Edmonton Social Planning Council

Category: **Resources: ESPC Documents:

Vital Topic — COVID-19 in Edmonton

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Edmonton Vital Signs is an annual checkup conducted by Edmonton Community Foundation, in partnership with Edmonton Social Planning Council, to measure how the community is doing. Vital Topics ar a quick but comprehensive look at issues that are timely and important to Edmonton.

For this edition, we take a look at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes information and data related to food security, the economy, race and ethnicity, mental health, domestic violence, quality of life, and others.

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March 1, 2021
fACT Sheet — 2021 Alberta Provincial Budget

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Introduction

The 2021–22 Budget, titled Protecting Lives and Livelihoods, covers the time period April 1, 2021 until March 31, 2022. This is the third budget of the governing United Conservative Party (UCP) as they enter the halfway point of their term. It is also the first budget that addresses the COVID-19 pandemic, which has upended the lives and livelihoods of Albertans as a result of the economic fallout and health impacts related to the virus.

The focus of the budget is supporting Albertans to get through the pandemic and working towards a long-term economic recovery. Targets include investments in health care, infrastructure, and economic diversification.

That said, Budget 2021 still advertises low taxation as an advantage and announces no new tax increases. If Alberta had the same tax structure as the next lowest taxed provinces (Ontario and Saskatchewan), we would generate an additional $13.3 billion in revenue (2021–22).* Under-spending as a result of less revenue collected means fewer investments in public services that support Albertans.

This fACT Sheet will focus on developments related to social programs that impact those living in low-income and poverty.

Revenue Measures

The previous budget, released in February 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic reached Alberta, projected $50 billion in revenue for 2020–21. However, revenue has now been projected to $42.3 billion—$7.7 billion lower than the previous estimate. This is due to a decrease in income and other taxes as well as a drop in non-renewable resource revenue. This is related to the significant economic impacts of COVID-19 and the collapse in oil demand, prices, and production. Cuts to the corporate tax rate, which decreased from 10% in January 2020 to 8% in July 2020 (a year-and-a-half sooner than originally planned) is also a factor. Notably, federal transfers from the Government of Canada are up as a source of revenue while almost all other sources are down.

Due to these conditions and the fact that no new taxes will be introduced with Budget 2021, there will be a projected $18.2 billion deficit.

Alberta Seniors Benefit

The Alberta Seniors Benefit provides low-income Albertans aged 65 years or older financial assistance to help with monthly living expenses. Previously, there were plans to adjust benefit phase-out rates and eligibility thresholds for new applicants. This plan has been paused in order to maintain the same level of support for seniors through the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, the maximum monthly benefit for a single adult is $285.92 and $428.83 for a couple.

Child Benefits

In the 2020–21 budget, the Alberta Child Benefit and the Alberta Family Employment Tax Credit were replaced by the Alberta Child and Family Benefit, which took effect in July 2020.
Though not in the budget document itself, shortly before its release the province announced a Working Parents Benefit. Starting March 1, parents can apply for a one-time payment of $561 per child to help with child care while they continue to work.

Child Care

Funding for Children’s Services is expected to remain flat over the next four years, with an operating expense of $1.7 billion in 2021–22. The child care sector has faced many challenges due to COVID-19 with closure of facilities in March 2020, then their subsequent re-opening with new public health measures to protect staff and children. As a result, funding (including some federal supports) has been reallocated to facilitate the safe re-opening of these centres. This includes $23 million in a Critical Worker Benefit for child intervention and child care programming, as well as $28 million to assist child care centres in their re-opening efforts.

The final phase of the Early Learning and Child Care pilot (also known as the $25 a day child care program) will end on March 31, 2021. Rather than continuing the program or making it universal, child care subsidies have been revamped so that low-income families will receive higher subsidies as part of a new funding deal between the province and the federal government.

