S yy Shis thsue: (¥Y Vancouver marijuana shop subject to police raid And more! (¥ Vancouver to receive federal funding for transit (¥ Compass Card rolls out for Douglas College Have an idea for a story? Let us know! Contact: Lauren Kelly, News Editor Mi news@theotherpress.ca www.theotherpress.ca Statistics Canada releases report on life satisfaction in Canadian cities » Report shows that Vancouverites less satisfied than other Canadians Lauren Kelly News Editor © news@theotherpress.ca he recently released Statistics Canada report on Canadian life satisfaction, “How’s Life in the City? Life Satisfaction across Census Metropolitan Areas and Economic Regions in Canada,” has found that Vancouverites have the lowest self-reported average life satisfaction out of all major Canadian metropolitan areas. The report drew its data from 340,000 responses across the 2009-13 General Social Surveys and the 2009-12 Canadian Community Health Surveys. Although Canada has been releasing an average Canadian life satisfaction report for nearly 30 years, this year marks the first time Statistics Canada has had enough data to compare between metropolitan and economic regions, with each having at least 1,000 respondents. Canadians had a nationwide average response of 8.0 out of 10 in response to the question “Using a scale of 0-10, where o means ‘Very dissatisfied’ and 10 means ‘Very satisfied’ how do you feel about your life as a whole right now?” Vancouverites reported : an average of 7.8, with 33.6% : responding with g or 10, : also the lowest in Canada. : Although Vancouver had the : lowest average, the highest : city, Saguenay, Quebec, is 8.2, : showing a variation of just : 0.4. Other BC metropolitan : areas included are Victoria, : Abbotsford-Mission, and : Kelowna, with 7.9, 7.9, and 8.0 : respectively. The report also examined : the correlation between life : satisfaction and a variety of : other characteristics, such as : age, education, and self-reported : health. The report found that life : satisfaction “levels [were] lower : among individuals in their 40s : and early-50s than among those : in younger and older age groups.’ On average, respondents : with university degrees reported : the lowest life satisfaction, and : the highest reported “Less than : high school” education. These : are not as large of a difference as : some others, with a .13 difference : between “University degree” : and “Less than high school.” : According to the report, the : relationship between education : and life satisfaction “becomes : positive and significant when : health status, employment : status and/or household income : are removed from the model, : confirming the now-established : view that education affects : subjective well-being through its : impact on other outcomes. The most significant : indicator of life satisfaction in : Canada was health; individuals : who self-reported “Excellent” : health reported one full point : : higher than “Good,” while “Good” : : was 1.75 points higher than : : “Poor.” This shows an almost : three-point difference between : people with “Excellent” and : “Poor” health. Going forward, Statistics Canada hopes to collect more : in-depth information on major : cities to compare within their : neighbourhoods. Douglas College Maker Lab opens at River Market » Will offer free innovation workshops as it bridges the college and community Lauren Kelly News Editor © news@theotherpress.ca ew Westminster’s River Market has a new tenant: the Douglas College Maker Lab. Located on the second floor with a full view of the Vancouver Circus School, the lab, which is a makerspace, bridges the college with the community to share in curiosity and a love of technology. David Wright, the coordinator of research and innovation at Douglas College, is excited with their location in the River Market: “It is a really good opportunity to collaborate with the community [...] and establish a presence in the community for the college.” The Maker Lab currently : has three 3-D printers of varying : scale and complexity, a 3-D : scanner, and a drone. Wright : says that “The idea is to get one : of everything, and then people : can come down and, either at a : workshop or otherwise, play with : the materials and see what they : can do.” Because the lab has a range of printers, people of all : experience levels can learn and : interact with the medium. To : use the most user-friendly 3-D : printer on site, the MakerBot, all : one has to do is download a plan : from the website Thingiverse. : com, put the file on a USB, and : plug that into the printer. As the length of each : 45 minutes for very small pieces : and nearly 20 hours for large : and complex ones, it’s currently : difficult to book appointments : for printing. The lab will also be hosting : free Innovation workshops every : second Tuesday starting on May : 12 that will run from 7:30 to : g:00 p.m. Each event will have : atheme, with the first being : : multi-modality and infographics, : : where people will learn howto! : create infographics and convey : information through imagery. : The second will have the theme : 3-D printing and take place : on May 26. There will be pre- : registration for people who are : interested, and each session will : : hold around 25 people. : printing project can vary between : For students who wish to : drop in during the summer, a : : staff member is likely to be in the : : lab Fridays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. : Once the Fall semester starts, it : will be staffed Monday-Friday : during the same time period. Photo by Lauren Kelly “We're trying to let it evolve the way it wants to evolve,” : Wright said. “We'll try to figure : out what people want to use it for : and we'll see what we can do to : accommodate that.”