Edmonton Social Planning Council

Category: Social Issues: Poverty

  • A Profile of Poverty in Edmonton – May 2019 Update

    Poverty affects people from all walks of life — young, old, employed, unemployed, those who are new to Canada and those whose ancestors have lived here for hundreds of years. The structure of the economy traps people in bad situations and forces some into poverty by constraining choices and limiting options (Ghatak, 2015). Limited social housing, eroding benefits, and lack of access to stable, good-paying jobs, has created an economy that takes away many people’s choices and leads to poverty. People are increasingly forced into unstable jobs that don’t pay enough to satisfy needs, and some can’t find jobs at all. The cost of living has also gone up, which forces many people to focus on making ends meet and living day-to-day, rather than planning for the future or their children’s future. Because people in poverty lack the means to participate in their communities, they are often socially isolated (Mood & Jonsson, 2016; Stewart et al., 2009). The stress experienced from poverty can lead to negative impacts on mental and emotional health, the ability to make decisions, and even family and neighbourhood cohesion (Carvalho, Meier, & Wang, 2016).

    Edmontonians believe in helping and protecting one another, so we must work together to address poverty. For this reason, the Edmonton Social Planning Council has produced this Profile on Poverty — 2019 Update in partnership with EndPovertyEdmonton. EndPovertyEdmonton is a community initiative working towards prosperity for all through advancing reconciliation, the elimination of racism, livable incomes, affordable housing, accessible and affordable transit, affordable and quality child care, and access to mental health services and addiction supports (EndPovertyEdmonton, 2019). It uses a collaborative model, whereby governments, businesses, non-profits, and many other forms of organizations can come together to end poverty in Edmonton in a generation (30 years).

    We need to break the constraints of our current economy. Every Edmontonian deserves to have the freedom to pursue opportunities.

    It is our responsibility to ensure all people in our city have a decent standard of living.

    ESPC Documents/PUBLICATIONS/A.06.G REPORTS/Edmonton Poverty Profile 2019b.pdf

  • Living Wage – 2019

    A living wage is rooted in the belief that individuals and families should not just survive, but live in dignity, and participate in the community. The living wage is defined as the hourly wage that a primary income earner must make to provide for themselves, their families, and reach basic financial security. It allows for a higher standard of living than what is included in the Market Basket Measure, which is based on subsistence living. The living wage includes participation in recreation, extended health and dental plan, and a minor emergency contingency fund. However, it does not include items that would allow families to “get ahead”, such as putting away savings or paying down debt.

    This is the fifth year that the Edmonton Social Planning Council has calculated Edmonton’s living wage. It is based on the Canadian Living Wage Framework (2015) created by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). Living wages are calculated across Canada, with participating communities in Alberta; Calgary, Canmore, Grande Prairie, Medicine Hat, and Red Deer calculate a living wage with their community.

    A living wage is not the same as the minimum wage. The minimum wage is the wage mandated by the provincial government that employers must pay all workers. Currently, in Alberta, the minimum wage is $15.00 per hour and $13.00 per hour for workers under the age of 18. The minimum wage is typically lower than the living wage (Government of Canada, 2017).

    ESPC Documents/PUBLICATIONS/A.06.G REPORTS/Living wage 2019 – FINAL.pdf

  • City of Edmonton: Ride Transit Pilot (Program Evaluation 2018)

    Introduction

    Addressing poverty in a community requires examining public transportation. Accessible and affordable transit is identified by EndPovertyEdmonton as one of the six game changers for poverty elimination.

    The Ride Transit Program is intended to support Edmontonians with low income in accessing education, employment, and recreation opportunities. In 2018, the City of Edmonton entered into an agreement with AndersonDraper Consulting Inc., an independent evaluation company, to undertake an evaluation of the Ride Transit Program. The evaluation was overseen by a Steering Committee and managed internally by the Manager, Service Design, Business Performance and Customer Experience.

    Major Findings This evaluation provides insight to better understand the successes and challenges of the Ride Transit Pilot. As a result, more clarity exists as to who is using the program and how access can be improved and expanded.

    Evidence collected through this evaluation indicates the following outcomes are being achieved:

    • Increased access to public transportation
    • Increased access to employment opportunities
    • Improved participation in recreational opportunities
    • Reduced social isolation;

    J. TRANSPORTATION/City of Edmonton Ride Transit Evaluation.pdf

  • Alberta Child Poverty Report – 2018

    The annual Alberta Poverty Report is an annual report created by the Edmonton Social Planning Council, in partnership with Public Interest Alberta and the Alberta College of Social Workers. This report finds that Alberta remains to have the largest gap between the rich and the poor of all the provinces, with the richest 1% earning 46 times the poorest 10% of the provincial population, relative to other Canadian provinces. The purpose of this report is to inform the public and policy makers the effects of poverty, the current government’s attempts at reducing poverty, and to present the areas and programs in which they can improve on.