Affordable Housing and Homelessness

The Government of Alberta recently released the Affordable Housing Review Panel’s report, which seeks to transform the affordable housing system. The Seniors and Housing ministry is currently developing a strategic plan and redesign of the affordable housing system. The reforms will ensure its financial sustainability and capacity to respond to growing demand. There will be no large budget changes until this redesign is completed.

However, there is still money for existing affordable housing initiatives. The government is dedicated to building 1,800 units to house individuals, families, and seniors in need of social supports and housing and to maintain units that already exist. As a result of recommendations from the review, Budget 2021 will provide a $16 million reinstatement to the Rental Assistance Program. Rental supports are critical for struggling Albertans to pay their rents.

The Government of Alberta stated they will continue to provide over $193 million for Homeless Support and Outreach Services. However, this is slightly down from the $197 million spent in the 2019–20 fiscal year. Nevertheless, they have included funding for 500 shelter spaces in Edmonton and Red Deer.

Addictions and Mental Health

The budget has committed $140 million over four years to increase access to services, expand programs, and establish new publicly funded mental health and addictions treatment spaces to support 4,000 Albertans towards a path to recovery. In addition, the government announced $25 million to support construction of five therapeutic communities across Alberta as part of an integrated system that encompasses clients of the health care system, justice system, and community social services system.

Existing supervised consumption sites across the province will receive $15.7 million in funding, a reduction of $2 million from last year due to the closure of the Lethbridge site. There is no new funding for harm reduction services, instead focusing on recovery-based services.

Employment and Income Support

Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH), Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD) and Income Support programs, have seen lower caseloads over the past year. Many people accessing these supports had transitioned to the Canada Emegency Response Benefit (CERB), likely because the larger payments allowed them to better meet their needs. The government will continue to fund these income support programs and serve vulnerable Albertans, although there will be no funding increases.

The government introduced benefits specially for the COVID-19 pandemic. The Critical Worker Benefit provides a one-time payment of $1,200 to individuals working on the front lines during the pandemic. People who work in health care, social services, education, and private sectors are eligible; $465 million has been dedicated for this benefit.

The Government of Alberta is dedicated to getting people back to work. As part of its Recovery Plan, it has instituted a Labour and Talent Strategy to increase learning opportunities, expand the apprenticeship model, and enhance connections between school and industries so that young Albertans will have better job prospects. The province is also dedicating $1.5 billion over four years to key economic sectors, assuming that they will build and diversify Alberta’s economy and create new jobs.

Drugs and Supplemental Health Benefits

As with the previous budget, there are changes to drug programs (which include transitioning patients from higher cost biologic medications to generic versions as well as the Seniors Drug Program no longer covering spouses and dependents younger than 65 years of age). However, plans to introduce income tested deductibles were deferred and are not reflected in the new budget.

In addition, there are funding increases to the Outpatient Cancer Therapy and Specialized High Cost Drug programs to address drug cost increases and higher patient volumes. The operating expense budget for these programs has grown to over $1.9 billion per year.

Family and Community Support Services

Funding for Family and Community Support Services is being maintained at $100 million. To address pressing social challenges—particularly against the backdrop of COVID-19—the Community and Social Services ministry 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.

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February 26, 2021
Feature Report — Confronting Racism with Data: Why Canada Needs Disaggregated Race-Based Data

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History has shown that race-based data can be used to uphold racist systems and discriminatory practices; but data can also help to dismantle them. Currently, race-based data is collected in only a few key systems, and data collection strategies are woefully inadequate for current needs (in areas such as health, justice, and education). The limited data that is available does not provide adequate evidence to support targeted policy change and intervention. Race-based data is crucial to develop effective anti-racism frameworks, and to understand the diverse, intersectional, needs of racialized communities in Canada. This report highlights some of the issues, and addresses how systems can improve, or implement, data collection strategies that result in reliable, high-quality, and comparable data—based firmly on national-level standards.

