Edmonton Social Planning Council

Category: Levels of Government: City of Edmonton

Op-Ed: Without a municipal census, Edmonton is leaving money on the table
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By Susan Morrissey

In order to have a government provide services that are responsive to the needs of its citizens, data on its population is essential. Which is why every five years Statistics Canada conducts its Census of Population, the last one conducted in 2021. Each census paints a detailed picture of the diversity of Canada, be it linguistic, ethnocultural and religious affiliation, Indigenous identity, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Data from the census is used to plan where to build schools, roads, hospitals as well as plan for elections, social programs, seniors services, and more.

Census data is very important for organizations like the Edmonton Social Planning Council, which helps inform our research for publications and projects like Vital Signs and the Social Well-Being Tracker where measuring our city’s community health is integral to finding solutions to various social challenges.

While the data collected by the federal census is high-quality and critically important, the five-year gap between censuses means we do not have regular updates on how the population is growing and evolving during the gap years. Fortunately, these gaps in data have been supplemented by the City of Edmonton’s municipal census, which typically asks different questions and has historically been conducted once every two or three years and has been around since 1878 when Edmonton’s population was 148 people. Alberta is the only province that permits municipalities to conduct their own census thanks to the Municipal Government Act.

By closely tracking the population growth of Edmonton, census data enables the city to obtain more grant funding from the provincial and federal governments to put towards services like public transit and housing. The building of new recreation centres and branches of the Edmonton Public Library have been justified by the very data collected by the city. Edmonton’s public and Catholic school boards have also used municipal data as part of their planning.

Nevertheless, after the 2019 municipal census was completed, city council decided to stop conducting censuses to address budget constraints. This was a short-sighted decision as relying solely on federal census data does not allow for a real-time snapshot of our local community.

Edmonton city council recently conducted a review of their census policy on whether to bring back the municipal census. To our disappointment, they decided to put a pause on the census policy, which means there are no immediate plans to bring back the municipal census. However, it could be reinstated in the future pending further consultation.

There are a lot of social issues that need to be tackled on a local level and leveraging a municipal census could go a long way towards filling these data gaps. These issues are varied and diverse, such as calls for all levels of government to collect more race-based data to address racial inequities, better co-ordination of public transit services within the Edmonton metropolitan region, and scaling up urban agriculture and local food production within city limits. A municipal census could be used to capture some of this missing data and empower decision-makers and the public to explore and implement solutions.

With so many challenges associated with building a great city like Edmonton that has a growing and diverse population, we strongly urge city council to reconsider their decision and revive the municipal census so we have the data to inform city planning and guide city council to make responsive decisions on where to allocate these essential services.

While we recognize municipal governments have limited funds and every dollar must be used wisely, the data collected from a municipal census also brings in increased funding from other orders of government. By not conducting a municipal census, city council is simply leaving money on the table.

Susan Morrissey is the executive director of the Edmonton Social Planning Council.
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October 26, 2022
Op-Ed: Child Care Should Be a Priority in Edmonton’s Civic Election

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Note: this op-ed was originally published in the Edmonton Journal on September 23, 2021.

By Jeff Bisanz, Jennifer Fischer-Summers, and Brett Lambert

Child care became a ballot box issue for the federal election. With the Liberals proposing a national early learning and child-care plan as part of the 2021 federal budget, a lot is at stake. The proposal is to build a national system that is both high-quality and affordable for Canadian families, with the goal to reduce fees to $10 per day within five years. Universal child care has many benefits for families and children, including improved educational outcomes, increases in women’s employment and income, and reduction in social and economic inequities. Eight provinces and territories have reached an agreement with the federal government. Alberta is not yet one of them.

With all the attention focused on the federal campaign, it can be easy to lose sight of the fact that child care should also be a ballot-box issue for the upcoming municipal election. Edmonton’s city council and school boards have a lot to contribute within their authority that can build on the federal proposal and enable a universal system to work within our local context.

The Edmonton Social Planning Council, together with the Edmonton Council for Early Learning and Care, recently held virtual events with expert panelists that shed light on the benefits of universal child care and what city council and school boards can do to further this cause.

