Edmonton Social Planning Council

Author: Web Administrator

  • One in eight Edmontonians live in poverty, new report shows

    For Immediate Release

    (Edmonton) While most Edmontonians have good jobs and adequate incomes, a new report on poverty in Edmonton shows that one in eight Edmontonians live in poverty and one in five children live in a poor family.

    A Profile of Poverty in Edmonton, produced by the Edmonton Social Planning Council, gathered the latest federal, provincial and municipal data on income, employment, poverty by family size, housing, homelessness and food bank use.

    Some of the report’s findings include:

    • Alberta has the highest rate of working poverty of any Canadian province,
    • Many Edmontonians work full-time yet earn an income below the poverty line,
    • Housing is not affordable for many. Edmonton trails Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary in having the highest average rents,
    • Income inequality in Edmonton is growing following national and provincial trends,
    • Edmontonians of Aboriginal descent are more likely to experience poverty, for example 43.7 per cent of Aboriginal children between 0 and 5 live in poverty,
    • Among ethnic groups, people of African ethnic origin have the highest prevalence of low income, and
    • Poverty is nearly twice as prevalent within city boundaries than in surrounding communities.

    “Poverty is a complex issue with many stakeholders but some of the steps the City of Edmonton can take to reduce poverty is to implement a low income transit pass, ensure more land is available for affordable housing and implement a living wage for City contracted services,” said Edmonton Social Planning Council Executive Director Susan Morrissey.

    “It’s our vision to eliminate poverty in Edmonton within a generation,” said Mayor Don Iveson. “This report is an important step in helping us make informed policy decisions and plan effective programs for our city’s most vulnerable citizens.”

    The report, released on the occasion of the ESPC’s 75th anniversary, is the latest in a long tradition of producing reports and recommendations to inform evidence-based public policy decisions. This specific report was produced for End Poverty Edmonton, the Mayor’s Task Force to Eliminate Poverty and describes the overall picture of poverty in Edmonton, how poverty varies across age, gender, households and neighbourhoods, who is impacted most and what are the emerging trends impacting poverty reduction.

    ESPC is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan social research organization, with registered charitable status with a focus on social research, particularly in the areas of low income and poverty

    For more information:
    Susan Morrissey
    ESPC Executive Director
    (780) 423-2031 x353 or (780) 218-7395 cell
    susanm@edmontonsocialplanning.ca
    Copies of the report are available at: edmontonsocialplanning.ca Click here to download:  A Profile of Poverty in Edmonton

  • A Profile of Poverty in Edmonton

    While most Edmontonians have good jobs and adequate incomes, a new report on poverty in Edmonton shows that one in eight Edmontonians live in poverty and one in five children live in a poor family. A Profile of Poverty in Edmonton gathers the latest federal, provincial and municipal data on income, employment, poverty by family size, housing, homelessness and food bank use.

    ESPC Documents/PUBLICATIONS/A.06.C RESEARCH UPDATES/Poverty_Profile_Jan21_FINAL.pdf

  • Seasonal Celebration

    You are invited to our Seasonal Celebration. Join us December 4, 2014 (4:00 – 6:00pm) at the ESPC office (#37, 9912 – 106 Street) paid parking is available on the street or the lot across from the building.

    Please RSVP tto Stephanie Haar (stephanieh@edmontonsocialplanning.ca or 780-423-2031 Ext 349) if you are attending.

    We look forward to seeing you. 

  • Food Security in Edmonton

    What is Food Security?

    The United Nations defines food security as existing “when all people at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.” Alberta Food Matters defines food security as “the condition in which all people at all times can acquire safe, nutritionally adequate, and personally acceptable foods in a manner that maintains human dignity.”

    “… despite Canada’s economic recovery, the number of Canadians facing food insecurity – inadequate or insecure access to food because of financial constraints – is not abating. In fact, the problem has persisted or grown in every province and territory since 2005, with 2012 rates in Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories reaching their highest observed since Health Canada began monitoring the problem.” – Naomi Dachner, co-author of Household Food Insecurity in Canada.

    Food Bank Use in Edmonton

    Edmonton’s Food Bank works with more than 200 community agencies and serves more than 13,000 people each month through its hamper program. In addition, more than 350,000 meals and snacks are provided each month through affiliated agencies.

    How Much Does it Cost to Eat Well?

    A nutritious food basket is a tool used to measure the cost of healthy eating based on current nutrition recommendations. The cost for a family of four exceeds $200 per week which creates financial hardship for those living on low income.

    Read the rest here: Food Security in Edmonton (2014)

  • Farmers’ Markets in Edmonton

    The first farmers’ market in Alberta was established in Edmonton in 1903. A number of markets in other locations began to emerge throughout during the next four decades. Following WWII, when many people moved away from rural areas towards urban centres, food increasingly was purchased from supermarkets and less directly from farmers and producers. Farmers’ markets began to re-appear in the 1970s but there was a lack of consistency with how each was set up and operated. In Alberta, there are now two different types of markets – Alberta approved farmers’ markets and public markets. Both types of markets involve a gathering of vendors who sell their products directly to consumers. The difference lies in the ownership/management of the market and the privileges accorded to each type of market.

    Read the rest here: Farmers’ Markets in Edmonton

  • 2014 November fACT Sheet Farmers’ Markets in Edmonton

    The first farmers’ market in Alberta was established in Edmonton in 1903. A number of markets in other locations began to emerge throughout during the next four decades. Following WWII, when many people moved away from rural areas towards urban centres, food increasingly was purchased from supermarkets and less directly from farmers and producers. Farmers’ markets began to re-appear in the 1970s but there was a lack of consistency with how each was set up and operated. In Alberta, there are now two different types of markets—Alberta approved farmers’ markets and public markets. Both types of markets involve a gathering of vendors who sell their products directly to consumers. The difference lies in the ownership/management of the market and the privileges accorded to each type of market.

    ESPC Documents/Fact Sheets/fACT_Sheet_Farmers_Markets_2014.pdf