Residents happy with life

Photo: Castanet file photo

Residents of Oliver are happy with the community's quality of life, but would like more spent on policing with the town's single biggest anxiety being crime.

Oliver has just completed its first citizens survey since 1992, taking the pulse of 100 residents by landline and cellphone. The survey results have a margin of error of just under 10 per cent, 19 times out of 20. 

In total, 96 per cent of respondents rated Oliver’s quality of life as “good” or “very good,” and things are improving. Over a half of citizens say quality of life has “stayed the same” over the past three years. Of those noticing a change, more say the quality of life has “improved” (25 per cent) than “worsened” (18 per cent).

Crime is by far the dominant issue for residents. When asked an open-ended question about the most important local issues, 43 per cent mentioned a crime related issue. Everything else was a distant second. 

While 55 per cent of respondents say community safety has “stayed the same” in the last three years, 42 per cent say it worsened. Only one per cent believe it improved. 

Regardless, 94 per cent of the community still believe Oliver is safe.

The number one priority for investment of the next four years is protective services (police and fire), chosen 81 per cent of the time. The next most important priorities are addressing social issues such as homelessness, mental health, and addiction (63%) and business and economic development (59%). 

The Town of Oliver is also looking for the public’s opinion in a separate survey launched this week. To kickstart the creation of an economic development strategy for the downtown, the municipality is asking residents "Where do we want to go"? That survey can be found here.

Photo: Town of Oliver