Child care is an economic and social priority for Edmonton. EndPovertyEdmonton names affordable, quality child care as one of six game-changers for eliminating poverty. The Edmonton City Plan supports enabling accessible child care throughout the city. The Edmonton Economic Action Plan promotes affordable, accessible, high-quality, and inclusive early learning and care. While Edmonton is moving in the right direction, more can be done.

Edmonton could introduce a municipal early learning and care policy as a formal commitment, akin to what exists in other cities such as Burnaby and Richmond. Edmonton could then develop a city-level strategy and action plan, similar to what Jasper is currently undertaking. Edmonton can also follow the lead of Lethbridge by advocating to senior levels of government.

Establishing and facilitating partnerships between governments, school boards, and community is key to addressing barriers related to child care in Edmonton. Co-ordinating use of publicly funded facilities can help address capacity issues, such as creating dedicated spaces in city-owned facilities and public schools. Supporting high-quality demonstration centres can help early childhood educators be more culturally responsive to the needs of Indigenous, immigrant, and refugee families.

Municipalities control land use, zoning, and neighbourhood development. To ensure that Edmonton grows as a connected, adaptable, and livable city, child care must be located near where people live, work, and learn. The City of Edmonton has the authority to co-ordinate local planning, management, and support for child care. Child care needs must be integrated into current and future city planning. Strategic linkages between municipal goals and child-care priorities would enable the City of Edmonton to work effectively toward a coherent vision for children, families, and communities.

School boards provide free programming, funded by Alberta Education, for some preschool children who need preventive support to prepare for school entry. This service helps to prepare these children for later success in school and beyond. School boards can do more in partnership with city and provincial governments. They can share data so that child-care needs can be anticipated and addressed in a resourceful way. They can collaborate to ensure high-quality programming and mutually beneficial professional development for early childhood educators. Schools can partner with child care providers to co-ordinate services so that children can experience continuity of care, and needs can be met for inclusive and culturally sensitive learning environments.

Building an integrated system of early learning and care that is high-quality, affordable, accessible, inclusive, and flexible will require co-ordination at all levels of government. Municipalities and school boards are integral to ensuring that an emerging system of universal child care will be implemented to meet the particular needs of our communities.

Voters would be well-served to ask candidates running for mayor, city councillor, and school board trustee how they will work with senior levels of governments toward building a universal, affordable, and inclusive child-care system.

Jeff Bisanz is Co-Chair of the Edmonton Council for Early Learning and Care.

Jennifer Fischer-Summers is Research Assistant at the Community-University Partnership for the Study of Children, Youth, and Families.

Brett Lambert is Community Engagement Coordinator of the Edmonton Social Planning Council.

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September 23, 2021
fACT Sheet: Get Out & Vote! Election Information for Edmonton Voters

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Introduction

The right to vote in elections is considered one of the most important components of a democracy. Today, any Canadian citizen 18 years of age or older is eligible to cast their ballot in a municipal, provincial, and federal election. Unfortunately, this hasn’t always been the case. Voting was originally permitted only for men affluent enough to own land or pay taxes. Those who did not meet this criteria—based on lack of property ownership or because of their gender, race, or religion—were excluded. White women were granted the right to vote by 1918 and in 1920 property qualifications were abolished. Between the end of the Second World War and up to the early 1960s, disqualification on racial and religious grounds were eliminated, culminating when all First Nations peoples were granted the unconditional right to vote in 1960 without losing their status. By 1970, the voting age was lowered from 21 years of age to 18.

The evolution of voting rights and the ways in which people have historically been included—or excluded—is an important reminder that voting is not something to be taken for granted. In 2021, Edmontonians have the chance to vote in both a municipal and federal election (October 18 and September 20, respectively). With the chance to vote for a mayor, city councillor, school board trustee, and member of Parliament, we as citizens have a big responsibility to demonstrate which direction we want our city and our country to go.

What Are Organizations Doing to Engage Voters and Increase Voter Turnout?

A number of groups and initiatives do outreach work to engage voters, especially those who may not turn out in large numbers to the voting booth. Some notable initiatives with a focus on the federal election include the following:

Apathy is Boring is a national charitable organization that educates and supports youth to become active and contributing citizens to Canada’s democracy. In addition to mobilizing voter turnout, the group works toward empowering youth to meaningfully engage with all aspects of the democratic process.