Authors:

Jenn Rossiter, Research Services and Capacity Building Coordinator

Tom Ndekezi, volunteer and ESPC Canada Summer Jobs student (2020)

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February 24, 2021
80 Years of Community Building — The History of the Edmonton Social Planning Council

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The impact that the Edmonton Social Planning Council has had on different communities in Edmonton, Alberta, and even to some extent Canada, is so extensive that it could fill up an entire library. In fact, it has filled up more than 30 boxes worth of material housed at the City of Edmonton Archives! This 80th anniversary year provided a great opportunity to research an extensive and storied history.

This publication, 80 Years of Community Building, is our best attempt to share that history. The story of the Edmonton Social Planning Council is also partly a story of Edmonton as a city. It records the times that social agencies, community groups, and passionate citizens with diverse experiences joined together to build a community that now prioritizes the common good—seeking to uplift marginalized populations for the benefit of everyone.

Our organization has gone by a number of different names over the years. In the 1940s it was the Edmonton Council of Social Agencies; in the 1950s it was called the Edmonton Council of Community Services; then in 1963, the Edmonton Welfare Council; and the Edmonton Social Planning Council in 1967. These changes generated an evolution in focus areas, function, and objectives. During these 80 years, the Council has seen incredible growth, shifts in priorities, and has re-calibrated itself to address the city’s needs and concerns, adapting to the times and social habits. It has tackled issues such as child welfare, urban planning, newcomer integration, community development, mental health, public transportation, persons with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, women’s shelters, participatory democracy, homelessness, poverty reduction, food security, and affordable housing through contributions of research, administrative or consultative support, and advocacy.

To process 80 years’ worth of these achievements can be dizzying and overwhelming, but can also be a source of great pride and inspiration. Remembering our history can provide direction to chart a path towards the next 80 years of building a community in which all people are full and valued participants.

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January 5, 2021
Research Update: Colouring Outside the Lines

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Note: this is excerpted from the December 2020 edition of our “Research Update” publication. The Edmonton Social Planning Council, in collaboration with our volunteers, strives to provide stakeholders and community members with up-to-date reviews, prepared by our volunteers, on recently published social research reports and publications.

Reviewed by Jayme Wong

Colour of Poverty – Colour of Change (COP–COC) is an Ontario-based network of groups that collaborate to create community-based resources and tools that address and combat ethno-racial inequality and oppression. In January 2019, COP–COC submitted Proposed Framework for a New-Anti-Racism Strategy for Canada during a national consultation on a new Canadian Anti-Racism Strategy, informed by a community consultation that same month.

The proposal provides a framework for a new Anti-Racism Strategy through manageable and attainable calls to action. Among the key principles and themes that highlight the need for an intersectional approach to policy-making, the proposal also includes 12 calls to action urging the federal government to make timely and specific changes to the New Anti-Racism Strategy. These actions address (p. 3):

(1) racial inequalities in the labour market

(2) the racialization of poverty

(3) systemic racism in the criminal justice system and access to justice

(4) racial discrimination in violence against women

(5) racial discrimination in national security

(6) systemic racism in child welfare

(7) health inequities

(8) inequities in accessing to basic necessities

(9) inequities in access to education

(10) systemic racism in immigration legislation and policy

(11) systemic racism in citizenship legislation and policy

(12) combating hate crimes

The strategy takes an intersectional approach to anti-racism advocacy, suggesting that women, LGBTQ+ and two-spirited peoples, and people with disabilities face disproportionate institutional discrimination and oppression. The proposal acknowledges the historical and ongoing racism that affects Indigenous communities and communities of colour, prompting the need for a new Anti-Racism Strategy. Although many of the calls to action are directed towards the federal government, the proposal notes that “systemic racism and racial discrimination know no jurisdictional bounds” (p. 3). COP–COC highlights the importance for all levels of government—from federal to municipal—to work together to enforce and enact the new Anti-Racism Strategy.

