Edmonton Social Planning Council

Category: Social Issues: Income

  • fACT Sheet — 2021 Alberta Provincial Budget

    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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  • Op-Ed: Hero-pay raises are the least we can do for frontline workers

    Op-Ed: Hero-pay raises are the least we can do for frontline workers

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    Note: this op-ed originally ran in the Edmonton Journal on December 9, 2020.

    Written by Sydney Sheloff and Brett Lambert

    When the COVID-19 pandemic caused lockdowns for much of Canada’s economy back in March, an interesting thing happened. The contributions of those working minimum wage or low-income jobs – whether they were grocery store cashiers, delivery drivers, warehouse workers fulfilling online shopping orders, aides in long-term care facilities, among others – were now considered essential. It became immediately clear that their work needed to continue in order to make sure food and other goods were readily available to the public. The only problem? Their essential work did not provide them with a living wage that allowed them to sufficiently provide for themselves, their families, and reach basic financial security.

    In order to address this disparity and to make sure these workers still showed up in the face of tremendous risk, workers at major grocery chains such as Loblaws, Save-on-Foods, and Safeway were given a temporary pay raise – usually $2 per hour – in acknowledgment of their hard work.

    This increase – often called “hero pay” – was a boon for these workers. Many reported feeling greater financial security, being able to afford their bills without having to choose which ones to pay, and worker morale improved with a sense they were more appreciated by their employer. However, by the summer time, the grocery chains phased out their bonus pay as the economy started to re-open and active cases of COVID-19 were declining.

    Now that Canada and much of the world is experiencing a brutal second wave of infections that has surpassed the worst of the first wave, it is time for hero pay to be brought back to the table.

    The Edmonton Social Planning Council’s latest edition of Tracking the Trends keeps track of short-term and long-term trends in Edmonton’s social well-being. The evidence is clear that normalizing a living wage for essential services is long overdue, especially during a public health emergency like this.

    An average of 117,300 employed persons were earning less than the living wage in the Edmonton area, which we have calculated to be $16.51 per hour as of 2019. Almost two-thirds of these workers are women. The cost of living in Edmonton continues to increase steadily over time with inflation increasing by 17.8% and food costs rising at double the rate of inflation over the last 20 years. With the pandemic requiring everyone to isolate, many are turning to food delivery services to remain safe and as a result, they are burdened with additional fees for delivery. These trends suggest these living costs will not be improving anytime soon.

    Keeping wages stagnant does not serve those who are literally risking their lives to make sure food is stocked on store shelves. The added stress of dealing with the uncertainty of customers complying with public health measures – such as wearing a mask – makes their work environment that much more stressful.

    To their credit, the grocery chain Sobeys has wisely decided to reinstate this bonus pay to their workers in parts of Manitoba and Ontario where lockdown measures are in place. This indicates they understand the pressures these workers are under. We would strongly encourage other grocery stores – big and small – to show that they value their workers’ contributions by bringing back their own hero pay nationwide, including Edmonton where new emergency measures are in place. Once the pandemic subsides and a vaccine is readily available, this bonus pay should be made a permanent part of their workplace policies as everybody should be able to make a livable income.

    After all, do we want these workers to continue to make difficult decisions on whether to pay their heating bill or forgo other expenses? If we are sincere in lauding their work as heroic, these pay raises are the bare minimum we can extend to them.

    Sydney Sheloff is Research Officer for the Edmonton Social Planning Council.

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

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  • fACT Sheet — Basic Income: Can it Happen Here?

    fACT Sheet — Basic Income: Can it Happen Here?

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    Introduction

    The COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing economic downturn took hold in Canada starting in March 2020, exacerbated inefficiencies in Canada’s social safety net. The federal government, to its credit, worked quickly to deliver emergency relief to millions of Canadians who found themselves suddenly jobless or furloughed. Nevertheless, this moment inspired renewed conversations on the need for a basic income as a measure to insure financial security and stability for Canadians so that sudden shocks to the economy (such as global oil price stability) can be better weathered.

    This fACT Sheet will provide an overview of basic income—highlighting examples of where it has been tried, outlining its potential benefits, and identifying areas of concern that should be taken into account when designing a program of this nature.

