Edmonton Social Planning Council

Category: ESPC Publications: Fact Sheets

  • fACT Sheet — WINning: The Trials, Tribulations, and Triumphs of Opening a Women’s Shelter

    fACT Sheet — WINning: The Trials, Tribulations, and Triumphs of Opening a Women’s Shelter

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    Introduction

    To coincide with the 50th anniversary of the founding of what would become known as WIN House (Women in Need), a new book by Marsha Mildon, WINning: The Trials, Tribulations, and Triumphs of Opening a Women’s Shelter, was released in June 2020. The book chronicles the storied history of how the women’s shelter movement took hold in Edmonton. In the late 1960s, a group of concerned citizens came together to start what was a new concept at the time: a dedicated women’s shelter to serve as a safe place. First for any single woman in need, then opening to women with children who were living in unsafe conditions—such as those experiencing intimate partner violence (physical, mental, or emotional)—and had nowhere to go. The Edmonton Social Planning Council (ESPC) played an important role in helping to establish the shelter, which included administrative and staffing support.

    More information about the book, including how to order, can be found here: http://www.enable.org/winning/

    The following is a timeline of notable events and developments that mark the history of WIN House.

    Spring 1968: Daisy Wilson, Diocesan President of the Catholic Women’s League (CWL), reads an article in the Edmonton Journal about the plight of girls and women (particularly Indigenous women) arriving at the bus and train stations, especially late in the evening, having no contacts, no resources, and no place to stay.

    May 1968: Daisy speaks out about her concern for these women at the CWL’s Social Action Committee meeting, the Women’s Inter-Church Council’s meeting, as well as the YWCA—who tell her that housing these women is not in their mandate.

    June 20, 1968: YWCA hosts a meeting with 28 organizations, agencies, and concerned citizens in attendance.  A decision is made to do some research on the issue.

    1969: The Mossman Report is completed, which explored the needs of transient women, services currently available, and what additional services may be needed.

    November 29, 1969: All Saints Anglican Cathedral offers space in their basement and bell tower for a three-month trial run. Lynn Hannley and Bettie Hewes from ESPC are involved in the planning process from the beginning working alongside the YWCA, which was the umbrella organization for the first four months.

    January 23, 1970:  The Overnight Shelter for Women opens with donations from church and community groups. The Junior League is the largest donor, providing $500 a month.

    May 1, 1970: ESPC takes over from the YWCA as the umbrella organization for Edmonton Women’s Shelter (EWS), under the guidance of Bettie Hewes, Executive Director of ESPC.

    July 1, 1970: The Women’s Emergency Shelter moves to a former pawn shop location on 101 Street and 102 Avenue on a monthly rental basis.

    Note: The Edmonton Women’s Shelter used a variety of names—including the Edmonton Women’s Emergency Shelter, Overnight Shelter for Women, or Edmonton Women’s Overnight Shelter—as it was being established.

    August 31, 1971: The shelter moves to a city-owned house in the 102 block of 108 Street.

    May 1, 1973: Another move, this time to the 103 block of 101 Street – a second store front location.

    July 1, 1973: A three-storey house on 98 Avenue in the river valley is rented to use as Sheltered Accommodation to shelter women who needed “acceptance and safe time to figure out what they might do next” (i.e. longer term users).

    By this point, EWS had spent nearly 5 years moving the shelter around downtown Edmonton from one rental to another, including city owned properties.

    September 26, 1973: A non-profit corporation is registered as Edmonton Women’s Shelter Ltd. The EWS officially becomes its own entity. ESPC is no longer the umbrella organization, but continues to provide advice and support.

    September 30, 1974: EWS closes due to a lack of suitable accommodation.

    October 30, 1974: The Government of Alberta announces funding for the Edmonton City Centre Church Corporation (e4c) to operate a service for transient women. This shelter becomes the Women’s Emergency Accommodation Centre (WEAC) and is now the responsibility of e4c—an organization of white male Protestant ministers. WEAC opened in October 1974.

    January 15, 1975: WEAC has official public opening in the renovated Immigration Building.

    1975—76: The original EWS group is devastated but continues to meet and research what to do for women next.

    May 1977: EWS announces their new project is a shelter for battered* mothers and their children. They enter the family violence field.

