8:30
Registration
(Coffee, tea, juice and muffins available)

9:00
Opening remarks
Charles Birchall, President, Canadian Council on Social Development
Jean-Pierre Voyer, Director General, Applied Research Branch, Human Resources Development Canada

9:30
The international experience
Heinz-Herbert Noll, Director of the Social Indicators Department at ZUMA - The Centre for Survey Research and Methodology in Mannheim, Germany.

Dr. Noll will provide an analysis of the origins, trends, failures and successes of the social indicator "movement" internationally. Participants will benefit from his years of research on social indicators, social reporting and "quality of life" measurement in Europe, the U.S. and abroad. Click here for a copy of Dr. Noll's paper.

10:30 Break

11:00
The Oregon Benchmarks experience
Beverly Stein, Multnomah County Chair/Chief Executive in Oregon and former state legislator (1989-1993).

Ms. Stein has the unique experience of having participated in both the development of state-wide benchmarks and their implementation at the local level. Her presentation will focus on the process of moving social indicators from the conceptual phase to the point where they are used to guide public policy and priorities.

12:00
Lunch
(Participants are free to make their own arrangements)

1:00
Benchmarks and measures
Ralph Nilson, Dean, Faculty of Physical Activity Studies, University of Regina, and Past-President of the Saskatchewan Provincial Health Council (SPHC)

Dr. Nilson will describe a project being developed in his province designed to measure the health of the population over time. The SPHC defines health broadly as "a dynamic process involving the harmony of physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual well-being".

2:00
Community audit and impact assessment
Armine Yalnizyan, Program Director, Metro Toronto Social Planning Council

The introduction of the Canada Health and Social Transfer (CHST) generated a flurry of community audits and social impact assessment projects. Ms. Yalnizyan will report on a four-part community audit project that the Metro Toronto SPC has undertaken with a number of community partners.

3:00
Break

3:30
National accounting: looking beyond GDP
Hans Messenger, Assistant Director, Input-Output Division, and Robert Sauvé, Senior Analyst, System of National Accounts, both of Statistics Canada

Researchers Messinger and Sauvé will report on their efforts to construct Canadian adaptations of measures from the United States designed to support and expand the measurement of GDP (the Fordham Index and the Genuine Progress Indicator).

NOTE: Each presentation will be followed by roundtable discussion.

4:30-4:45
Wrap-up

5:30-7:00
Reception

9:00
Workshop group assignments (Coffee, tea, juice, muffins available)

9:30
Workshop sessions

Participants will be assigned one of three workshops based on their area of interest and expertise. They will be invited to outline their work and discuss gaps and challenges they encounter with others during the workshop sessions. Moderators will draw out particular problems of methodology, information and support, as well as suggested solutions.

The moderators for the workshops will be: Karen Stanford, Executive Director, Florida Commission on Government Accountability to the People (GAP); Denise Avard, Executive Director, Canadian Institute of Child Health; Shirley Hoy, Metro Community Services, Metro Toronto; and, Mike McCracken, Chair/CEO, Informetrica Ltd.

NOTE: Breaks will be at the discretion of the group moderators.

2:00
Debate: The future of social indicators in Canada
Gilles Paquet, Professor, Faculty of Administration, University of Ottawa

Participants will regroup for a final plenary debate on the future of social indicators in Canada. Drawing on findings emerging from the workshop sessions, Dr. Paquet will challenge participants to identify the types of information required to move the development of social indicators forward, how such information should be collected, the players that should be involved, and the ways in which this information could be used.

Before opening the plenary floor to debate, the moderators from the three workshops will respond briefly to Dr. Paquet's comments, based on the issues raised during their respective sessions.

4:00
Adjournment