Blog post: World Mental Health Day – Is our current approach working hard or hardly working?

Written by Harman Khinda, ESPC volunteer   World Mental Health Day is observed on October 10th, with this year’s theme focused on “workplace mental health”. Our world’s workforce is 60% of the global population, therefore urgent action is needed to ensure work...
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Blog post: Unearthing Indigenous Knowledge in the Landscape

Written by Nguyen Chu, ESPC volunteer "Wisdom sits in places," Apache elder Dudley Patterson once said (Basso, 1996). For Indigenous Peoples, land is not just a physical space, but a living archive of knowledge, history, and cultural memory. It is a teacher, a...
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Blog post: Small Steps Add Up: International Food Loss and Waste Awareness Day

Written by Jennifer Scherer, ESPC volunteer September 29 is International Food Loss and Waste Awareness Day, which highlights the impact of food loss and waste and raises awareness of steps everyone can take to reduce food waste. Food loss is defined as when food is...
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Blog post: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD): The Need to Build More Awareness and Support

Written by Brett Lambert, ESPC Research Officer   Did you know that 1 in 25 people (4%) in Canada live with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)? This translates to 1.5 million people (Flannigan, Unsworth, and Harding, 2018). That means it is possible to have...
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Community Matters September 2024: Disability: And A Look At Inclusive Communities

Welcome to the fall edition of our quarterly publication, Community Matters. The aim of Community Matters is to inform the community about social issues that impact people who live in our community. The information contained allows readers to increase their knowledge,...
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fACT Sheet: The True Impact of Immigration on Housing and Employment

Introduction  In the past few months, more and more attention has been given to immigration and its purported effects on local economies. In September of 2022, 5% of Canadians rated immigration as one of the top 3 issues facing Canada, in September of 2024, 21% did, a...
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Welcome

The Edmonton Social Planning Council (ESPC) is a local, charitable and non-partisan organization that was founded in 1940. ESPC conducts social research on low income and poverty issues in our community. ESPC also provides knowledge and expertise on these issues, raises public awareness and understanding, advocates for social policies and programs, and fosters public participation.

ESPC focus centers on topics related to low income and poverty. Our work includes undertaking research into the nature and magnitude of social issues in our community; public awareness and understanding of current social issues; being an independent voice in the community; encouraging public participation in the development of social policies and the implementation of programs.

The strength of our voice and our role in the community is based on the support of people and organizations concerned about social issues. ESPC conducts research and analyzes data, produces reports, provides recommendations, is a depository of information, provides public education, conducts focus groups, does presentations, and works collaboratively with other social agencies.

We are dedicated to encouraging the adoption of equitable social policy, supporting the work of other organizations that are striving to improve the lives of Edmontonians, and educating the public regarding the social issues that impact them daily.

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Upcoming Events

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ESPC in the News

Radio Active

Child poverty rates dipped in the pandemic lockdowns. What are they like now?

On February 27, 2024, Sydney Sheloff, our Strategic Research Coordinator, told Radio Active that the dip in child poverty rates didn’t last.

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St. Albert Gazette

Canada middle of the pack for child poverty among rich nations

Sydney Sheloff, our Strategic Research Coordinator, discusses the child poverty situation in the province of Alberta in recent years.

 
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Edmonton Journal

One in five Albertans don’t have reliable access to affordable, nutritious food

Susan Morrissey, our Executive Director, delves into the number of Alberta households experiencing food insecurity.

 

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Radio Cite 97,9 Interview

LE SALAIRE MINIMUM D’EDMONTON EN 2023 AUGMENTÉ DE PRÈS D’UN DOLLAR

Janell Uden, coordonnatrice des services de recherche et du renforcement des capacités au Conseil de planification sociale, a rencontre Élie Nkulu, notre journaliste pour en discuter.

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Edmonton Journal

OPINION – Proposed public spaces bylaws are an attack on Edmonton’s marginalized

Susan Morrissey, our Executive Director, expresses concerns with proposed bylaw changes that aim to regulate the use of public spaces.

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630 CHED Afternoons With Bryn Griffiths And Reid Wilkins

Vital Signs Report: Food Security

Nneka Otogbolu, Director, Strategic Initiatives & Equity Advancement with the Edmonton Community Foundation and Susan Morrissey, Executive Director of the Edmonton Social Planning Council discuss the Vital Signs Report on food security in Edmonton.

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Latest News

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Check out our Social Well-Being Tracker

We are currently tracking 75 social well-being indicators for Edmonton and the region.

A. Demographics | BA: Income and Income Gaps | BB. Poverty | BC. Cost of Living | BD. Government Transfers | C. Employment and Labour | D. Education and Literacy | E. Built Environment | F. Social Inclusion | G. Health and Health Services

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Community Engagement

We’re pleased to open up our Lunch and Learn series to other nonprofits to introduce agencies and their incredible programs and services to other community members.

For those interested in participating, we would love to host you at a future event. Please direct any inquiries to our Executive Assistant. Subscribe to our email newsletter to stay informed about future Lunch and Learns and ESPC news and announcements.

The video is the latest from our Lunch and Learn series. Click on the image to view or visit our YouTube channel for more videos (click here)

Lunch and Learn: ‘Back to Normal’ Should Not Mean Rising Poverty: An Alberta Child Poverty Report

Speakers:
Bradley Lafortune, Public Interest Alberta and
Sydney Sheloff, Edmonton Social Planning Council.

When: Monday, March 19, 2024 at 12:00 PM MST

Event Description: Since 2008, the Edmonton Social Planning Council and ...Public Interest Alberta have been tracking the state of child poverty through our annual Alberta Child Poverty Reports, measuring the progress (or lack of progress) over the years and recommending pathways for governments to reduce and eliminate child poverty. Join us for this Lunch & Learn event to learn more about the current situation and what we can all do to hold governments accountable for their long-overdue promise to eliminate child poverty by 2000.[+] Show More
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