Vote Housing is a national, non-partisan, grassroots advocacy campaign led by a coalition of advocates for affordable housing and the elimination of homelessness. It seeks to engage voters on issues of housing and to cast votes based on political party and candidate plans to address these issues.

The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations launched a nationwide Get Out the Vote campaign together with 24 student associations (including the University of Alberta, MacEwan University, and Athabasca University). The campaign seeks to engage with students on the importance of voting and how it can shape their future.

The On Canada Project is a grassroots initiative focused on mobilizing youth (millennials and Generation Z) to build a community of change agents to disrupt the status quo. Originally launched to share credible information about the COVID-19 pandemic targeted to youth and marginalized populations, its mandate broadened to focus on giving younger Canadians the information they need to compassionately disrupt the status quo. This has included sharing information on voting, challenging apathy, and analyzing debates.

Voter Turnout in Previous Elections

The right to vote is only effective when citizens exercise this right and show up to cast their ballot. The chart below represents voter turnout among Edmontonians in every municipal, provincial, and federal election between 1997 and 2019. Though voter turnout does fluctuate with each election cycle, the overall trend is that voter turnout is highest for federal elections (the highest was 69.1% in 2015) and lowest for municipal elections (the lowest was 27.2% in 2007). Competitive races in general—those with the prospect of a change in provincial or federal government or a competitive mayoral race—tend to lead to higher voter turnout.

Figure 1— Source: Tracking the Trends, 2020

It is clear that more work needs to be done to increase voter turnout and facilitate voter engagement, especially at the municipal level. While provincial and federal governments tackle big and sweeping issues, municipalities engage with citizens on a local level. This is crucial to building and maintaining vibrant communities that are responsive to neighbourhood concerns. Decisions that elected officials make at all levels of government affect all of our lives, both directly and indirectly. They especially impact those coming from marginalized or underserved groups—whether they are racialized or Indigenous, women, LGBTQ2S+, seniors, immigrants and refugees, children and youth, persons with disabilities, or others. Maximizing voter turnout among the eligible population is crucial to a healthy democracy.

Voting Options for the Federal and Municipal Elections

Federal Election

Canada’s federal election will be held on September 20, 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Elections Canada is anticipating more interest in voting by mail. The deadline for this option has passed; registration for those wishing to exercise this option ended on September 14.

Advance polls were available on September 10, 11, 12, and 13. Locations for designated election day polls can be found through Elections Canada’s Voter Information Service. Close to 5.8 million Canadians have already voted in advance, which is a record turnout for advance voting.

Whether voters cast their ballot by mail, in an advance poll, or on election day, it is important that they are registered to vote. This can be done in advance through the Elections Canada website, in-person at any Elections Canada office, or at the polling station on voting day.

In previous elections, advance polling stations were set up at post-secondary institutions specifically for students to cast their ballot for any riding in Canada. This was part of an initiative called Vote on Campus, which was credited for increasing voter turnout. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this initiative is not being offered for the 2021 election. Advocates say this will place barriers on students’ ability to vote.

Municipal Election

Edmonton’s municipal election will be held on October 18, 2021. Advance voting will be offered from October 4 to 13. Voting locations for advance voting or election day voting can be found using the City of Edmonton’s Find Your Voting Station online tool. The number of advance voting stations has doubled from the previous election and there will be a total of 212 voting stations available across the city on election day.

Those who cannot vote on election day or at an advance voting station due to a disability or absence from the city can request a special ballot through the City of Edmonton Elections office.
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September 16, 2021
fACT Sheet: Who is Responsible for Early Learning and Care?
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Introduction

Early learning and care refers to the environments where young children who have not yet entered kindergarten spend a portion of their day under the supervision of adults other than their parents. Sometimes called daycare or child care, early learning and care includes licensed child care centres, early education programs, preschools, and family day homes.

Early learning and care is seen as a necessity by some and a privilege by others. The federal government envisions a “system” of early learning and care that is high quality, affordable, accessible, inclusive, and flexible. The government intends to increase its financial support toward child care and to negotiate with the provincial and territorial governments on what a system of child care might look like for each.

But who is responsible for actually building such a system?

Who is Currently Responsible for Early Learning and Care?