    What is a Basic Income?

    At its core, basic income refers to a government program that provides a certain sum of money to a country’s (or a certain geographic region’s) citizens with no strings attached. The funds are intended to provide a guaranteed income so that people are able to afford the basic needs to help them thrive (e.g. food, clothing, shelter, medicine, transportation, and community participation).

    A number of terms have been used to describe the concept, which include universal basic income, guaranteed annual income, guaranteed livable income, minimum income, and negative income tax, among others. While they all describe more or less the same concept, there are variations in how a basic income could be rolled out, depending on how the program is designed.

    In one scenario, a basic income could reach every citizen regardless of income, who would be given an equal amount of money—rich, poor, or in between (tax claw backs may apply). Other variations of the program would give those with the lowest incomes the maximum amount of money which would be gradually reduced as a person’s income level rises. Alternately, a basic income could be targeted exclusively to those living below the poverty line. Frequency of payments are typically calculated monthly or annually, depending on the program’s design.

    Where in the World Has it Been Tried?

    Basic income has been tried as a pilot program for a limited duration in various countries around the world. These experimental trials have attempted to gather data on the impact of a basic income to help inform how it could be implemented on a wider scale—assuming the results are in line with the program’s intended policy goal. Most have been conducted by governments, while a few have been administered by non-profits or private enterprises.

    Notable examples of trial locations—be it historically, currently, or with aspirations to implement it in the near future—include the following:

    Canada

    The biggest basic income experiment conducted in Canada was in Dauphin, Manitoba called “Mincome.” It ran from 1974 to 1979 with the aim to address rural poverty. About one-third of the town’s residents received a guaranteed annual income equivalent to $16,000 (figure adjusted for inflation). The experiment was abandoned when the federal and provincial government felt supporting the trial was no longer viable.

    In 2017, Ontario revived the idea and ran a basic income pilot project in three cities: Hamilton, Lindsay, and Thunder Bay. It was meant to help 4,000 people in low-income and continue for three years. However, a change in government resulted in the cancellation of the project after only one year due to concerns that it would disincentive participants from working.

    Proposals for a possible basic income program are currently being explored in Newfoundland & Labrador, Nunavut, and Prince Edward Island.

    United States

    There has been steady interest and experiments in basic income trials conducted across the U.S.—past and present.

    Notably, there are two locations with a permanent basic income program. Since 1982, Alaska has provided an annual dividend to each citizen under the Alaska Permanent Fund, which is financed by oil revenues. The amount given fluctuates depending on the price of oil, but is usually between $1,000 to $2,000 USD. In North Carolina, members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians receive a portion of the revenue from their Casino Dividend with an average of $4,000 to $6,000 USD per person each year since 1997.

    Historically, there were experiments with negative income tax programs (which provides a cash grant to those below a certain income level) to about 7,500 people across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Iowa, North Carolina, Seattle, Denver, and Gary, Indiana between 1968 and 1974.

    Currently, Stockton, California is nearing the end of an 18-month trial (finishing in January 2021), which has given $500 USD per month to 125 people. This model is being replicated through a coalition group, Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, comprising leaders from 25 cities that are advocating for a basic income and building support to implement pilot programs of their own.

    Variations of the basic income concept are also being implemented for specific segments of the population, including a basic income program for artists out of work during COVID-19 in San Francisco and Long Beach, California as well as youth aging out of the foster care system in Santa Clara County, California.

    Brazil

    In 2020, 52,000 people in the city of Maricá have received 130 reais ($31 CAD) per month under the Renda Basica de Cidadania (Citizens’ Basic Income) program, which is expected to lift many above the poverty line. There is no end date.

    Finland

    In 2017, the Finnish government began a basic income trial directed at 2,000 unemployed citizens, chosen at random, which provided them with 560 euros ($865 CAD) per month for two years. They were assured continued income support even if they got a job.

    Germany

    In August 2020, Germany started a new basic income experiment with funding collected by the non-profit Mein Grundeinkommen from private donors. The experiment will give 120 people 1,200 euros ($1,855 CAD) per month for three years. Participants will fill out questionnaires to indicate how the benefit has affected their emotional well-being, home life, and work life. These responses will be compared to a control group who will not be receiving income support.

