How many close friends or relatives could you call in an emergency?If you lost your wallet, would you trust someone in your neighbourhood to give it back?The answers to these questions are part of what researchers call `social capital,` a key ingredient to a good quality of life, a healthy population, safe streets and economic prosperity.Toronto - a city of more than 2.8 million people where 51 per cent of residents are visible minorities - exhibits remarkably high levels of social capital, according to a groundbreaking report being released Tuesday.And surprisingly, the research shows robust social capital among some groups where it was not expected, including first-generation Canadians and seniors living alone and in highrise buildings, says the report by the non-profit Toronto Foundation and Environics Institute for Survey Research.`In contrast to some of the research evidence for U.S. cities, this study found no evidence in Toronto that increasing ethnic diversity is linked to lower levels of social capital,` says the report, the first comprehensive look at the issue in a Canadian city.Social capital is the `lubricant` that drives social networks, determines trust and makes it possible for people who may have little in common to live peacefully with each other, says the report. This kind of mutual support, trust and connection are not simply `feel good` notions, but as important as economic capital, it says.`Social capital is absolutely critical to our lives, to our happiness, to our well-being, to progressing in society,` said Sharon Avery, president and CEO of the foundation. `And while there is clearly something to celebrate (in the Toronto results), I don´t want us to celebrate and walk away.`For example, the research shows just 6 per cent of Torontonians don´t have a close friend or relative. But that still represents 100,000 residents, Avery noted. `That´s the population of Pickering and not something we can ignore.`To lead the way, the foundation is u ...
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