At present, the responsibility for early learning and care in Alberta is distributed across different authorities.
- Local school boards provide early years programming, funded by Alberta Education, for some of the children who need preventive support to prepare for school entry.
- Local non-profit organizations and for-profit businesses manage child care centres, preschools, and family day homes.
- Alberta Children’s Services regulates child care centres, preschools, and family day homes. It also provides grants to programs and subsidies to low-income families.
- The federal government provides funding for some preschools (e.g., Indigenous Head Start) and is committed to building a national system of early learning and child care. It has begun to distribute funds to some provinces and territories for this purpose.
- City governments control land use and planning within the municipality.
Unfortunately, these different levels of government and community typically do not work together in a coordinated way. The result is delivery of local child care programs and services that is highly fragmented, with some children and families left behind. For many in Edmonton, early learning and care can be difficult to access, largely unaffordable, and uneven in quality.
- The availability of child care spaces is constrained in Edmonton, especially depending on which area of the city a family lives. It is estimated that there are only enough full-day licensed early learning and care spaces for about 37% of Edmonton children under 5 years of age.
- The affordability of child care is a substantial concern for many Edmonton families, with median monthly child care fees at $1,050 for infants, $950 for toddlers, and $925 for preschool-aged children in 2020. An Edmonton family with one infant and one toddler earning the median after-tax family annual income of $99,500 spends about 20% of that income on child care alone.
- The quality of early learning and care varies widely across Edmonton. Depending on the specific child care program or service accessed, there can be a range of staff qualifications, child-to-staff ratios, group sizes, indoor and outdoor environments, and use of a curriculum framework.
The present situation for early learning and care in Edmonton is a patchwork of programs and services that is insufficient. What is needed is a coordinated system to meet the current and future needs of Edmonton’s growing population and diverse communities.

An integrated system of high-quality, affordable, accessible, inclusive, and flexible early learning and care would support many children and families, contribute to economic and social recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and help to address some critical societal priorities.

What Can the City of Edmonton Do?

The City of Edmonton has identified early learning and care as an economic and social priority.
- Affordable and quality child care is one of EndPovertyEdmonton’s six game changers that must be addressed if poverty is to be eliminated from Edmonton in a generation.
- Enabling accessible child care facilities in a variety of locations throughout the city is a policy priority in the Edmonton City Plan.
- Promoting affordable, accessible, high-quality, and inclusive early learning and child care is part of the Edmonton Economic Action Plan.
Municipal governments are in a unique position to ensure that coordinated local planning and management of the early learning and care system is translated into programs and services that are responsive to the needs of children, families, and communities. The City of Edmonton can become a municipal leader in Alberta in support of early learning and care by implementing specific actions recommended by the Edmonton Council for Early Learning and Care.

A municipal policy and strategy for early learning and care would represent a strong made-in-Edmonton approach to child care in the city. This policy could include various components to target some of the most pressing issues, grow the partnerships needed, and focus on strengthening capacities. The initial strategy could address issues and capitalize on opportunities through city planning, zoning, neighbourhood development, demonstration centres, and grant programs. Municipal advocacy to the provincial and federal governments could be important to begin the process of building an integrated early learning and care system.

What Can Local School Boards Do?

Local school boards in Alberta have some authority over decisions regarding the early education of children, as delegated to them by the provincial government’s Ministry of Education.

School boards are well-positioned to be an integral part of the development, support, and sustainability of a system of early learning and care that will benefit children and families in their journey to and through the education system. Edmonton school boards can also strengthen their role in support of early learning and care by implementing specific actions recommended by the Edmonton Council for Early Learning and Care.

School boards have a vital role to play. They can provide information about distribution of and access to early learning and care within school communities and neighbourhoods. They can help address issues in finding space, co-locating services, and addressing issues in early learning and care in or around schools. They can also advocate for early learning and care to other levels of government. Local schools can form partnerships with child care centres in the school attendance area to help serve children, families, and communities.

What Can the Provincial and Federal Governments Do?

In Alberta, the provincial government has explicit responsibilities to provide early learning and care services for Alberta’s children and their families. However, local governments and school boards can play important roles in providing services. Needs vary widely across the province and even within cities. Therefore, the provincial government would do well to collaborate closely with regional and municipal governments, school boards, and organizations that have expertise in early learning and care and that understand local conditions and requirements. The provincial government can shift focus toward building a system of early learning and care by implementing specific actions recommended by the Edmonton Council for Early Learning and Care.

