Edmonton Social Planning Council

Author: Web Administrator

fACT Sheet — 2022 Alberta Provincial Budget

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Introduction

The 2022–23 Alberta budget, titled Moving Forward, covers finances from April 1, 2022 until March 31, 2023. This is the fourth budget of the governing United Conservative Party (UCP) as they near the end of their term. A provincial election is expected in spring 2023. It is also the second budget that addresses the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a profound impact on the health care system as well as various marginalized and underserved populations.

As with previous budgets, Budget 2022 boasts low taxation, which limits important investments in public services that support Albertans. If Alberta had the same tax structure as the next lowest taxation province (Ontario), the government would generate an additional $14.8 billion in revenue (2022–23). *

This fACT Sheet will focus on developments related to social programs that impact those living in low-income and poverty. Investments that positively impact vulnerable populations result in long-term savings in other public services, such as health care and the criminal justice system.

Revenue Measures

Alberta’s fiscal situation and revenue sources have seen dramatic shifts and swings since the pandemic began. The previous budget, released in February 2021, projected $43.6 billion in revenue for 2021–22, which is now expected to be $18 billion higher ($61.6 billion). This is chiefly due to a rebound in oil prices, resulting in an exponential increase in revenue from non-renewable resources. There are also increases in personal and corporate income taxes, as well as federal transfers from the Government of Canada.

While rising oil prices are advantageous for provincial coffers, reliance on this form of revenue keeps Alberta on a financial roller coaster. The volatile situation makes long-term planning and financial sustainability a challenge at best.

Nevertheless, this budget will post a surplus of $511 million, which can support increased funding for these programs.

Seniors Care and Benefits

Nearly $3.7 billion has been set aside for Community Care, Continuing Care, and Home Care programs, an increase of $219 million from the previous year. A total of 1,515 new continuing care beds will open in 2022–23. Additional funding for Home Care will enable more older adults to age in place in their own homes and to help them stay independent and connected with social supports.

The Alberta Seniors Benefit, which provides low-income Albertans aged 65 or older with financial assistance for living expenses, will be maintained. However, demand for the program was lower than forecasted as a result of access to pandemic-related federal support programs.

Child Care and Benefits

The Canada-Alberta Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, signed in November 2021, is part of the government’s goal of “improving access to affordable, high-quality, safe and inclusive child care options that create employment opportunities and support parents’ participation in the workforce.” The Agreement will provide $666 million in operating expense funding in 2022– 23 for a total of over $2.6 billion dollars by 2024–25 to enhance the affordability, accessibility, inclusivity, and quality of licensed child care programs. These investments will lower child care fees to an average of $10-per-day per child by 2026.

In 2022–23, the budget will allocate $879 million towards parent subsidies for licensed programs and program affordability grants, and will create 10,000 new licensed child care spaces in the notfor-profit sector. The government aims to increase child care spaces by 12% by 2024–25. Another $197.1 million is allocated to support the child care workforce through child care certification, professional development, and wage top ups.

Funding for the existing Alberta Child and Family Benefit is comparable to spending in the previous year.

Affordable Housing and Homelessness

In light of the November, 2021 release of the Government of Alberta’s affordable housing strategy, Stronger Foundations, Budget 2022 includes an additional $14 million over the next three years to fund rental assistance programs for approximately 3,000 households in need of affordable housing.

The Stronger Foundations strategy seeks to overhaul the affordable housing sector to make it financially sustainable, and accessible for those in need. The province will finance strategy goals using federal funds from the National Housing Strategy as well as the sale of underused affordable housing stock. It remains to be seen whether selling off existing stock will tangibly benefit those in core housing need.

The City of Edmonton’s request for $49.7 million to build permanent supportive housing units and an additional $8.9 million to operate those units was not included in this budget.

In line with the last budget, the province will maintain funding for Homeless Support and Outreach Services at $193 million, supporting women’s shelters and Albertans who are unhoused.

Addictions and Mental Health

The government is committed to promoting recoveryoriented addictions and mental health services. In 2019, the government committed $140 million over four years to increase access to mental health and addiction services with a recovery focus. The current budget invests an additional $20 million towards a “recovery-oriented system of care.” There is no mention of harm reduction or supervised consumption sites within the budget documents, which casts doubts about the future of these practices.

The government will allocate $30 million to support the wellbeing and mental health of children in school and to students experiencing academic challenges within school settings.

