ROI announces the Community Well-being Dashboard in Ontario’s two official languages

GUELPH, ON,  – The Rural Ontario Institute (ROI) is pleased to announce the Rural Community Well-Being Dashboard and supporting factsheets will be made available in Ontario’s two official languages in the spring of 2026.

“The Rural Community Well-being Dashboard provides rural decision makers with relevant, local data and visualizations making it easy for rural communities to understand and interpret complex data and identify opportunities for planning and development. By translating the dashboard into dual languages, we are continuing to remove barriers to ensure communities can access the data they need,” said Kezia Cowtan, Data Programs Manager at ROI.

 French translation of the Rural Community Well-being project has been made possible through Partnership Investment funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

The Community Well-being Dashboard was developed in collaboration with data champions and project partners, including the Ontario Ministries of Agriculture, Food, and Agribusiness and Rural Affairs, the Ontario Trillium Foundation, EcoCanada, York University and the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA). The dashboard and supplemental Rural Wellbeing Fact Sheets provide communities with a deeper understanding of rural data trends and equip them to evaluate their wellbeing, determine priorities for improvement, monitor progress over time, and conduct cross community and interregional comparisons. Indicators were selected from a national standard (CSA R113-22: Indicators for rural community well-being, services, and quality of life) including readily available data at the community level.

“These dashboards make it easy for everyone, from residents to nonprofits, to understand local realities and provide better evidence-based support and resources. OTF is pleased to invest in this next phase of the project, ensuring rural communities are represented in both official languages,” said Katharine Bambrick, CEO of the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

“As a researcher working closely with rural communities, I’ve found the Rural Community Well-Being Dashboard to be a transformative tool. It sets a new precedent for accessible, high-quality data tailored to rural realities. This kind of transparent, user-friendly resource is exactly what we need to support evidence-based decision-making in rural regions across Canada,” said Kate Linden, Assistant Professor at the Shannon School of Business, Cape Breton University.

"The Rural Ontario Institute’s Well-being Dashboard is an amazing platform that pulls together valuable data that local leaders need to make evidence-based decisions. We continue to partner with ROI to support improvements in data available and showcase the tools that are present now in this easy-to-use format for all municipalities in Ontario," said Dana Soucie, Executive Director of the Four County Labour Market Planning Board. 

 “The Rural Community Wellbeing dashboard was invaluable for the community climate risk assessment process in Huron County. The dashboard’s collection of locally available data supported staff throughout the assessment in determining the social, economic, and environmental risks posed by a changing climate in our community. This information has guided where to focus our limited resources to protect residents, infrastructure, and the environment within Huron’s Climate Action Strategy,” said Derry Wallis, Climate Change & Energy Specialist, for the County of Huron.