Recently the federal government has offered to help fund the cost of building a system of early learning and care in each province and territory. The provincial, territorial, and federal governments must agree on how to build such a system. This agreement will have implications for how provincial and territorial governments balance affordable care with quality, accessibility, inclusion, and flexibility that exceed what is currently available. Again, collaborating with regional and municipal governments, school boards, and organizations will be invaluable as the provincial government goes about the important task of building a system of early learning and care.fACTsheet – Who is Responsible for Early Learning and Care

Who is Responsible for Change? Everyone!

Building an integrated system of early learning and care that is high quality, affordable, accessible, inclusive, and flexible will require partnership and action. Responsibility to children and families lies at all levels of government and community.

Without action, the lack of coordinated planning, management, and support will continue to result in missed opportunities, inefficiencies, and duplications. Barriers related to limited space, lack of affordable options, and inadequate assessment of needs, as well as challenges to ensure quality, inclusiveness, and cultural responsiveness will persist.

With action, these issues can be addressed. Early learning and care is crucial to economic and social development. Access to child care is essential to workforce participation for parents, particularly women with younger children. Mothers are disproportionately affected by a lack of high quality, affordable child care, and this inequity is amplified during economic downturns and this pandemic. Experiences with high quality early learning and care are important for the learning, development, and well-being of children, as well as for reducing child poverty and educational disadvantage. Child care is a critical community service with a substantial social return on investment for communities.

Citizens can play a significant role in supporting early learning and care! Advancing a long-term, coordinated solution can begin at the local level. Edmonton’s municipal election is an opportunity to put early learning and care on the agenda. Citizens can learn more about mayoral, city councillor, and school board trustee candidate views on early learning and care, and vote in the municipal election on October 18, 2021. In preparation for the federal election on September 20, 2021, citizens can also inform themselves about the notable differences in how federal political parties have decided to support early learning and care.

Conclusion

Federal, provincial, and municipal governments, school boards, community organizations, early learning and care programs, and citizens must work together. An integrated early learning and care system, with programs and services that meet the needs of Edmonton’s children, families, and communities is desperately needed.

Special thanks to Jennifer Fischer-Summers, Jeff Bisanz, and the Edmonton Council for Early Learning and Care for helping to put together this fACT Sheet.
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September 8, 2021
fACT Sheet — Zoning Bylaws and Affordable Housing

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Introduction

Ending chronic homelessness has been a priority for Edmonton’s City Council in recent years. In 2009, the city committed to ending chronic homelessness within 10 years. Although a lot of progress has been made, they have fallen short of this original goal. Nevertheless, City Council remains committed to finding solutions. Though the state of homelessness observed in the city fluctuates, there has been an increase since the COVID-19 pandemic. As of February 2021, there are 2,038 people experiencing homelessness in Edmonton. This makes the original goal all the more critical to address, through the lens of public health and human rights.

As part of its goal to end chronic homelessness, the Affordable Housing Investment Plan (2019-2022) aims to create 2,500 new or renovated affordable housing units across Edmonton, which includes a target of more than 916 permanent supportive housing units. Among the challenges and opportunities to better facilitate these affordable housing developments are zoning bylaws. Zoning provides a guide for municipalities in what structures are permitted to be built and where they can be built.

In this fACT Sheet, we’ll summarize recent changes to zoning bylaws that better facilitate these affordable housing units and outline some of the remaining issues and challenges.

Types of Non-Market Housing Developments

When talking about affordable housing developments, it is important to understand that there are different types and designs to meet a variety of needs. The following describe some of the most common examples of affordable housing (specifically non-market housing) units that operate outside of the private market.

Supportive housing: permanent housing for people who need assistance to live independently. Supportive housing may house people who are elderly or have disabilities, addictions, or mental health issues.

Emergency housing: short-term shelter or accommodation that serves people who are experiencing homelessness, who are displaced, or who are fleeing violence or abuse.

Non-profit housing: rental housing for low- and moderate-income individuals and families built by the province, municipality, or by a community group. Most tenants pay rent relative to their income; others pay rent at the low end of private market rent.