Employment and Income Support

Despite calls from advocates, Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) is once again not indexed for inflation. The current maximum benefit rate of $1,685 per month is well below the $2,000 per month advocates feel should be a starting point to keep up with the rising cost of living. There are no significant changes in funding for income supports. According to the ministry, there has been reduced demand for traditional income supports, partially due to clients accessing pandemic-related supports like CERB or CESB.

The government is focused on helping connect unemployed Albertans and people with disabilities or other barriers to the labour market. In 2022–23, $105.9 million will be allocated to connect individuals with meaningful employment and training opportunities.

Cost of Living Pressures

Rising household expenses continues to be a pressing concern for Albertans. This includes increased utility prices during the winter months. Although financial pressures will not be addressed this season, a natural gas rebate program to protect consumers will be introduced between October 2022 and March 2023. Natural gas consumers with less than 2,500 gigajoules (GJ) of annual natural gas consumption will receive a rebate when regulated natural gas companies charge regulated rates above $6.50/GJ.

Family and Community Support Services

Funding for Family and Community Support Services will be maintained at $100 million. To address pressing social challenges—particularly against the backdrop of COVID-19—the Ministry of Community and Social Services is providing $7 million for the Civil Society Empowerment Fund to help non-profit organizations and charities address social problems for Albertans. In addition, $13 million will be provided for sexual assault services and over $5 million will be provided for family violence prevention programs.

Conclusion

Underfunding of public services has been a persistent challenge in provincial budgets. While spending on programs has overall increased this year, it remains low in proportion to inflation and population growth. Since many federal pandemic-related support programs have ended, or will be phased out in 2022, Albertans in need will almost certainly turn back to provincial programs. The surplus posted by the Government of Alberta provides an opportunity to re-invest in various social programs that can contribute to longer term sustainability for all Albertans. It remains to be seen whether they will pursue this option.

The Edmonton Social Planning Council is an independent, non-profit, charitable organization focused on social research.

This fACT Sheet, prepared by the Edmonton Social Planning Council, is licensed under a Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Edmonton Social Planning Council

#200, 10544 – 106 Street, Edmonton, Alberta, T5K 1C5

www.edmontonsocialplanning.ca @edmontonspc

*Government of Alberta. (2022). Fiscal Plan, 2022–25.
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February 25, 2022
Race, Identity, and Social Policy: Significant Works by Black Authors

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By Jenn Rossiter and Sydney Sheloff

February marks Black History Month, a time when we acknowledge the many achievements and contributions of Black Canadians and their communities throughout history in our province and the country as a whole.

The Edmonton Social Planning Council (ESPC) is acutely aware of the evidence that shows that Black people in Canada, Alberta, and Edmonton face high rates of discrimination and racism. Alongside the efforts from many wonderful non-profits in the city, ESPC advocates for equitable social policies that affect under-served populations, including Black, Indigenous, and other racialized communities. Through this work, ESPC aims to support meaningful change and to champion the work that others are doing.

In contribution to Black History Month, the following is a list of notable Black authors who have informed some of ESPC’s efforts in research and education—a few among many. We hope you take time to explore the valuable works produced by these authors.

Desmond Cole

A Toronto-based journalist and author, Cole resigned from the Toronto Star after being asked to choose between objective journalism and personal Black rights advocacy. His first novel, The Skin We’re In, explores racism in Toronto and how activists have resisted and fought for change in a variety of sectors.

We suggest:

Cole, D. (2020). The skin we’re in: A year of Black resistance and power. Doubleday Canada.

Patricia Hill Collins

Collins asserts that our position in the world informs our knowledge: Black women live in a very different world from women who are not Black, and thus have a very unique body of wisdom. People who experience oppression learn about it in acute ways and are in key positions to understand and critique it. Collins points to alternative forms of knowledge; Black people were often barred from institutions, and so would share their knowledge through music, poetry, and art.

We suggest:

Collins, P. H. (2000). Black feminist thought: Knowledge, consciousness, and the politics of empowerment. Routledge.

Collins, P. H. (2004). Learning from the outsider within: The sociological significance of black feminist thought. Social Problems, 33(6), s14–s32. https://doi.org/10.2307/800672

Afua Cooper

Cooper is a Jamaican-born Canadian multidisciplinary scholar and author at Dalhousie University. Her research focuses on the often hidden history of slavery in Canada.

We suggest:

Cooper, A. (2006). The hanging of Angélique: The untold story of Canadian slavery and the burning of Old Montreal. Harper Perennial.

