Ottawa is one of Canada's wealthiest cities, but its arts organizations are underfunded and the gap between the rich and the poor is growing, says an annual report card on the city's well-being.

The report, entitled Vital Signs, was released by the Community Foundation of Ottawa on Wednesday.

The report compiles data from a number of sources in order to see how the city is measuring up in 11 areas, such as health, transportation, work, safety and housing.

The report's findings include:

• Quality of life: Nine out of 10 Ottawa residents rate their quality of life as "good."
• Crime: In 2005, Ottawa had six per cent fewer violent crimes than in 2004.
• Health: The city has 100 per cent more medical specialists and 50 per cent more general practitioners than the national average.
• Education: In 2001, 36.7 per cent of Ottawa residents aged 20 to 64 held a post-secondary school certificate, diploma or degree, compared with an Ontario average of 23.7 per cent.
• Poverty: The gap between the rich and the poor is growing and 15,000 children used the city's food banks in 2005.
• Immigration: The city's growing number of immigrants face high unemployment; they are struggling with the local languages and have trouble getting their foreign credentials and experience recognized.
• Housing: Fifteen per cent of Ottawa households spend more than 30 per cent of their income on shelter.
• Arts: The city spent only $3.44 per capita on arts and culture in 2003, putting it last among Canada's seven largest cities
• Environment: Air quality is declining. There were seven smog alerts in 2005, while there were between one and three in each of the previous three years.
• Civic engagement: Voter turnout has been falling. In the 2003 municipal election, it was 33 per cent, compared with 47 per cent in 2000.

Barbara McInnes, the president and CEO of the foundation, said she hopes the report will help voters figure out what issues matter to them during the upcoming municipal election.

"We hope that it will spark some public policy debates and help people understand the factual basis of what's really going on in the community so that they aren't too swayed by the rhetoric," McInnes said.

"Discussion is really good. Engagement is what we are looking for."

Mayoral candidates respond

Mayor Bob Chiarelli said the report's statistics are out of date, and spending on the arts and the homeless has gone up since the numbers were collected.

Meanwhile, two of the candidates running against him in Ottawa's mayoral election on Nov. 13 insisted that their platforms address the problems outlined in the report.

Larry O'Brien said tightening spending at City Hall will lead to improvements in may areas.

"The money that we save by creating a more effective city government will be returned to the taxpayers: one, through tax relief; and two, through increased investments in arts and other social services that we believe is part of having a great city."

Alex Munter said the themes of the report are similar to the themes in his platform.

"And I think this report is telling us that there's a lot of work to do and there's a lot that's been left undone by the current city administration," he added.

The Community Foundation of Ottawa is a non-profit organization that collects and invests charitable donations and distributes grants to community organizations.