One recurring ask within the proposal urges the federal government to “require all Departments, Ministries, Divisions and other relevant institutions to collect and track disaggregated data with respect to ethno-racial background, and use this data to develop strategies for addressing systemic racism” (p. 4). Disaggregated data would show a trend in who is more likely to rely on government social services due to disproportionate rates of impoverishment and food insecurity, and who is also more likely to be discriminated against by pre-existing legal practices and their often biased practitioners. The publication of the collected data would act as an accountability and transparency measure by the institutions that had previously been gate-keepers to such information and excluded people of colour from the process.

An important factor mentioned at the beginning of the proposal is that Indigenous communities and communities of colour can and should be able to choose their own approaches to the Anti-Racism Strategy. While this acknowledgement is only mentioned very briefly, it is important that the group has taken the time to acknowledge sovereignty and autonomy within communities of colour, and especially for Indigenous communities who have not had their rights respected by colonial institutions. The acknowledgement allows opportunities for negotiation and additions from Indigenous communities and communities of colour who wish to join in the process.

There are a few calls to action which seem rather brief—one of which is the call to address inequities in access to education. The proposal only mentions funding more post-secondary scholarship programs for racialized and marginalized communities, and allowing Indigenous communities to regain control over their educational practices. There is no mention that people of colour face multiple barriers—not simply financial—when accessing education. Just a few of the unmentioned barriers may include language, gender, or culture. Furthermore, “[transferring] educational matters from pre-school to post-secondary education to local Indigenous authorities” (p. 11) does not fully address the traumatic experiences that Indigenous students have faced and continue to face in the colonial education system.

Overall, the proposal is quite effective in painting a picture of what the future could be if an intersectional lens was used in all policy-making. The two most convincing tenets of this proposal are (1) the involvement of all racialized and marginalized in policy-making decisions, and (2) urging public institutions to be more transparent about their practices. Canada still has a long way to go with its Anti-Racism Strategy, but if even one call to action within COP–COC’s proposed framework is achieved, the country would be that much closer to eradicating racism.

Publication Source:

Colour of Poverty – Colour of Change. (2019). Proposed framework for a new anti-racism strategy for Canada. https://ocasi.org/sites/default/files/PROPOSED_COP-COC_FRAMEWORK_for_Anti-Racism_Strategy_Jan_2019_0.pdf

ABOUT THE RESEARCH REVIEWER:

Jayme Wong graduated from the University of Lethbridge in 2014 with a BA in English and Philosophy, and more recently graduated from the University of Alberta in 2020 with an MA in English and Film Studies. She currently works at a local non-profit, The Learning Centre Literacy Association.

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December 18, 2020
fACT Sheet — An Overview of HIV Edmonton
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Introduction

To increase awareness of the dynamic social agencies that serve the diverse communities within Edmonton, this fACT Sheet provides a summary of HIV Edmonton and its history, mission, and the services it offers.

About HIV Edmonton

HIV Edmonton was founded in 1984, when the global HIV/AIDS crisis was a pressing concern, from a sense of desperation by Michael Phair and a group of close friends as Edmonton braced for its own AIDS outbreak. Originally called the AIDS Network of Edmonton, in 1999 the name changed to HIV Edmonton to better reflect advancements in the area of HIV and AIDS.

HIV Edmonton is a harm reduction agency, working to provide the best education and prevention methods to a broad audience. Science and medicine have come a long way. However, stigma and discrimination continue to be the most significant barriers to survival, driving isolation and lack of support. These barriers continue to constrain the epidemic and are detrimental to health outcomes.