Kimberlé Crenshaw

Crenshaw is an American lawyer, civil rights advocate, philosopher, and leading scholar of critical race theory. She developed the theory of intersectionality, arguing that the experience of a Black woman cannot be understood by discrete analysis of being Black and being a woman, but must consider how all interactions are informed by composite identities within one person (social and political).

We suggest:

Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the intersection of race a sex: A Black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory and antiracist politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989(1),139–167.

Crenshaw, K. (2017). Race liberalism and the deradicalization of racial reform. Harvard Law Review, 130(9), 2298–2319.

Angela Davis

Davis is an academic and political activist. She is well known for her work on prison abolition and was involved with the Black Power Movement and an all-Black branch of the communist party. Davis spent time in prison due to her activism, which affected her work on interrogating the criminal justice system. While Davis’ work focuses on the American justice system, her ideas have been heavily influential to Canadian scholars.

We suggest:

Davis, A. (1981). Women, race, and class. Vintage Books.

Davis, A. (2003). Are prisons obsolete? Seven Stories Press.

Frantz Fanon

Fanon was a psychiatrist and political philosopher from Martinique, known for analyzing colonialism and decolonization through a psychoanalytic lens. His work was highly influential to the Civil Rights and Black Power movements, although he was never directly involved in either. His work The Wretched of the Earth provides a psychiatric and psychological analysis of the dehumanizing effects of colonization and discusses the broader social, cultural, and political implications of establishing a social movement for the decolonization of a people.

We suggest:

Fanon, F. (1963). The wretched of the earth. Grove Press.

Fanon, F. (1967). Black skin: White masks. Grove Press.

bell hooks

The focus of hooks’ writing was the intersectionality of race, capitalism, and gender alongside their ability to produce and perpetuate systems of oppression and class domination. In Ain’t I a Woman hooks explored the low status of Black women, due to the intersection of race and gender oppression, in American society. She also examined the role of Black women and marginalization in the civil rights and suffragette movements.

We suggest:

hooks, b. (1981). Ain’t I a woman: Black women and feminism. South End Press.

hooks, b. (1992). Black looks: race and representation. South End Press.

Ibram X. Kendi

Kendi is known for his book How to Be an Antiracist, in which he argues the only way to undo racism is to identify and dismantle it and the institutions that reinforce it. He is considered a leading scholar of race and discriminatory policy in America.

We suggest:

Kendi, I. X. (2016). Stamped from the beginning: The definitive history of racist ideas in America. Nation Books.

Kendi, I. X. (2019). How to be an antiracist. One World.

Audre Lorde

Lorde was an American writer, feminist, and civil rights activist. Lorde articulated theory through poetry and discussed issues of race, class, age & ageism, as well as sex & sexuality. She also confronted racism that was apparent in mainstream “white” feminism.

We suggest:

Lorde, A. (1984). Sister outsider: Essays and speeches. Crossing Press.

Lorde, A. (1995). The black unicorn: Poems. W. W. Norton & Company.

Robyn Maynard

Maynard is a Black Canadian feminist writer, educator, and activist. She traces the still-living legacy of slavery across multiple institutions, shedding light on the state’s role in perpetuating contemporary Black poverty and unemployment, racial profiling, law enforcement violence, incarceration, immigration detention, deportation, exploitative migrant labour practices, disproportionate child removal, and low graduation rates.

We suggest:

Maynard, R. (2017). Policing Black lives: State violence in Canada from slavery to the present. Fernwood Publishing.

Rinaldo Walcott

Walcott writes on a variety of topics, including Black diaspora cultural studies, gender, and sexuality. In his book Black Like Who? he assesses the role of Black Canadians in defining Canada; in BlackLife, he examines the ways in which the Canadian state ignores violence against Black people.

We suggest:

Walcott, R. (1997). Black like who? Insomniac Press.

Walcott, R. & Abdillahi, I. (2019). BlackLife: Post-BLM and the struggle for freedom. Arbeiter Ring Publishing.

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February 9, 2022
Statement: Indigenous Child Welfare Agreement

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The Edmonton Social Planning Council applauds the announcement of the $40 billion agreement-in-principle between the federal government and First Nations leaders to compensate young people harmed by Canada’s discriminatory child welfare system.

Canada’s colonial legacy towards Indigenous peoples has harmed generations of Indigenous children and robust efforts to address these wrongs and reform these systems are urgently needed. Governments need to fully implement Jordan’s Principle so that every First Nations child can equitably access all the supports they need. This pending agreement could not come soon enough.