Transitional housing: a bridge between emergency and permanent housing, often for a specified time. Transitional housing may serve people transitioning out of homelessness, those leaving the corrections system, or families receiving specialized supports.

Co-operative housing: housing for people with low- and moderate-incomes. Residents contribute to the upkeep of the building and governance of the co-op. It can serve both lower-income households and market housing (some people with higher incomes choose housing co-ops for non-financial reasons). Some tenants pay rent relative to their income while the rest pay market rent. Some units may be modified for seniors or people with disabilities.

Most of the recent zoning bylaw changes within Edmonton city limits affect supportive housing initiatives.

Recent Bylaw Changes That Impact Affordable Housing Developments

In 2019, non-profit housing providers participated in a workshop with City of Edmonton staff from the Affordable Housing and Homelessness and the Zoning Bylaw Implementation team. Valuable input was shared about the challenges and opportunities to better facilitate affordable housing developments in Edmonton.

Since then, Edmonton City Council has passed a number of new bylaws to address many of these issues (in chronological order):

July 15, 2019: City Council passed “Charter Bylaw 18941 Text Amendment to Zoning Bylaw 12800 to reduce barriers to Collective and Permanent Supportive Housing.” This bylaw removed regulations such as restrictions on group homes (a residence model of medical care for those with complex health needs) that placed limits on occupancy as well as removing limits on the number of individuals that can live in a lodging house (referring to a house in which rooms are rented). Restrictions were also removed on the type of building design for both group homes and lodging houses.

August 25, 2019: City Council passed “Charter Bylaw 18967- Text Amendment to Zoning Bylaw 12800 to Enable Missing Middle Housing.” This bylaw amended medium-scale zones in order to create more opportunities for the development of various medium-scale housing options in Edmonton. The amendment introduced Use Multi-Unit Housing, defined based on the number of dwelling units on-site rather than by the form of the building or how the units were arranged. It also removed maximum densities from a number of zones, along with minimum site area and width requirements, and increased maximum floor area ratios in some zones. These changes increased the area of a site that can be developed for affordable housing.

June 30, 2020: City Council passed “Charter Bylaw 19725 Text Amendments to Zoning Bylaw 12800 for Open Option Parking.” This bylaw removed minimum vehicle parking requirements, in addition to changes such as parking lot design and access, landscaping, stall size, loading requirements, and calculation methods to address accessibility and bicycle parking requirements. The number of on-site parking spots for new developments will now be determined by the landowner or business. This change will allow affordable housing developments to offer parking based on the unique needs of the development, thereby potentially increasing the proportion of land available for housing, on-site supports, or other complementary uses.

November 3, 2020: City Council passed “Charter Bylaw 19490 Text Amendments to Zoning Bylaw 12800 to enable Supportive Housing developments.” The bylaw created two new use definitions for supportive housing and limited supportive housing, replacing the previous terms temporary shelter, group home, and limited group home uses. Supportive housing now describes development for residential use with on-site or off-site supports to ensure the residents’ day-to-day needs are met. This does not, however, include extended medical treatment services. Limited supportive housing specifically describes a supportive housing development with no more than six residents. Using these new definitions, a limited supportive housing developments can reasonably expect fewer visits by emergency services per month and are located in freestanding structures that are purpose-built or wholly converted for that purpose. These new definitions also provide flexibility for organizations to adapt to different forms of, and duration of, supportive housing needs.

In addition, these amendments also add supportive housing as a listed use in a number of zones, such as commercial and urban service zones. This change will increase opportunities to develop more supportive housing—including seniors’ housing, hospice care, and temporary shelters—widely across the city and allows more flexibility in the location of new affordable housing units.

These changes align with Policy C601 Affordable Housing Investment Guidelines. The policy seeks to ensure more opportunities for non-market developments are available across the city. It also provides direction to streamline access to affordable housing in all neighbourhoods through regulatory and procedural review and improvement, as well as other city policies such as Age Friendly Edmonton.

Reflections and Other Concerns

These bylaw changes that took place over the last couple of years have the potential to encourage the construction of more affordable housing developments. They can help move the city closer towards achieving its goal of ending chronic homelessness by building an adequate supply of supportive housing units. Approval process timelines for development previously posed a challenge for those wanting to get these developments off the ground; these changes and barrier reductions are an important breakthrough.