    *Note: The use of battered, although now dated and potentially triggering, reflects the terminology of the era and is used here contextually.

    May 1, 1978: Clifford E. Lee Foundation offers $100,000 for the purchase of a house for EWS.

    September 1978: Clifford E. Lee Foundation purchases a house and leases it to EWS for 10 years at $1 a year.

    December 6, 1978: WIN House I opens and is quickly at capacity. This is the first Women’s Shelter in Alberta that specializes in taking in women with their children.

    Atonement Home offers space to overflow applicants from WIN House. Eventually, the Franciscan Sisters open Lurana Shelter—the second shelter for battered women and children in Edmonton. One EWS board member becomes chair of their advisory committee.

    Note: Catholic Social Services will assume full operational responsibility for Lurana Shelter by April 1, 2021.

    April 1980: Ronald Dyck, University of Alberta academic, is hired to study the actual needs of battered women.

    July 11, 1980: Dyck’s report and recommendations are released. An EWS Expansion committee begins work on the design and construction of housing that is deemed suitable to their clients’ needs.

    May 1982: An anonymous donor covers the cost of building WIN House II—the first purpose-built shelter for women and children in Canada.

    November 12, 1982: WIN House II is opened with no mortgage thanks to community donors.

    1983: Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters (eight shelters and one second stage housing, which provides housing and supports for women who have left abusive relationships as they make plans for independent living) is incorporated. EWS ex-president becomes president.

    1984: The EWS Board researches and proposes another second stage housing project.

    1985: The EWS Board determines that a separate organization should take on this housing project.

    1986: WINGS (Women In Need Growing Stronger) second stage housing is formed, supported by the Sisters of Providence with a number of former EWS board members.

    1987: EWS hires ESPC to evaluate service and organization. ESPC recommends a move from a hands-on board to a governance board. Over the next few years, EWS manages this change in structure.

    1985—1989: EWS studies the abuse of the elderly and initiates EARS (Elderly Adult Resource Service).

    1990: EARS and Catholic Social Services collaborate to work on providing this service.

    2006: A building is purchased for the EWS office.

    2008: Studies and research continue on what the needs of women experiencing family violence are.

    2009: A four-bedroom house is purchased to shelter immigrant, refugee, and women escaping human trafficking.

    2010: WIN House III opens. It is the first house world-wide to focus on the needs of immigrant women.

    2013: WIN House III closes due to funding shortfalls.

    November 2014: WIN House III re-opens in thanks to a large private donation and increased funding from the government. The donor family asks that the shelter be named Carol’s House.

     

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    • fACT Sheet — Child Benefits in Alberta and Canada

      fACT Sheet — Child Benefits in Alberta and Canada

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      Introduction

      Child benefits have been demonstrated to be an important tool for alleviating and reducing child poverty. A recent report from UNICEF highlighted that in 15 high-income countries, delivering universal child benefits alone led to a five percentage point reduction in child poverty on average. In light of the economic toll the COVID-19 pandemic is having on low- and middle-income families coupled with recent changes to benefit programs, our fACT Sheet assesses the current state of provincial and federal child benefit programs for Alberta and Canada, respectively.

      Alberta Child and Family Benefit: Overview and History

      Child benefits in Alberta were initially introduced as the Alberta Working Family Supplement by Premier Jim Prentice in March 2015. At the time, the tax credit would provide working families earning less than $41,220 an annual benefit of $1,100, and an additional $550 for each of the next three children. This was set to take effect July 2016.

      When Rachel Notley became premier in May 2015, the program was revamped and implemented as the Alberta Child Benefit (ACB).

      This was done in conjunction with an enhanced Alberta Family Employment Tax Credit (AFETC), which provided a maximum annual benefit of $754 for the first child, ranging up to $1,987 for families with four children of more. Families had to earn at least $2,760 in employment income to receive the credit. The “phase out” threshold was $41,250, and families earning above that threshold were to receive less of the credit proportionately to their income, becoming zero when their income reached about $77,000.

      In its first year of implementation (2016-2017 benefit year), the ACB reached 245,060 children in 127,345 families while the AFETC reached 359,790 children in 178,745 families. The average annual amounts families received for each benefit were $1,145 and $780, respectively.

