We will work with specific focus groups to dive deeper into the issues and needs of selected subpopulations.

The survey is now closed. Preliminary results are shared on this project page. Thank you for providing your input on social issues, needs, and services in Airdrie.

We worked with youth to understand their thoughts on social needs, issues, and services in Airdrie. Engagement opportunities included in-school activities, working with a youth-serving social service provider, and working with the Airdrie Board of Youth Affairs (ABYA).

Our Open House was held on May 21, 2025 to help ensure that survey results reflected residents' understanding and hear their input on whether anything was missed by the survey.

Thank you for connecting! From June 14-23, we were out at several coffee houses and venues around town to chat with residents at these kitchen-table-style informal conversations about social issues, needs, and strengths in Airdrie.

In regards to what residents like most about Airdrie, the following key themes emerged from the preliminary analysis of responses:

• Safe, clean, quiet – residents feel safe when out walking, there’s less traffic than a big city, and Airdrie is good place for raising a family.
• Great natural and recreational amenities – we have great walking and biking paths, green spaces, canals, playgrounds, prairie views.
• Small town feel with big city amenities – the majority of services are close-by; it is “a 10-min city” with very little more than a 10 min drive away; friendly, helpful people; family-oriented; easy to get everywhere; and great sense of community.
• Great proximity and access – to work, Calgary, HWY 2, YYC International Airport, Banff, etc.
• Many festivals, community celebrations, sporting events – help foster a sense of belonging.

More residents had concerns about affordability than any other social issue in Airdrie. Residents also recognized challenges facing our youth.

This affordability trend continued when we asked residents to identify the three social issues they were most concerned about in Airdrie. Crime, mental health, and challenges to youth well-being were also top of mind.

Healthcare services were identified by the highest number of respondents as a social need in Airdrie along with affordable market housing and opportunities for youth after graduating high school.

When asked about the top three most pressing social needs in Airdrie, respondents indicated healthcare services, mental health services, services for youth, and affordable market housing.

Awareness and usage of social services vary greatly depending on the service in question. This is not entirely surprising as residents tend to look for services to meet specific needs.

However, there are a good number of services that residents are aware of and using.

Just over half of survey respondents reported encountering barriers to accessing social services in Airdrie.

The most common barriers to accessing social services in Airdrie are wait times or lists, that the services are not available here, or that residents needed to leave the city to access certain services.

Barriers were encountered across almost the entire spectrum of services.

We will share a final report that incorporates what we heard across the various engagement opportunities with the community.