    Various challenges are still prevalent in Alberta despite the multiple solutions implemented by the Government of Alberta. As poverty costs Albertans about $7.1 to $9.5 billion per year, government programs that tackle the root causes of poverty can provide the necessary resources for the next generation to thrive as well as break the cycle of poverty.

    Some of the key findings in this report are as follows:

    • Over one in six Albertan children live in poverty. From 2006 to 2016, the number of children in Alberta living in poverty has grown 23.4%. Although the new Canada Child Benefit has resulted in a modest reduction of child poverty across the nation, Alberta did not have the same reduction between 2015 and 2016. 
    • Alberta is one of two provinces that does not have a provincial poverty reduction strategy, even though one was identified as a priority under the 2013 Social Policy Framework. A provincial strategy would promote real action to address poverty, including leveraging and coordinating investments, resources, government initiatives, and various communities and stakeholders.
    • Indigenous, racialized, and LGBTQ2S+ communities and women are disproportionately affected by poverty. 24.1% of Indigenous children live in poverty but the numbers may likely be higher as census data does not include children living on reserves. Moreover, 17% of visible minority children live in poverty. Similarly, LGBTQ2S+ youth are disproportionately overrepresented in the homeless population at 25%-40%.
    • Lone parent families experience higher rates of poverty compared to other family types. For instance, low-income lone parents with one child have an income that is about $13, 324 lower than the poverty line in 2016. Additional barriers faced by female-led families include unequal pay, working fewer working hours due to familial responsibilities, discrimination based on gender, race, and/or sexual orientation or identification.
    • Three-quarters of workers who benefit from the minimum wage increase are 20 years or older, with more than 40% falling within core working age of 25 to 54. A large majority of low wage earners are women, 37.2% have children, of which 12.2% are single earners.
    • Income support demand has increased by 65% since 2014. Consequently, Alberta’s income support rates are among the lowest in all of Canada. Even with a promising policy change through Bill 26, which would increase financial support for Albertans needing it, single adults receiving AISH will still be below the poverty line after the increase in 2019.
    • Despite the GoA’s efforts in ending homelessness, there are still 5,735 people experiencing homelessness, based on April 2018 Alberta point-in-time homeless count, 11% of which were under the age of 18.
    • In the two largest cities in Alberta, a significant cost is paid towards early childhood education, with the median monthly preschooler fees at $1,000 and $885, in Calgary and Edmonton, respectively.
    • Even with the Small Class Size Initiative, class sizes have not actually been reduced, which may negatively affect children’s school performance and encourage drop-out apathy from teachers. Similarly, there is a significant gap between the high school completion rate for First Nations, Metis, and Inuit students at 60.2% compared to the provincial rate of 83.4%
    • $1.2 billion of poverty costs in Alberta go towards health care. 4.5% of Albertans spend 3% or more of their income on out-of-pocket prescription drug expenses, but this is much higher for those in the lowest 25% of income earners, with 16.6% of Canadians spending more than 3% of their income on prescription drugs. In Alberta alone, about half of the population under the age of 25 are uninsured and likely a large proportion of them are ineligible for private coverage and forego public premiums.

    ESPC Documents/PUBLICATIONS/A.06.G REPORTS/Alberta Poverty Report 2018.pdf

  • CBC News – Living wage in Edmonton is going up but that isn’t good

    Radio Active with Adrienne Pan

    Interview with Sandra Ngo, Edmonton Social Planning Council.

    Click here to listen to the interview

     

  • Media Release: Edmonton Living Wage 2018 Update

    June 21, 2018

    For Immediate Release

    Edmonton Living Wage 2018 Update

    Contending with Costs

    For the first time in 2 years, the living wage for Edmonton has risen. For 2018, an income earner must make $16.48 per hour to support a family of four, an increase of $0.17 per hour from last year’s living wage. The living wage is intended to represent the wage required for a primary income earner to provide for themselves and their families, participate in their community, and have basic financial security. Ultimately, it is a call to the private and public sector to pay substantial wages that acknowledges the requirements to live with dignity and a decent quality of life.

    Total annual expenses for a family of four has gone up. Median rent for three bedroom housing has increased, in addition to costs of transportation, continuing parent education, and extended health/dental plans.

    The main question moving forward with the Edmonton living wage is whether or not indexation of benefits and government transfers will keep pace with rising costs of living. At the time of this publication, no details have been released about key government benefits such as the Canada Child Benefit and the Child Care Subsidy being indexed until 2020. Because of this, the ability of low and modest income families to maintain a decent standard of living is called into question.

    The Edmonton Social Planning Council will be working with stakeholders across community organizations and municipalities to establish an Alberta Living Wage Network. The Network has been granted preliminary funding and will encourage employers and policymakers to implement a living wage and best practices across industries. This is a positive development and will lend momentum to the living wage campaign.

    With its focus on providing high quality and timely research, the ESPC maintains a commitment to a living wage that is reflective of how people live and work while following best practices set out by our partners. This is the fourth consecutive year in which the Edmonton Social Planning Council has calculated a living wage for the capital region.

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    For more information contact: Sandra Ngo, Research Coordinator (780) 423-2031×354