      In the years following, these benefits were indexed for inflation. By 2019, the maximum benefit for the ACB was $1,155 for one child and $2,886 for four or more children. For the AFETC, families could receive a maximum benefit of $783 per year for one child, and $2,604 for four or more children. 

      The New Benefit Program

      After Jason Kenney became premier in April 2019, his government’s first provincial budget saw the ACB and AFETC combined into a single program called the Alberta Child and Family Benefit (ACFB). The ACFB took effect in July 2020 and provides direct financial assistance on a quarterly basis to low- and middle-income households. The benefit is divided into two components: the base component and the working component. The base component is available to families regardless of employment status and gives up to $1,330 annually for the first child, all the way up to $3,325 for four or more children. This component starts to decrease after families make $24,467 and ends once families make $41,000 in household income. The working component applies to families who make over $2,760 a year, and provides up to $681 annually for the first child, or $1,795 for four or more children. This component starts to drop after families make $41,000 and ends at $61,000 in household income.

      What the New ACFB Means for Low-Income Families

      The threshold for receiving provincial child benefits drops off drastically at a relatively low-income cut-off, and families who are barely making enough to support themselves will not get sufficient benefits. Once a household income reaches $41,000, a family is no longer eligible for the base component of the ACFB, while the working component simultaneously begins to decrease. This means that a dual income family where both parents work full-time at minimum wage ($15 per hour) would not receive the base component and would see a reduced working component.

      In comparison, under the previous ACB and AFETC benefit schemes a dual-income family with two children that made $41,000 would have received $3,187 in benefits, while under the new system they will only receive $1,886. This is a significant reduction in benefits and undermines the progress previously made in alleviating child poverty. Families losing out on government transfer income will likely have to make more employment income to support their families in order to provide a modest existence and reach financial security.

      Canada Child Benefit: Overview and History

      Child benefits delivered by the federal government have been in existence in some form since 1945. The most recent incarnation is the Canada Child Benefit (CCB), which was introduced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2016 to replace its predecessor, the Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB). The UCCB initially provided a taxable $100 per month benefit to every child in the country under the age of six. By 2015, the benefit had increased to $160 per month, just before Justin Trudeau was elected Prime Minister.

      Trudeau’s revamped CCB increased federal spending on child benefits, making them more generous for low- and middle-income households, and less generous for higher-income households. At the CCB’s inception, households with an annual income of $30,000 or less received a maximum of $6,400 per year for each child under the age of 6, and $5,400 per year for each child between the ages of 6 and 17. Higher household incomes received progressively smaller benefit amounts, up to a maximum of households earning more than $200,000 annually, which did not receive any benefits. All of those benefits were tax-free.

      Since 2016, the CCB has been indexed to inflation to keep up with rising costs of raising children. As of July 2020, the maximum child benefit families receive is $6,765 per child under the age of 6 and $5,708 per child between the ages of 6 and 17.

      In the 2018-2019 benefit year, nearly $24 billion in benefits reached more than 3.6 million recipients in Canada. In Alberta, nearly $3 billion in benefits reached over 445,000 recipients in the province.

      Recent Developments

      As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Trudeau issued a number of relief measures to help Canadians financially impacted by the economic downturn caused by the virus. This included a one-time extra payment of $300 to families for each child under the age of 18 allocated via the CCB.

      The Trudeau Liberals also campaigned during the 2019 federal election on a pledged 15% increase to the CCB for children under the age of 1, giving families up to $1,000 more annually. Despite their re-election, this campaign pledge has yet to be implemented for the 2020-21 benefit year.

      Areas of Concern

      While the CCB has been lauded for reducing child poverty across Canada and lifting nearly 280,000 children out of poverty, questions persist about whether further investments are needed to address child poverty during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some advocacy groups, including Campaign 2000, have argued that the one-time $300 top-up to the CCB should be continued for at least the duration of the pandemic and its economic fallout as an important income security tool.