Child poverty is a particularly pressing problem among Indigenous populations. As noted in our Alberta Child Poverty report, While First Nations make up 6% of Alberta’s population, child poverty rates are at 47%, a staggering high. Within the child welfare system, Indigenous children are widely overrepresented. About 70% of the children in care are Indigenous.

We encourage all parties to finalize the agreement so the system can be overhauled as we work towards meaningful reconciliation.
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January 6, 2022
What you need to know about Stronger Foundations: The Government of Alberta’s affordable housing strategy

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On Nov 1, 2021 the Government of Alberta released Stronger Foundations: Alberta’s 10-year strategy to improve and expand affordable housing, intending to outline the action needed to provide more affordable and accessible housing options for Albertans. While some aspects of the strategy are supported by VCC and the Edmonton Social Planning Council, there are also elements that pose considerable risks
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December 16, 2021
Blog: Covid-19 Exposing Vulnerabilities in Migrant Care Workers in Canada: Recommendations
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Carrie-Anne Cyre, ESPC Volunteer

This report by Rishika Wadehra, Equal Rights for Migrant Care Workers: The case for Immigration Policy Transformation, was published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) in October 2021. Wadehra is the 2021 McInturff Fellow at CCPA. This report outlines how Canada has followed a global trend, since 1950, toward sourcing labour from the Global South to meet an ever-growing demand for care work. The author maintains that this shift in labour sourcing has created a highly racialized, predominantly female workforce of highly vulnerable individuals in Canada. This migrant workforce faces various barriers to work and residency despite updates to migrant and foreign worker policy over the years. This population has also been dramatically affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This report communicates the urgent need for immigration policy reform, focusing on the current plight of migrant care workers in Canada during the pandemic.

According to the author, migrant care workers are particularly vulnerable to abuse and exploitation under Canadian immigration and migrant labour laws. Policies can limit migrant workers’ ability to change jobs or job sectors, use social services, or speak out against poor working conditions. Even though many migrant care workers have a high level of education, care work is generally low-pay with average (median) nationwide wages about $15 an hour.

Wadehra highlights how the pandemic has particularly affected the lives and livelihoods of migrant workers in Canada in many ways, including the following:
- Job losses to this population have been substantial due to COVID-19, and migrant workers depend on employment for their residency status.
- Migrants may be assigned additional duties without extra time or compensation. This labour intensification is even more widespread for live-in care workers who may not have a clear line between work and domestic responsibilities. This has been common during COVID-19 as many schools and workplaces have closed sporadically.
- The families of migrant workers outside of Canada may suffer from care worker job loss or pay decrease as they often depend on the wages sent home (remittances). The pandemic has led to increased job loss, pay reductions, and delays with global communication.
- Migrants have reported hiding health issues to avoid conflict or dismissal by employers. Care workers have reported not being allowed to leave the house to buy food, see family, or visit their doctor. One in three surveyed migrant care workers described being denied access outside of the home/ workplace by their employer during the pandemic.
- Navigating online applications and residency and CERB paperwork was made extremely difficult due to pandemic-related closures of institutions such as Service Canada and increased wait times for many services.
- The pandemic has increased wait times for family reunification and made travel very difficult or impossible.
The author urgently calls for two changes to migrant and immigrant worker programs:
1. Abolish all existing caregiver immigration programs and replace them with more general immigration policies that favour immigrants with a range of skills.
2. Provide all future migrants with permanent resident status immediately upon arrival in Canada. Removing the additional pressure of applying for permanent residency would help migrant workers to protect themselves from labour exploitation and give them more choice and agency in their lives.
Changing Canadian migrant worker policy cannot happen overnight. The author has asked that the Canadian government consider the following minor changes in the short-term, while working towards updating migrant policy based on the above recommendations.
- Grant all migrant workers open work permits, which would allow them opportunities to change employers or labour sectors without jeopardizing residency.
- Increase funding for immigrant and migrant settlement agencies, as well as provide more funding for migrant-specific legal services.
- Remove the education and language barriers to permanent resident status.
- Collect and share race-based data with the public to help better understand the issues and inform future policy decisions.
Wadehra has provided a well-researched and compelling case for Canada to update its immigrant and migrant worker policies. This largely invisible workforce has been subject to labour exploitation and experiences many barriers to services enjoyed by Canadians. The pandemic has only deepened the need for updated immigration and migrant policies to protect all foreign workers in Canada. While Wadehra provides a good argument and supportive evidence, the barriers to truly understanding the needs of the migrant worker population are significant. This highlights the need for more research and engagement with this population. However, despite the limited data, I feel persuaded that a genuinely transformative immigration policy is worth pursuing. Improved migrant worker and immigration policies could ensure the safe and equitable treatment of all workers in Canada during significant events, such as a global pandemic, and beyond.

