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UpdateQuarterly

JANUARY 2017

Calgarians take a stand to end poverty

On Oct. 25, 2016, hundreds of Calgarians came together, with the support of Mayor

Naheed Nenshi and many community agencies, in a bid to fight the serious and

growing issue of poverty in our city. The commitment is to reduce poverty by 50 per

cent by 2023.

Today, one in ten Calgarians live in poverty. That is a

community the size of Red Deer and the problem is

growing. In Calgary, one in five people are concerned

about not having enough money for food, and one in

three people are concerned about not having enough

money for housing.

“In our community, we understand the basic truth

that our neighbour’s success is our success,” said

Mayor Nenshi. “However, that also means our

neighbour’s failure is our failure. We all need to take

action to fight poverty now and this campaign helps

citizens discover what they can do to make a real and

positive difference.”

Enough for All is a campaign created to remove

the barriers and the stigma attached to poverty by

encouraging Calgarians to take action. Together,

concerned Calgarians have chosen a RED RING to

symbolize the commitment needed to end poverty in

Calgary. All Calgarians are encouraged to make this

commitment and take action. The public are invited

to visit EnoughForAll.ca for information and examples

of actions to take including wearing a red ring and

signing up to join the cause.

Thirty-thousand red rings have been distributed and

are available at various locations around Calgary

including all Calgary Co-op locations, First Calgary

Financial locations, and at all Calgary Public Librairies.

Nearly half of Albertans would struggle with financial

obligations if their paycheck was delayed by just

one week. Poverty isn’t something that happens to

‘other people’. It affects our friends, colleagues and

neighbors. It affects us all.

continued on page 2

“A collection of Calgarians, from all walks of life,

have said enough is enough. Great cities, those

that prosper and are world class, are cities where

everyone comes together and looks after their

neighbours,” said Franco Savoia, Executive Director,

Vibrant Communities Calgary.

At the Enough for All campaign kickoff, videos of

Calgarians with first-hand lived experience of poverty

were shared including one from Dr. Lucy Miller, CEO,

United Way of Calgary. “Poverty makes it hard to be

optimistic about the future. It impacts high school

completion rates, childhood development, accessing

and maintaining employment, and overall health and

well-being,” said Miller. “We believe there is Enough

for All and by harnessing the collective energy and

passion of Calgarians, we can reduce poverty in our

community.”

The campaign is driven by everyday Calgarians

who came together to fight poverty, and is part of

the Enough for All poverty reduction strategy. The

strategy is a collective effort, stewarded by Vibrant

Communities Calgary. Beginning early in 2015, the

City of Calgary, United Way of Calgary & Area,

Vibrant Communities Calgary and Momentum, came

together to address the root causes of poverty. The

public awareness campaign will run for approximately

two years and is financially supported by the United

Way, the Calgary Foundation and the City of Calgary.

For more information visit www.enoughforall.ca.

Calgarians take a stand to end poverty continued from page 1

Enough for All Quarterly Update: January 2017

“A collection of Calgarians,

from all walks of life, have said

enough is enough...”

– Franco Savoia, Executive

Director, Vibrant Communities Calgary.

Progress from government on poverty reduction – A 2016 year in reviewAlberta Child Benefit and the enhanced Alberta

Family Employment Tax Credit: July 2016 ushered

in the first round of benefits to low-income families

eligible to receive the new Alberta Child Benefit.

Under the new program, all families earning less than

$41,220 per year, including those receiving AISH

and Income Support, received a maximum annual

benefit of $1,100 for families with one child, and up to

$2,750 for families with four or more children. By the

end of Nov. 2016, over 200,000 children in 110,000

families had received the benefit. At the same time,

the enhanced Alberta Family Employment Tax Credit

was launched, supporting more working families with

children and providing greater benefits for many who

are already eligible.

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Inquiry:

In a joint announcement released on Sept. 8, 2016,

Alberta joined the National Inquiry into Missing and

Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The Minister

of Indigenous Relations and Minister of Status of

Women, established “…the authority to examine

areas of provincial jurisdiction, such as child welfare,

education and the justice system – to understand and

address the causes leading to missing and murdered

Indigenous women and girls.” This is explicitly

included in the Calls to Action of the Truth and

Reconciliation Commission.

