Poverty Reduction & Alberta | Make Poverty History

Poverty In Canada

It’s time to make Alberta poverty-free. Alberta has no poverty-reduction plan.

Why does Alberta need a plan?

Despite being one of the wealthiest provinces in Canada, currently in Alberta:

77,595 children – one in ten – live in poverty in Canada’s wealthiest province.
Low income children in Alberta live in deeper poverty than children in other provinces.
A job is no longer a ticket out of poverty – 24,695 children living in poverty have one or both parents working full-time, full-year.
Aboriginal children are more than twice as likely to live in poverty
Recent immigrant and visible minority families experience higher unemployment rates placing them at greater risk of living in low income.
Alberta’s living costs, especially for housing, are amongst the highest in Canada, placing additional burden on low income children and their families.

Alberta has the resources to eliminate poverty, but what it requires is a plan. A growing number of people and organizations across the province are calling on the provincial, federal and municipal governments to work together with community organizations and others to develop a poverty elimination strategy for Alberta.

A report released by Public Interest Alberta and the Edmonton Social Planning Council entitled, We Must Do Better: It's Time to Make Alberta Poverty Free, reveals concerns about growing poverty in Alberta. But it also shows that with the implementation of a strong comprehensive plan that invests in proven solutions, we can reduce, prevent and ultimately eliminate poverty in Alberta.