The 2018 budget is titled A Recovery Built to Last and prioritizes economic and job diversification, protection of vital public services, and returning government spending to balance by the 2023-24 fiscal year. Real GDP for the province has grown 4.5% since 2017 and is expected increase another 2.7% for 2018-19. The yearly deficit is $8.8 billion, down from $10.3 billion in 2017. The Net Debt to GDP ratio is 8.7% for Alberta and remains the lowest in Canada across all provinces. Given the volatility of Albertaâs revenue due to the price of oil, a risk adjustment of $500 million is included for 2018-19 and increases to $700 million in 2019-20 and $1 billion in 2020-21.
Category: Social Issues: Child Care
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Tracking the Trends 2018
The Edmonton Social Planning Council (ESPC) today released the 2018 edition of its flagship publication Tracking the Trends. The 131-page publication provides a detailed analysis of social and economic trends in Edmonton. Information is provided about population demographics, education and employment, living costs & housing, income & wealth, poverty & government transfers, and key indicators of Edmonton’s social health.
“Timely, accurate information is critical to informed decision-making,” said Kolkman. “Tracking the Trends 2018 is a one-stop resource for identifying and analyzing a broad range of social and economic trends impacting those with low and modest incomes in our community,” he concluded.
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Keep Investing in Alberta’s Children: The Government’s Role in Ending Child and Family Poverty
Prepared in partnership with the Edmonton Social Planning Council, Public Interest Alberta, Alberta College of Social Workers.
While it is crucial for government programs to focus on poverty reduction among all vulnerable populations in the country, this report focuses specifically on child poverty. This is because when children experience poverty, they are more vulnerable to various disadvantages and barriers later in life in the areas of employment, education, health, home ownership, and others. If governments of all levels can address the root causes of poverty such as inadequate income, lack of affordable housing, violence, food insecurity, discrimination, and others, the cycle of poverty can be broken and all children in Canada could have access to the resources needed for them to thrive (Boros and Pettes, 2015). Children and teens living in poverty are also more vulnerable to experiencing poor academic achievement, dropping out of school, abuse, neglect, behavioural and emotional problems, physical health struggles, and developmental delays. These challenges are worsened by the barriers that families and children living in poverty experience when they try to access health services (American Psychological Association, 2017).
ESPC Documents/PUBLICATIONS/A.06.G REPORTS/POVERTY REPORT 20171122v5.pdf
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fACT Sheet—Early Childhood Development
A Lunch and Learn Companion Fact Sheet The Early Development Instrument measured the development of Albertan kindergartners over a period of five years. How are Albertan kids doing?From 2009–2013, the Government of Alberta ran a research study on early childhood development. They used the Early Development Instrument (EDI), a standardized method to measure the development of five-year-old-children. Kindergarten teachers filled out questionnaires about the development of each child in their classrooms in order to report on children’s social, emotional, physical, and intellectual development.
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2016 November fACT Sheet Early Childhood Development
A Lunch and Learn Companion Fact Sheet
The Early Development Instrument measured the development of Albertan kindergartners over a period of five years. How are Albertan kids doing?
From 2009–2013, the Government of Alberta ran a research study on early childhood development. They used the Early Development Instrument (EDI), a standardized method to measure the development of five-year-old-children. Kindergarten teachers filled out questionnaires about the development of each child in their classrooms in order to report on children’s social, emotional, physical, and intellectual development.