Wadehra, R. (2021). Equal rights for migrant care workers. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/equal-rights-migrant-care-workers

You can read more research report reviews in the latest edition of Research Update

ESPC volunteer Carrie-Anne Cyre is a public health student and currently working on her master’s degree. She has been volunteering in her community for over a decade, including the UncoverOliver Working Group. When she isn’t studying or volunteering, Carrie-Anne loves travel (pre- and hopefully post-COVID), coffee, and enjoying nature.

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December 16, 2021
Blog: Evictions in Canada: Understanding the Causes and Consequences of Housing Instability

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Hanna Nash, ESPC Volunteer

In association with the University of Winnipeg, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) research report, Evictions and Eviction Prevention in Canada, discusses the impact of housing evictions on families and individuals. Authors Sarah Zell and Scott McCullough examine the consequences experienced by those who live through housing instability and discuss the contributing factors that lead to housing evictions and penalties. In addition, the authors review the drivers of housing evictions in Canada. As the report is lengthy and detailed, this research review will only focus on sections three and four, which discuss the importance of understanding housing instability causes and the writers’ overall findings.

Housing instability is commonly regarded as the consequence of influences such as a tenant’s inability to pay monthly rental fees, substance abuse, and troubled relationships. However, in this article, Zell and McCullough discuss how the challenge and disgrace of evictions can often be a primary contributing force in why tenants develop unhealthy decision-making skills and acquire poor outcomes in mental and physical health. Zell and McCullough demonstrate that evictions are often the best indication of complex needs. There is a great deal of supporting evidence that links evictions of individuals and families to a downward spiral from which they are more likely to experience substandard housing and a cycle of eviction. The disturbance of housing instability can cause such unpredictability that its consequences can affect individuals and families for multiple generations. Negative outcomes such as poor academic performance in children, family fragmentation, and depression in individuals can lead to further vulnerabilities including substance abuse and homelessness. Although evictions for tenants do not necessarily result in homelessness directly, this report provides an understanding of how homelessness can be an eventual outcome for many who have endured constant housing uncertainty.

In addition to discussing the effects of rising inflation and the widening gap between wages and the cost of living, the report also considers that evictions are on the rise due to a new variable: “renovictions.” Renovictions occur across the housing landscape—from individual landlords who may only own one or a few properties, to large scale property management groups. Landlords seeking higher profits from newly renovated units evict their tenants, causing much concern for renters of all income levels, including higher-income renters. Although higher-income tenants are likely to have more choice and greater flexibility in selecting a new home to rent, these tenants will find that they must also pay higher rent due to the lack of affordable units, thereby placing a stress on household spending and housing security. Consequently, tenants who are considered low-income and/or have disabilities will particularly feel the sting of renovictions as their affordable housing options become increasingly limited. This strain is especially felt in larger urban markets, such as Vancouver and Toronto.

Zell and McCullough demonstrate that the current housing systems are built to protect the rights of landlords, but often fail to address the realities and rights of tenants. Education for both landlords and tenants into legal rights and responsibilities of each group is part of the solution to addressing the current housing crisis faced by markets across Canada. Zell and McCullough also determine that there is not enough data for provincial and federal governments to adequately keep up with the rapid changes in the housing market. Housing policies to protect those most vulnerable cannot be created without a deeper knowledge of the actual numbers of people in Canada facing evictions, how often, and why. Without concerted and coordinated strategies put in place by governments to monitor the challenges of housing, eviction numbers will continue to rise.

Zell, S., McCullough S. (2020). Evictions and eviction prevention in Canada. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. https://eppdscrmssa01.blob.core.windows.net/cmhcprodcontainer/sf/project/archive/research_6/evictions-and-eviction-prevention-in-canada.pdf

You can read more research report reviews in the latest edition of Research Update

ESPC volunteer Hanna Nash enjoys ballet performances and other live theatre, as well as outdoor sports, and travelling to new countries. Hanna is interested in sharing information and knowledge to Edmonton’s diverse communities.
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December 14, 2021