Calgary's quality of life gets low grades

A report card on Calgary's "vital signs" released Tuesday by the Calgary Foundation shows the cityhas lots of room to improve.

The Vital Signs project had residents grade the city on 12 key areas including housing, the environment and the gap between the rich and the poor, as a way to measure the quality of life.

When the results were tallied, the city ended up with 10 Cs and Ds and only two Bs, which was a disappointment, said Eva Friesen, the foundation's president and chief executive officer.

But Friesen said the poor results may be attributed to thehigh standards of city residents.

"Calgarians aspire for greatness," she said. "You know we don't settle for much. We want to be a good city and a great city."

But, according to the report, if Calgary wants to become a great city it has to become safer and more environmentally conscious.

Vital Signs project director Cesar Cala said the city is definitely grappling withgrowing pains.

"We have become a big city and we are dealing with big city issues. There are tension marks that we are starting to feel," she said, adding some are beginning to feel left behind.

The city receivedBsfor its strong work environment and its educated population.

Calgary was one of 11 Canadian communities that took part in the national initiative.