    Spain

    In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Spanish government launched a basic income program in June 2020 offering payments of up to 1,015 euros ($1570 CAD) to the poorest families in the country, about 850,000 households. The aim is to continue the initiative indefinitely.

    What are the Benefits of a Basic Income?

    The challenge with measuring the impacts of a basic income is having enough data to quantify impact on the standard of living and quality of life for participants. Since the vast majority of basic income programs have been pilot projects targeted towards a limited sample size for a short period of time, it is difficult to know what the long-term impacts would be.

    Nevertheless, some of the findings from these programs suggest a strong potential for a basic income program to be an integral part of a robust social safety net. Participants have reported improvements in mental and physical health, food security, educational outcomes, employment prospects, housing security, fewer addictions, and an overall increased level of happiness and less stress. Basic income has also given individuals and families the ability to volunteer and get more involved in their community or provide care to a family member. These pilot projects have shown the potential to enable more entrepreneurship, with recipients more comfortable taking risks and start a business or take on other projects.

    Considerations for Implementing a Program

    In addition to being a malignant and persistent problem in our society, poverty is also quite costly. In Alberta alone, poverty costs between $7.1 to $9.5 billion per year for issues tied to health, justice, and social services.

    Investing in programs that benefit the lives individuals and families in low-income can ease the burden on these services. For instance, investing $1 in the first few years can save up to $9 in later costs to the health and criminal justice systems. This kind of return supports the case for a basic income program in Canada—though costly to implement in the beginning, governments would see long-term savings.

    According to the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy, a basic income program in Alberta would cost around $5.3 billion to implement, while a combined federal-provincial program would cost approximately $6.1 billion.

    Final Reflections

    In principle, a basic income program has a lot of potential as a tool for poverty reduction and to build a stronger and more inclusive economy. However, the design of the program and its integration with existing government programs (whether it would replace any existing social programs?) is a pivotal and ongoing conversation. Any implementation and revision to policy must consider the best available evidence from pilot projects – past, present, and future – as they become more established worldwide.

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    • Tracking the Trends 2020

      Tracking the Trends 2020

      [et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.7.0″ custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false”][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_4,1_4″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”1″ _builder_version=”4.7.3″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” custom_margin=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding=”3px||5px|||” border_width_bottom=”1px” border_color_bottom=”#a6c942″][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.7.0″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_post_title meta=”off” featured_image=”off” _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _module_preset=”default” title_font=”||||||||” custom_margin=”||3px|||” border_color_bottom=”#a6c942″][/et_pb_post_title][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.7.0″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_image src=”https://edmontonsocialplanning.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/COLOUR-BLOCKS_spaced-300×51.png” title_text=”COLOUR BLOCKS_spaced” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default” max_width=”100%” module_alignment=”center” max_height=”50px” custom_margin=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” custom_padding=”10px|0px|10px|0px|false|false”][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_4,1_4″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”1″ make_equal=”on” _builder_version=”4.7.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”100%” custom_margin=”0px|auto|0px|auto|false|false” custom_padding=”37px|0px|44px|0px|false|false”][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.5.6″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _dynamic_attributes=”content” _module_preset=”default” text_font=”||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ custom_padding=”||32px|||”]@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9kYXRlIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiIiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiIiLCJkYXRlX2Zvcm1hdCI6ImRlZmF1bHQiLCJjdXN0b21fZGF0ZV9mb3JtYXQiOiIifX0=@[/et_pb_text][et_pb_button button_url=”https://edmontonsocialplanning.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Tracking-the-Trends-2020-FINAL-Version.pdf” button_text=”Download Tracking the Trends 2020″ _builder_version=”4.8.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_button=”on” button_text_color=”#ffffff” button_bg_color=”#008ac1″][/et_pb_button][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.8.0″ text_line_height=”1.6em” header_2_font=”Quicksand|600|||||||” header_2_text_color=”#008ac1″ header_2_font_size=”22px” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”95%” module_alignment=”left” custom_margin=”44px|0px|2px|-96px|false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ locked=”off” sticky_enabled=”0″]

      Tracking the Trends provides a comprehensive overview of Edmonton’s social well-being.

