice the Newfoundland and Labrador Statistics Agency, in partnership with the Strategic Social Plan (SSP) of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and Memorial University, developed a government and public-wide system that embraces an integrated, evidence-based approach to policy and program development through collaboration within and across government departments, and economic and social sectors. Termed the "Community Accounts", it is the first Internet-based data retrieval and exchange system in Canada with unrestricted access to view and analyze data down to the community level. The goal is to provide citizens and policy makers with a single comprehensive source of key social, economic, and health data and indicators that would not be readily available, too costly to obtain, or too time consuming to manually or otherwise retrieve and compile.

Links

Newfoundland and Labrador Home Page