Future Ready: Future Ready is a Government of

Alberta initiative focused on ensuring that “every

Albertan has the skills they need to succeed in a

changing economy” across a range of ages and

stages, from pre-school to adult learning.  It was

under the Future Ready banner that the Alberta

Government announced their program to provide

$500,000 grants to 18 non-profit child care centres

across the province to pilot the delivery of quality

child care at $25/day.  From a poverty reduction

perspective, affordable, accessible, quality child

care is one of the most powerful strategies the

government could support. Other Future Ready

programs include the school nutrition pilot program,

adult learning program, and the Indigenous Student

Awards.  It is encouraging to see the comprehensive

approach with which these programs were developed

and it will be exciting to see further progress made in

2017 and beyond.

Minimum Wage: The NDP proceeded with their

contentious campaign promise to continue the

increases to minimum wage this year, with the

now-legislated commitment to see it rise to $15/

hour by 2018.  In addition to the increase on Oct. 1,

2016, the tiered minimum wage was also phased out,

eliminating the lower rate for individuals who work in

establishments that serve alcohol.  Though increasing

the minimum wage can benefit some low-income

Calgarians, it’s only one policy in a suite of solutions

required to sustain meaningful poverty reduction. 

Increasing the minimum wage has no impact on

those who are unemployed or who face permanent

barriers to employment, and it is crucial to consider

the after-tax implications, not just the wage rate, of

minimum-wage earners. 

Fair Entry Sliding Scale:  Discounts will be

significantly increased for low-income transit users

thanks in part to a $13.5 million surge in funding

from the province to increase access to public

transit. Starting in March 2017, a new sliding scale

fee framework will be implemented, resulting in a

monthly transit passes costing $5.15 for Calgarians

whose income is below 50% of the Low-Income Cut

Off (LICO) or $12,300 per year. Research indicates

that people at these income levels would walk or

drive unsafe vehicles because these alternatives are

cheaper than the current transit fare. Congratulations

to the tireless advocacy efforts of Fair Fares and Fair

Calgary Community Voices to make this a reality.

Enough for All Quarterly Update: January 2017

Vibrant Communities Calgary looks ahead to 2017!

Vibrant Communities Calgary (VCC) is committed to guiding the successful

implementation of Enough for All (E4A), Calgary’s poverty reduction strategy. Using the

collective impact approach, VCC provides backbone support to stakeholder groups and

organizations who are committed towards achieving the outcomes of E4A. In its role as a

backbone organization, VCC guides the vision and strategy of our community’s collective

efforts to reduce poverty. VCC also works to build public will, advance policy, support

aligned activities, assist in the establishment of shared measurement practices, and

mobilize funding.

The 2013 – 2023 E4A Strategy provides a general

framework for the work of all community members,

non-profit organizations, services providers,

businesses and faith groups. The more specific 2015

– 2018 Implementation Plan provides a bi-annual

guide on where their efforts should be focused.

VCC also has an annual work plan that is the tactical

guide for all employees, contractors and volunteers.

It helps to identify targets and commits VCC to

supporting the right initiatives that will advance

poverty reduction in the community every year;

while keeping in mind the mid-term focus areas and

the long term strategic goals.

In the short term, there are many initiatives that will

be continued in 2017 and beyond. VCC staff and the

Indigenous Advisory Committee will extend the work

that was done in 2016 through Sharing Circles to

strengthen the understanding that Calgarians have of

key aspects of Indigenous culture.

This year, VCC’s own Business Leader Forum group

will continue to foster the adoption of inclusive

business practices in Calgary to increase the number

of persons making a wage that can help to raise

them out of poverty. This work will also dovetail with

renewed advocacy efforts related to the living wage.

The Enough for All Public Awareness Campaign,

supported in Fall 2016 by more than 40 front line

agencies and many private sector partners, will

enter phase two in 2017. The second phase of the

campaign will be aimed squarely at increasing the

understanding of Calgarians about poverty and

helping to mobilize public will around creating

positive change.

Through a consultative process, the Implementation

Plan will be reviewed this year to update this bi-

annual road map. The new plan will incorporate the

many learnings accumulated since the start of VCC’s

stewardship in 2015 and will build on the collective

wisdom around how all our many community

partners can work together more effectively.