Nevertheless, strong bylaws that create an environment more conducive to affordable housing must continue to emphasize a human-rights approach to housing. There are also challenges with a shortage of non-market housing with units that are universally accessible and barrier-free despite one in two households in Edmonton having at least one family member with at least one activity limitation. Moreover, stable funding from municipal, provincial, and federal governments is also indispensable toward building political will to see these projects through to completion.

These bylaw changes have the potential to encourage more affordable housing developments and help move the city closer towards achieving their goal of ending chronic homelessness by building an adequate supply of supportive housing units.

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

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March 11, 2021
fACT Sheet — Food (In)Security During COVID-19

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What is Food (In)Security?

As defined by the United Nations’ World Food Summit of 1996, food security exists when “all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet dietary needs for a productive and healthy life.”

Food insecurity occurs when individuals or families lack access to food due to financial, physical, or social barriers. The accessibility of food can occur at community and national levels as well as within individual households. Thus, food security achieved at the community level does not necessarily prevent individuals from experiencing household food insecurity. Factors to consider when assessing food security include the availability and accessibility of food, alongside adequacy (i.e. nutritious, safe, and environmentally sustainable food) and acceptability (i.e. culturally acceptable food).

Household food insecurity occurs due to financial constraint and exists on a spectrum that can be divided into three categories: marginal (concern about running out of food, or a limited food selection), moderate (compromise in quality or quantity of food), and severe (miss meals, reduce food intakes, or multiple days without food).

Living with food insecurity can have detrimental impacts. According to the non-profit Community Food Centres Canada, food insecurity affects physical and mental health, relationships with loved ones and children, while also being attributed to increased social isolation, barriers in finding and maintaining employment, difficulty finding meaning and purpose in life, and impediments in the expression and sharing of culture.

Who Is Most Impacted by Food Insecurity?

Before the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, nearly 4.5 million Canadians were experiencing food insecurity. According to Food Banks Canada’s 2019 HungerCount, food banks across Canada had over 1 million visits, of which nearly 375,000 of them being children. In Alberta, food banks recorded over 89,000 visits, with more than 35,282 of them being children. Food bank use nationwide had stabilized with roughly the same number of visits as in 2018. Within Edmonton, 13.8% of residents were food insecure in 2017-2018. In 2019, 63,323 people received a hamper from Edmonton’s Food Bank or one of its affiliates.

Indigenous and racialized people are also disproportionately impacted by food insecurity. Black households are 3.5 times more likely to be food insecure than white households, and almost half of all First Nations families are food insecure.

Of those who access food banks to meet their needs, the 2019 HungerCount reported that 34% were children, 48% were single adult households, 18% were single parent households, and 57.4% were on social assistance or disability-related supports.

COVID-19’s Impact on Food Security

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing food security challenges for Canadians. According to Statistics Canada, almost one in seven Canadians (14.6%) experienced food insecurity in May 2020—an increase from 10.5% just two years earlier. Canadian households with children were particularly more likely to experience food insecurity, representing nearly one in five households (19%). As a result, food bank visits increased by 20%. Notably, not everyone who is food insecure accesses a food bank, so it’s possible these numbers are even higher.

Emergency Funding and COVID-19

When the COVID-19 pandemic spread, all levels of government introduced a number of relief measures to help Canadians weather the public health emergency. This included funding to address food security.

In April 2020, the Government of Canada announced $100 million in funding through the Emergency Food Security Fund to Canadian food banks and other national food rescue organizations to help improve access to food for people experiencing food insecurity. Of this funding, $50 million went to Food Banks Canada while the remainder went to Second Harvest, Community Food Centres Canada, Breakfast Club of Canada, and Salvation Army. These organizations work in the areas of food rescue, food education and advocacy, school clubs, and community meals, respectively. In October 2020, the federal government announced another $100 million in funding to address food security.

In May 2020, the Government of Alberta gave $5 million in funding to food banks across Alberta—part of the $30 million in emergency social service support that went to more than 460 agencies.

Locally, the Edmonton Community Foundation delivered emergency funds to various community organizations through the COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund (over $4 million) and the Emergency Community Support Fund ($2.4 million). More than $500,000 and $600,000 from these two funds, respectively, were delivered to 46 different projects that addressed food security challenges.