      In addition, the distribution of child benefits for both provincial and federal programs to those who qualify is contingent upon filing a tax return. An average of 12% of adult Canadians do not file tax returns (15.3% for Albertans). A large portion of those who do not file are among the most vulnerable populations, with estimates showing that roughly one-third of social assistance recipients do not file taxes. As many as 40% of eligible First Nations families do not receive the CCB. This lag in distribution undermines the intended poverty reduction goals of these programs.

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    • fACT Sheet – 2020 Alberta Provincial Budget

      fACT Sheet – 2020 Alberta Provincial Budget

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      Introduction
      The 2020-21 Budget, titled A Blueprint for Jobs, covers the time period April 1, 2020 until March 31, 2021. It is largely based on the previous budget introduced in October 2019.

      The government fiscal plan details a 2.5% reduction in spending over the next three years, or $1.3 billion lower than 2018-19 levels. Since Alberta’s inflation and population growth is increasing 3.5% per year, in real terms this represents a spending reduction of over 12% over the next 3 years per Albertan.

      While alleged over-spending compared to other provinces is highlighted everywhere in the budget documents, buried in the fine print is the tax advantage Albertans have compared to their fellow Canadians. If Alberta had the same tax structure as the next lowest taxed province, an additional $14.4 billion in revenue would be generated in 2020-21. This would be a $1 billion increase from a year earlier.*

      Revenue Measures
      Revenue is forecast to decline from $50.9 billion in 2019-20 to $50.0 billion in 2020-21, and thereafter increase to $58.1 billion by 2022-23. This is due to an anticipated uptick in the Alberta economy.

      The repeal of the carbon levy will reduce provincial revenue by $1.3 billion. The corporate tax rate will decrease from 12% to 8% over a period of two and a half years. Conversely, personal income taxes will be going up due to exemptions and tax brackets no longer indexed for inflation.

      Child Benefits
      Previously, two programs were designed to support lower- and middle income working families—the Alberta Child Benefit and the Alberta Family Employment Tax Credit. In July 2020, they will be replaced with the new Alberta Child and Family Benefit program. While the base benefit for the lowest income families is being increased by 15%, the benefit will be phased out more quickly as income rises so fewer families will receive the benefit. That’s why the new single benefit will deliver about $40 million less to Alberta families than the two benefits delivered in past years. There is also no stated commitment to index the new combined benefit in future budget years.

      Child Care and Child Intervention
      The Child Care Subsidy has been allocated at $180 million to subsidize child care costs for families in need of licensed or approved child care services. These families must be in low income. An additional $10 million is provided in support of families in licensed child care programs for children with unique and specialized needs. There is no mention of the future of the Early Learning and Child Care pilot (also known as the $25 a day child care program). Total funding for Child Care Subsidy and Supports is expected to decrease by $14 million.

      The provincial government is working to encourage the creation of additional child care spaces by reviewing the Child Care Licensing Act.

      Funding for Child Intervention is being maintained from previous years, with the exception of Kinship and Foster Care Support which will receive an additional $14 million. The budget identifies prioritizing kinship care as a cost-effective intervention with better developmental outcomes for the child.

      Affordable Housing and Homelessness
      Operational funding for affordable housing and homelessness programs (which fund adult and women’s emergency shelters, and Housing First programs) is being reduced from $197.1 million in 2019-20 to $195.9 million in the 2020-21 budget year. This can be considered a shortfall, as according to the Non-Market Housing Provider Working Group, an additional $1.1 billion was required for Edmonton alone in order to meet targets of building 5,000 affordable housing units over five years.

      A planned 24% reduction to the Rental Assistance Program and a 3.5% reduction in operating budgets for housing management bodies like Capital Region Housing seem to be going ahead. This is despite an ongoing provincial review of rental assistance, and the possibility of federal government contributions to what is supposed to be a cost-matched portable housing benefit.

      Employment and Income Support
      In keeping with the previous 2019 Budget, Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH), the Alberta Seniors Benefit, Income Support, and Special Needs Assistance programs continue to be de-indexed from the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This means benefits will not keep up with the rising cost of living.

      A full program review will be undertaken to address the rapid growth of costs for AISH, Persons with Developmental Disabilities, and Family Support for Children with Disabilities. A $232 million reduction in funding for Employment and Income Support (social assistance) is expected between now and fiscal year 2022-23 due to expected reductions in caseloads as a result of an improving economy.

