Although Ottawa's least fortunate have fared fairly well despite the downturn, local community organizations say a new report show we can do better.
Canada's Vital Signs Report, which tracked social services by region, was released today and showed youth employment in the summer months was at a 30-year low.
However, Ottawa's Community Foundation says there are several areas of concern in the report.
"The highest priority for action was health and wellness," said Barbara McInnes, head of the foundation, which put together the report for the capital.
"Some of the statistics we are showing in the report show the rate of mental illness, especially among young people, is high. This is something that our community needs to understand and become concerned about."
Also of concern was the gap between rich and poor as well as the suicide rate among young men in the region, McInnes said.
The report also examined the effect on residents of the OC Transpo bus strike in December and January. Around 88 per cent of lower-income individuals said their health worsened because of the bus strike.
