May 2023
Liton Chakraborty
Robin Bourke
Matthew Godsoe
Public Safety Canada is in the process of developing a national social vulnerability index for equity-informed emergency preparedness and disaster risk reduction programs. As the frequency and severity of hazards and disasters continue to increase, the disproportionate risk exposure of individuals, groups, and communities, who are most vulnerable, is likely to also increase. Several vulnerability factors, including poverty, lack of equity and disproportionate risk exposure of communities and marginalized groups due to lack of access to emergency healthcare services and facilities, shelters, transportation, remoteness, and crowded housing, may hinder an individual’s and community’s ability to prevent financial loss, injury, and fatalities in a disaster. To better understand community-wide vulnerability and risk indicators across Canada, the Resilience and Economic Integration Division (REID) of Public Safety Canada has created a data and analytical repository for social vulnerability and gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) factors by developing neighbourhood deprivation and social vulnerability indices at the national scale.