      A series of programs, such as the Fairness for Newcomers Action Plan, will be designed to help immigrants with foreign credentials rapidly obtain employment that matches their skill levels. Other initiatives include a bridge to permanent residency through the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program, and fast-tracked immigration for highly qualified students at post-secondary education institutions through the Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Program.

      Addiction and Mental Health
      The budget commits an additional $100 million to a new Mental Health and Addictions Strategy and $40 million to respond to the opioid crisis over the next three years. This will provide up to 4,000 more publicly funded residential treatment spaces, and provide increased patient access to addiction counsellors and therapists at opioid dependency clinics. Details of this new addictions strategy and how the money will be allocated continue to be uncertain at this point

      Drug Program Funding
      The Biosimilar Initiative will expand the use of biosimilar drugs, transitioning patients from higher cost biologic medications to generic versions by July 1, 2020. The Seniors Drug Program will no longer cover spouses and dependents younger than 65 years of age as of March 1, 2020, and income tested deductibles will be introduced later this year for higher income beneficiaries.

      Community Supports and Family Safety
      (CSFS)
      Funding for Family and Community Support Services is being maintained at the same $100 million level as was budgeted in previous years. There is $135 million budgeted in 2020-21 for CSFS, which is an increase from $125 million from Budget 2019. This includes a new $7 million Civil Society Empowerment Fund to support non-profit organizations and charities to address pressing social challenges, and an additional $1.2 million for sexual assault services.

      If Alberta had the same tax structure as the next lowest taxed province, an additional $14.4 billion would be generated.

      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 Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
      Edmonton Social Planning Council
      #200, 10544 – 106 Street, Edmonton, Alberta, T5K 1C5

      www.edmontonsocialplanning.ca
      @edmontonspc
      *Government of Alberta. (2020). Fiscal Plan, 2020-23, pp. 169

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    • 2019 Alberta Provincial Budget Fact Sheet

      2019 Alberta Provincial Budget Fact Sheet

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      Download: 2019 Alberta Budget fACTsheet

      Introduction

      The 2019 budget, which runs until March 31, 2020, is titled A Plan for Jobs and the Economy. The main priorities it identifies is creating jobs and reducing the deficit. We are now almost 7 months into the 2019-20 budget year, so many of the big changes announced will not take effect until next spring’s budget covering the 2020-21 fiscal year which starts on April 1, 2020. The government fiscal plan will see a 2.8 per cent reduction in spending over the next four years or $1.3 billion lower than 2018-19 levels. Since Alberta’s inflation and population growth is going up about 3.5 per cent per year, in real per capita terms this represents a spending reduction of 17 per cent. To address this spending reduction, the size of the public service is expected to shrink by 7.7 per cent. The reductions will be achieved largely through attrition, although some layoffs will also occur.

      Revenue Measures

      Revenue is forecast to remain flat at $50 billion in 2019-20 and $50.1 billion in 2020-21 and will increase to $57.5 billion in 2022-23. A modest but realistic oil price outlook, along with market access issues, impede revenue growth over the next two years. In addition, the carbon levy from the previous NDP government was repealed as of May 30, 2019. The corporate tax rate will decrease from 12 per cent to eight per cent over a period of two and a half years. Conversely, personal income taxes will be going up due to exemptions and tax brackets no longer being indexed for inflation.

      Child Benefits

      The Alberta Child Benefit and the Alberta Family Employment Tax Credit, two programs designed to support lower- and middle-income working families will be replaced with a new Alberta Child and Family Benefit program starting in July 2020. While the base benefit for the lowest income families is being increased by 15 per cent, the benefit will be phased out more quickly as income rises so fewer families will receive the benefit. That’s why the new single benefit will deliver about $40 million less to Alberta families than the two benefits delivered by the previous government.

      Affordable Housing and Homelessness

      Funding for affordable housing and homelessness is being maintained for the balance of the 2019-20 fiscal year. Starting next year there will be a 24 per cent reduction to the Rental Assistance Program and a 3.5 per cent reduction in operating budgets for housing management bodies like Capital Region Housing. Partnerships will be pursued with housing management bodies and private sector to reduce the public costs of affordable housing. Eight million dollars is also being made available to the Hope Mission to build a new emergency shelter in Edmonton.

