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Churches and other places of worship are hard to come by these days as planning authorities do not provide land for places of worship as they did in past times. In some areas restrictions are being placed on where faith communities may develop alternative meeting places. Development charges are being imposed on new church developments and the current property-tax exemption of places of worship is being questioned. The value that faith groups add to the life and wellbeing of communities - in both tangible and intangible forms - is not well understood.
Raising the Line of Sight is a CCDL research project designed to deepen the awareness of the church and the planning and development world to the contribution made by churches and other faith groups to the health and welfare of our communities. The Centre is developing a research proposal with the goal of better articulating the contribution faith communities make to social capital, and shaping congregational assessment tools to help them measure their contribution and encourage them to live out in practice the existing 'social contract' between them and the wider society in which we live.
For more details contact Ron Ewart, Program Coordinator at 905 771 5124 ext 29
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