      The Edmonton Social Planning Council (ESPC) is pleased to present this 15th edition of Tracking the Trends. Thirty one years after the release of the first edition in 1989, we remain committed to regularly updating this valuable compendium of social and economic data critical to sound decision-making. We hope decision-makers, social policy planners, researchers, and the general public will find this publication useful in broadening their understanding of social trends in the Edmonton region.

      The publication of this edition was postponed by several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused disruptions to work as ESPC adapted to working from home, as well as delays in data releases. Unfortunately, data on COVID-19 could not be captured in this report, but the effects of the pandemic on Edmontonians will be seen in future Tracking the Trends.

      Download the full Tracking the Trends report here (PDF)

      Note: since the release of this report, we identified the following errata. The PDF version has now been updated as of January 15, 2021.

      Table C4: Total Apartment Vacancy Rate, October Average, Edmonton CMA, added in missing value for the year 2006

      Table D11: Employed Persons Earning Low Wages by Gender, July 2017 to June 2018, Edmonton CMA. The “total” for wage “$13.60” was incorrectly listed as 54800, this was corrected to 54.8

      Table F4: Maximum monthly AISH benefit payments, added in missing values for the years 2000-2002 and 2004

      Figure F4 was updated as well to reflect the added in values

      Table F5: Number of individuals receiving Employment Insurance, added in missing the value for the year 2008

      Table G8: Lone-Parent to Couple Family Proportion, Edmonton CMA, added in the missing value for the year 2009

      Table G9: Property and Violent Crime Rates, Crime Severity Index, Edmonton City. An older version of the table was inserted by accident, it was replaced with an up-to date version.

      [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.7.4″ custom_padding=”0px|20px|0px|20px|false|false” border_color_left=”#a6c942″ custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_testimonial author=”Posted by:” job_title=”@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9hdXRob3IiLCJzZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJiZWZvcmUiOiIiLCJhZnRlciI6IiIsIm5hbWVfZm9ybWF0IjoiZGlzcGxheV9uYW1lIiwibGluayI6Im9uIiwibGlua19kZXN0aW5hdGlvbiI6ImF1dGhvcl93ZWJzaXRlIn19@” portrait_url=”@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9hdXRob3JfcHJvZmlsZV9waWN0dXJlIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnt9fQ==@” quote_icon=”off” disabled_on=”on|off|off” _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _dynamic_attributes=”job_title,portrait_url” _module_preset=”default” body_text_color=”#000000″ author_font=”||||||||” author_text_align=”center” author_text_color=”#008ac1″ position_font=”||||||||” position_text_color=”#000000″ company_text_color=”#000000″ background_color=”#ffffff” text_orientation=”center” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”0px|0px|4px|0px|false|false” custom_padding=”32px|0px|0px|0px|false|false”][/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_text disabled_on=”on|off|off” _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _dynamic_attributes=”content” _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#000000″ header_text_align=”left” header_text_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0.65)” header_font_size=”20px” text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”||50px|||” custom_padding=”48px|||||”]@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9jYXRlZ29yaWVzIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiUmVsYXRlZCBjYXRlZ29yaWVzOiAgIiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiIiLCJsaW5rX3RvX3Rlcm1fcGFnZSI6Im9uIiwic2VwYXJhdG9yIjoiIHwgIiwiY2F0ZWdvcnlfdHlwZSI6ImNhdGVnb3J5In19@[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

    • Vital Topic: Financial Reality of Millennials in Edmonton

      Vital Topic: Financial Reality of Millennials in Edmonton

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      » Download the new Vital Topic: Financial Reality of Millennials in Edmonton

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

      In this edition, we take a look at the financial realities for millennials in Edmonton. This includes recent data on student debt loads, income levels, workforce characteristics, housing, child care, spending habits, as well as the rise of the “gig economy” (i.e. part-time or contract jobs needed to make ends meet) making up a sizable portion of millennials in the workforce.

       

       

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    • 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