      Childcare and Child Intervention

      Funding for early intervention programs will be reduced to $91 million in the 2020-21 compared to $104 million this year.  Child intervention funding is being kept at the same level as this year’s funding for the following three years without adjustments for caseload growth or inflation.

      The Early Learning and Child Care centres (aka $25 per day child care) pilot project will continue until the end of their three-year terms and thereafter reviewed with no assurance that they will be continued or expanded.

      Employment and Income Support

      Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH), the Alberta Seniors Benefit, Income Support, and Special Needs Assistance programs are being kept at their current levels, however they are being de-indexed from the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This means they will not be kept up with the rising cost of living.

      A full program review will be undertaken to address the rapid growth of costs for AISH, Persons with Developmental Disabilities, and Family Support for Children with Disabilities. A $193 million reduction in funding for Employment and Income Support (social assistance) is expected between now and fiscal year 2022-23 due to expected reductions in caseloads due to an improving economy.

      The Summer Temporary Employment Program (STEP), which provides funding to employers to hire high school or post-secondary students for summer jobs, will be eliminated after the 2019 program year. This will have a detrimental impact on students seeking to build their job-related experiences and skillsets when pursuing careers in their field of study.

      Addiction and Mental Health

      Over the next four years, an additional $100 million will go towards a mental health and addiction strategy, $40 million for an opioid response, $20 million for palliative care, and $6 million for a new sexual assault hotline.

      Seniors Drug Coverage

      Coverage for non-senior dependents including spouses under seniors’ prescription drug coverage is being ended. Income testing may be introduced for seniors’ drug coverage.

      Community Supports and Family Safety (CSFC)

      There is $125 million budgeted for CSFC for fiscal year 2019-20 which will increase to $134 million in the next three years. The Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) budget has been maintained at the same level during this time.

      K-12 Education

      School nutrition programs will see a 20 per cent increase after earlier facing the threat of elimination. However, the school fee reduction program is instead being eliminated.

      An estimated additional 60,000 children are expected to enter the K-12 education system during the next four years.  However, education funding is being kept at the same $8.2 billion level. Neither inflation nor enrolment growth is being funded.

      Affordable Transportation

      The low income transit support pilot program, first introduced in 2017 in Edmonton and Calgary, will be extended to support Albertans in need of public transportation at $9.5 million per year. This enables economic participation and improves the quality of life for low-income Albertans. The government fiscal plan will see a 2.8 per cent reduction in spending over the next four years or $1.3 billion lower than 2018-19 levels. Since Alberta’s inflation and population growth is going up about 3.5 per cent per year, in real per capita terms this represents a spending reduction of 17 per cent. 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 Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Edmonton Social Planning Council #200, 10544 – 106 Street, Edmonton, Alberta, T5K 1C5 www.edmontonsocialplanning.ca @edmontonspc  [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]
  • 2019 Alberta Budget fACTsheet

    2019 Alberta Budget fACTsheet

    The 2019 budget, which runs until March 31, 2020, is titled A Plan for Jobs and the Economy. The main priorities it identifies is creating jobs and reducing the deficit. We are now almost 7 months into the 2019-20 budget year, so many of the big changes announced will not take effect until next spring’s budget covering the 2020-21 fiscal year which starts on April 1, 2020.

    The government fiscal plan will see a 2.8 per cent reduction in spending over the next four years or $1.3 billion lower than 2018-19 levels. Since Alberta’s inflation and population growth is going up about 3.5 per cent per year, in real per capita terms this represents a spending reduction of 17 per cent.

    To address this spending reduction, the size of the public service is expected to shrink by 7.7 per cent. The reductions will be achieved largely through attrition, although some layoffs will also occur.

    ESPC Documents/Fact Sheets/2019 Alberta Budget fACTsheet.pdf

  • fACT Sheet: Impact of Benefits on Low and Modest Income Edmontonians

    Living in low income poses significant challenges. Here is a list of a number of programs and benefits implemented by all three orders of government to assist individuals and families.

    ESPC Documents/PUBLICATIONS/A.06.B FACT SHEETS/fACT_Sheet_Impact_of_Benefits_August_2019.pdf