Food Rescue Initiatives

In an era when millions of Canadians experience food insecurity, diverting food waste—especially perfectly edible food that might end up in the dumpster of a grocery warehouse due—is seen as a key measure to provide emergency relief for those in need.

In August 2020, the Government of Canada announced a $50 million investment through the Surplus Food Rescue Program to distribute food—that would otherwise go to waste—to vulnerable Canadians that would otherwise go to waste. This food surplus was one outcome of the pandemic that had forced the closure of restaurant and hospitality industries, leaving many producers without a key market for their food commodities. Not-for-profits like Food Banks Canada and Second Harvest would redistribute 12 million kilograms of fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, and seafood to food insecure families that would otherwise have been wasted.

Locally, Edmonton’s Food Bank gleans 4.8 million pounds of food waste annually, equivalent to 60—80% of its annual meals.

Leftovers Edmonton also diverts food waste for emergency relief, and in 2019 rescued enough food to provide 164,000 meals to charity.

The Role of Community Gardens

While fresh food provides more nutrition than packaged or processed food, only 40% of supplies distributed to food banks is fresh. As a result, community gardens have seen renewed interest.

The University of Alberta’s Campus Community Garden, located in the East Campus Village since 2003, promotes urban agriculture by teaching campus community members sustainable gardening practices. It also contributes to food security by providing a portion of its harvest to the Campus Food Bank.

The use of community gardens as a way to enable greater access to locally grown food and mitigating any potential disruptions to the global supply chain also saw increased interest as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold.

In response, the City of Edmonton launched the Pop-Up Community Gardens Pilot in the spring of 2020, adding 350 garden plots in 29 temporary garden sites, designed to give residents a chance to start gardening or expand on an existing one. The city provided the planter boxes and soil to each site while gardeners were responsible for plants, seeds, and tools. Sites were chosen based on the number of grocery stores and/or the number of multi-family buildings within the neighbourhood. These gardens have the potential to increase food education, strengthen gardening skills, and enable more consumption of nutritious fruits and vegetables.

While these pilot initiatives demonstrate positive outcomes like social connectedness, healthier eating habits, improved mental health, and increased physical activity, they are unlikely to significantly impact food insecurity rates in Canada.

Multicultural Responses to Food Insecurity

Food insecurity disproportionately impacts Indigenous, newcomer, and racialized populations in Canada. It’s important, therefore, that food security measures are responsive to their needs as they are more likely to experience social isolation due to food insecurity. Within Edmonton, a number of new initiatives aim to address these concerns.

Food hamper programs were set up by organizations such as the Somali Canadian Education and Rural Development Organization (SCERDO) and the African Diaspora COVID-19 Response. This response team was set up by the Africa Centre in collaboration with ten other groups within the African community providing food hampers to their members in order to gain better access to nutrition (which includes providing culturally relevant foods like injera and yucca powder). They also help members to navigate government support programs, provide psychosocial and emotional support, as well as career support for those facing job loss.

In addition, the C5: Collaborative for Change (Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society, Boyle Street Community Services, Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers, Norwood Child and Family Resource Centre and Terra Centre for Teen Parents) set up a food hamper program in response to the pandemic, delivering food to 550 families—2,000 individuals every two weeks.

These measures are in addition to the ongoing services that existed before the pandemic. For example, the Multicultural Health Brokers Co-op has a Grocery Run Program. This program is designed to address food security challenges among immigrant and refugee communities (particularly perinatal, pregnant, and post-partum women) as a result of barriers to transportation, language, or unfamiliarity with mainstream food products. The program has seen an increase from 100 to now 450 families accessing the program each week.

Food insecurity in Canada is primarily linked to income or financial insecurity.

Final Reflections

The reasons individuals and families experience food insecurity are complex, and include physical, economic, and social barriers. Within Canada, food insecurity is primarily linked to income or financial insecurity: unemployment, low-wage or precarious jobs, and social assistance rates that do not provide a livable income for recipients.

Measures to provide immediate food relief for emergency situations are important and valuable work, but long-term policies to address income insecurity must also be part of the solution to tackle food security both during and beyond, a global pandemic. These measures include a living wage, universal basic income, and protection from sudden changes or shocks to income sources.

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October 28, 2020