City of Winnipeg

City of Winnipeg

Winnipeg and the SDGs: A Voluntary Local Review of Progress 2021

Insights of the Report

Building on data from Winnipeg’s community indicator system, Peg, Winnipeg’s first Voluntary Local Review reports on Sustainable Development Goals that reflect the issues chosen by Winnipeggers. The report begins with an acknowledgement that Peg is committed to moving forward in a spirit of truth, reconciliation, and collaboration and to address crucial gaps that currently exist in terms of reflecting First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Nation perspectives, priorities, and experiences in relation to sustainable development. In line with the 2030 Agenda’s principle to ensure no one is being left behind and that the needs of those most behind are addressed first, the report also takes a critical look at how the benefits of prosperity have been distributed among Winnipeggers. This section highlights that recent immigrants and people identifying as Indigenous or members of other racialized communities have been hit harder than other groups by the COVID-19 pandemic. Ten SDGs are profiled within the report, using Peg indicators to reflect Winnipeg’s progress for each. Each SDG also highlights community organizations that are working to localize the SDGs with innovative and important front-line work. Reflections and recommendations include a summary of Winnipeg’s progress towards localizing the SDGs, a review of data gaps and opportunities, and a discussion of the importance of the future work of setting targets together as a community. This report is simply one step in an ongoing journey toward sustainable development.

City Profile

Winnipeg is a diverse and creative city in the geographic centre of Canada and North America. Located at the junction of the Assiniboine and Red Rivers, it is known for its cold winters and vibrant arts and culture scene. Winnipeg’s Indigenous history reaches back to time immemorial. As early as 4,000 BCE, diverse groups of First Nations, including Cree, Dakota, Dene, Ojibway, and Ojibway-Cree, used the area where the Assiniboine and Red Rivers meet as an important gathering place and transcontinental trade link. In 2017, the Peg team engaged in an exercise to localize the SDGs in Winnipeg. Each indicator was cross listed with the 231 SDG indicators under the global framework; we found each could align to one or two SDGs. Peg’s SDG alignment was published in our 2018 and 2019 Our City reports, and is now a key part of the VLR process.

The Report and more

The VLR report is available here:
Winnipeg and the SDGs: A Voluntary Local Review of Progress 2021