Vision: Zero

HIV Edmonton’s long-term vision is:
- Zero new HIV infections,
- Zero stigma and discrimination, and
- Zero AIDS-related deaths.
Support and Outreach

HIV Edmonton provides support and outreach to people living with and affected by HIV through different programs. Many of them also experience challenges with homelessness, drug use, and food insecurity. Clients register through a referral and must provide proof of HIV status to participate in programs. Some examples of support and outreach programs offered are listed below (these are subject to change due to public health guidelines associated with the COVID-19 pandemic):
- Collective Kitchen: a cooking circle for clients living with HIV with a strong focus on cultural inclusion, to enable them to build connections and increase their capacity to access care and support.
- Community Connections Program: provides lunch once a week for clients to build connections with peers in their communities.
- Drop-In Program: the drop in (when open) provides two breakfasts and one lunch a week to clients, which allows for both nutritional meals as well as an informal connector with support from staff and peers.
- HIV and Nutrition Program: a six-session program that addresses health and well-being through nutrition and offers ways for people living with HIV to use food to develop healthier lifestyles.
- Paint and Create Session: art is a powerful tool. These sessions, led by a resident artist twice a month for newcomer clients (immigrants and refugees) living with HIV, enable them to build connections and increase their capacity to access care and support.
- Ross Armstrong Program: provides monthly food hampers, toiletries, vitamins, and a much-needed grocery gift card to assist with the tough end-of-month purchases for clients.
Prevention and Education

To build relationships and capacity within community-based organizations, alliances and networks are formed between health care professionals and the general public to support prevention efforts towards HIV and sexually transmitted blood borne infections (STBBI). HIV Edmonton reaches these varied audiences by developing educational resources and delivering programs on prevention, health promotion, and support using an equity lens to address issues that disproportionately affect communities facing unique challenges. The educational programs and workshops are listed below (note: these are subject to change).
- Community Animator Initiative: aims to prevent new HIV infections among African Caribbean and Black Canadian populations in Edmonton by supporting individuals from the community to mobilize their communities and develop culturally appropriate health resources.
- Community Alliance Syphilis Testing (CAST): an HIV Edmonton initiative that brings together university students, community-based organizations, and health professionals to advance syphilis testing in Edmonton and surrounding areas. CAST hopes to:
  - enhance overall collective power through active community participation;
  - build connections and capacity for mutually reinforcing activities; and
  - center the unique experiences of communities facing systemic risk for syphilis acquisition.
- Peer Education Program: engages community members living with HIV, and those who are not, to become educators in HIV and STBBI prevention that are reflective of their communities. Sessions occur twice a month and include lessons, discussions, and teamwork to create educational materials/ strategies.
- Presentations and Workshops:
- Dynamics Workshop: an intensive two-day capacity building workshop about HIV and STBBI prevention aimed primarily at service providers but open to the general public. Topics covered include: the origins of HIV; the role of colonialism in the spread of HIV; the biology of HIV; HIV prevention, including harm reduction; barriers to testing, prevention, and care of people affected by HIV, including criminalization of HIV.
- HIV Basics Presentation: 1- to 2-hour presentations provided to service providers and/or the general public about HIV and STBBI, including important discussions on health inequities, stigma, and discrimination.
- Health Equity Workshop: a 1.5-hour presentation that explores some of the systemic and structural barriers that present unique challenges in specific communities.
- Nursing Student Workshop: a half-day interactive workshop for nursing students to engage in discussions such as HIV and STBBIs, health inequities, and harm reduction.
- Systems Capacity Building Approach: an organizational capacity building partnership project between HIV Edmonton and an organization/agency serving key population groups (i.e., African Caribbean and Black Canadians; Indigenous peoples). HIV Edmonton builds the partner’s organizational knowledge on effective intervention and prevention of HIV, Hepatitis C, and related STBBIs.
Contact HIV Edmonton

9702 111 Ave. NW
Edmonton, AB T5G 0B1
Toll Free Phone 1.877.388.5742
Phone 780.488.5742
Fax 780.488.3735
Hours: Monday to Thursday 9:00 am – 4:30 pm; Friday 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. Closed from 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm daily. If you require assistance during this hour, please ensure staff are aware you of your arrival time.
Website: www.hivedmonton.com
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December 14, 2020