Edmonton Social Planning Council

Category: **Digital Resources

  • Imagine Canada’s Sector Monitor

    David Larsby and Cathy Barr, Imagine Canada

    In late April 2010, Imagine Canada released Volume 1, Number 1 of a new publication: the Sector Monitor. They state in the introduction that the goal of this report is to “provide relevant and timely information on the issues facing the charitable and nonprofit sector.

    The report is based on feedback received in surveys from charities and nonprofits across Canada. Based on this information, Imagine Canada has created a baseline measurement for tracking trends identified across the sector. Some of the trends highlighted in this report include:

    • Almost half of Canada’s charities are having difficulty fulfilling their mission because of the economic downturn.
    • 22 percent of Canada’s charities admit that they are at risk of shutting down.
    • More than a quarter of leaders expect to have difficulty covering expenses within the next year.
    • Leaders of charities and nonprofits are optimistic that things will get better.

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  • Fact Sheet: Elder Abuse

    Seniors: Fact Sheets
    Tuesday, 08 June 2010
    Elder Abuse Fact Sheet
    June 2010

    The ESPC has produced this fact sheet in recognition of Elder Abuse Awareness Day (June 15th), and in conjunction with our Lunch & Learn session on the topic. The fact sheet includes:

    • a definition of elder abuse
    • categories of elder abuse
    • community resources, and
    • information on the prevalence and signs of elder abuse  

    Elder Abuse in Alberta Fact Sheet

  • Calm Before the Storm: The Great Recession’s Impact on Homelessness

    Title: Calm Before the Storm: The Great Recession’s Impact on Homelessness
    Author(s): Falvo, Nick
    Citation: Paper presentation, 44th Annual Conference of the Canadian Economics Association
    Subject: Social issues – economy|split|Housing – temporary, emergency, homelessness
    Publisher: Carleton University, School of Public Policy and Administration
    Place of Publication: Ottawa
    Date of Publication: 2010
    Abstract: Recessions are much more than a numerical change in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or another term for high unemployment. The full impact of a recession takes many years to completely unfold and a recession’s impact on households and communities is neither straightforward nor immediate. The homeless population of a given jurisdiction is one of the last groups to see a change after the onset of a recession, making homelessness the opposite of the proverbial canary in the mine shaft. To be sure, if a drop in GDP is one of the first changes brought about by a recession, an increase in the number of homeless persons is one of the last. Indeed, individuals resort to sleeping in a homeless shelter as an absolute last resort. There is therefore a lag effect during a recession a delay of several years between the onset of the recession and the increase in the homeless population.
    Language: English
    Material Type: Report

    D. HOUSING/2010 Falvo-CEA-26may2010.pdf

  • the fACTivist Spring 2010

    ESPC Documents/PUBLICATIONS/A.06.A NEWSLETTERS/2010 May Spring edition The Factivist_work wages and training.pdf

  • Mending Canada’s Frayed Social Safety Net: The Role of Municipal Government

    Municipalities Step in to Fill the Gaps: a review of Mending Canada’s Frayed Social Safety Net: The Role of Municipal Governments. Report from Federation of Canadian Municipalities, 2010.

    More and more people are falling through the cracks in Canada’s traditional social safety net. According to Basil Stewart, President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), there are “more people on long waiting lists for affordable housing; making do with welfare payments that don’t cover all of their basic needs; and struggling to get work, find childcare or afford recreation programs.” This has lead to an increased homelessness and more working poor families.

    The recent recession is to blame for this,combined with the federal and provincial retreat from social supports, which shift the social services burden to municipal governments. This is thoroughly discussed in a report released by the FCM further highlighting the limited municipal finances and resources to support the growing burden.

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  • Research Update March 2010

    ESPC Documents/PUBLICATIONS/A.06.C RESEARCH UPDATES/2010 March Research Update.pdf