WATERLOO, Ont. (Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011) - The senior research advisor to the Canadian Index of Wellbeing - a national index measuring wellbeing that goes beyond the gross domestic product - will give a public lecture at the University of Waterloo this week to share insights on its creation.
Alex Michalos, Hallman Visiting Professor, will be on campus Wednesday, Sept. 28 to talk about the challenges of developing a national wellbeing index and give some initial thoughts on the full composite index that will be released in October.
"For over 40 years I have been engaged in, and tried to engage others in, the difficult task of constructing a comprehensive and balanced measure of the quality of life or wellbeing broadly construed of the Canadian people," said Michalos, an adjunct professor of philosophy at Brandon University. "Working closely with a very talented team on the Canadian Index of Wellbeing has allowed me to get ever closer to accomplishing the central goal of my life's work. I am pleased to be able to share my insights with the community."
Michalos is one of a group of experts from the academic, private, public and non-profit sectors that set out, more than a decade ago, to create a composite measure of wellbeing that incorporates areas of life that matter to Canadians - our standard of living, our health, the quality of our environment, our education and skills, the way we use our time, the vitality of our communities, our participation in the democratic process, and the state of our leisure and culture.
Baseline reports have been developed for each area and now have been incorporated into the first comprehensive index of wellbeing in Canada, set for national release on Oct. 20, 2011.
"We are very pleased that Alex could join us, before the national release, to give our community a 'sneak peek' at the CIW," said Bryan Smale, CIW director and a professor of recreation and leisure studies at the University of Waterloo.
Michalos is also an emeritus professor in political science at the University of Northern British Columbia, where he also served as chancellor and director of the Institute for Social Research and Evaluation. He has published 24 books, more than 100 refereed articles and founded or co-founded seven scholarly journals, of which Social Indicators Research was the first scholarly journal devoted to quality of life research.
He has received numerous awards and distinctions for his work including Member of the Order of Canada in 2010 for his contributions to the social sciences, notably in research that has helped to measure the quality of life in Canada and abroad.
The free public lecture, part of the faculty of applied health sciences Hallman Visiting Professor lecture series, will take place on Sept. 28 at 3 p.m. in the Lyle S. Hallman Institute for Health Promotion, Room 1621. To reserve seats for the lecture, contact Catherine Archibald at 519-888-4567 ext. 32010 or carchibald@uwaterloo.ca.
About the Canadian Index of Wellbeing
The Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW) is a new way of measuring wellbeing that provides unique insights into the quality of life of Canadians - overall, and in specific areas such as: living standards, health, environment, education, time use, community vitality, democratic engagement, and leisure and culture. It is produced by the CIW Network, based in the faculty of applied health sciences at the University of Waterloo. For more information, visit www.ciw.ca.