The VCC work plan also will continue to sustain

support for persons with lived experience in

poverty to participate in advocacy efforts and

increase their meaningful involvement in E4A

efforts as peers, participants, advisors, influencers

and decision makers.

Lastly, 2017 is a Municipal Election year in Calgary!

VCC and our community partners will work tirelessly

to ensure that poverty reduction is an election

campaign topic. This will be done by fostering the

discussion of current and new approaches to support

the people in our city who are dealing with scarcity

and lack of opportunity.

We look forward to joining our efforts with yours.

Enough for All Quarterly Update: January 2017

Knowing how to manage money helps to reduce poverty

November was financial literacy month in Canada. An interesting initiative that was

part of the month’s events came from two Calgary philanthropists who launched

the Unexpected Expense campaign. There was province-wide participation in the

campaign throughout November that lead to an open and honest discussion about

debt and savings. Individuals shared their stories and each day, one story was

chosen and the author was awarded $500.

The campaign demonstrated peoples’ willingness to

share their stories about their financial challenges.

People posted honest stories about addiction,

abuse and personal stress but the campaign team

also received some humorous stories -- bed bugs,

forgetting to cancel automatic renewals and damage

caused by tree roots etc. There were helpful lessons

learned and shared including information about the

impacts of overdrafts, student loans and payday

loans. The topic of unexpected expenses definitely

resonated. During November, 30 Albertans received

$500 into their bank accounts and the thanks

extended was both genuine and touching. 

Ending poverty is a complex problem. However, one

of the ways to help achieve the Enough for All goal of

a 50% reduction of Calgarians living in poverty is to

focus on improving the financial literacy of citizens.

Financial literacy is the ability to understand how money

works in the world: how someone manages to earn or

make it, how that person manages it, how he/she invests

it and how that person donates it to help others.

This understanding of how money works is a key

poverty prevention strategy. A deepened awareness

of credit, building assets and living within one’s

means can prevent people from falling into poverty.

However, the dilemma is that financial literacy is

for the most part no longer taught in our schools.

The ease of accessing credit encourages all of us to

extend our financial vulnerability beyond a reasonable

level and places many at risk of falling into poverty.

Statistics Canada indicates the ratio of household

credit market debt to adjusted disposable income

crept up to 166.9 per cent in the third quarter of 2016,

up from 166.4 per cent in the second quarter. This

means, on average, Canadians owed $1.67 in credit

market debt, mortgages, other loans and consumer

credit for every dollar of their disposable income.

The Enough for All Financial Empowerment

Collaborative understands the importance of

financial literacy in helping to reverse this trend.

Other organizations like Bow Valley College,

the Chartered Professional Accountants

(CPA) - Alberta region and the Canadian

Banking Association have developed

financial literacy training modules and financial

literacy programs to help Calgarians. Some

companies are now also beginning to

offer financial literacy courses

to their employees.

However this is a modest beginning

and we need more Calgarians who

can realize the benefit that comes

from learning more about financial

literacy. As this happens more people

will be able to keep themselves

from falling into poverty through

improved awareness.

Let’s make financial literacy a focus

in Calgary in 2017 and beyond in

both our homes and

our workplaces.

Enough for All Quarterly Update: January 2017

In 2013, an Indigenous Advisory Committee (IAC)

was formed to assist in developing the Indigenous

Strategy within the Calgary Poverty Reduction

Initiative. In 2014, a First Nations transfer ceremony

was conducted by Elder Leonard Bastien so that the

strategy would flourish under the guidance of the IAC

and later he gave blessings to the new administrator

- Vibrant Communities Calgary (VCC). The Enough

for All (E4A) administration and leadership was

transferred from the City of Calgary to VCC in

January of 2015.

Also in 2015, an Indigenous Advisory Committee

member was appointed to the VCC Board, Barb

Barclay (Native Counselling Services of Alberta). One

of the primary functions of the Indigenous Advisory

Committee initially was to have the Indigenous

strategy adopted by the VCC Board so that the

committee could support the implementation of the

Indigenous Strategy with the support of VCC staff.

Today, IAC and Poverty Talks are two groups which

act in an advisory role to the Board of Directors at

VCC. The IAC is comprised of committed individuals

who work within organizations striving towards

successful poverty reduction within the Indigenous

communities of Calgary and surrounding reserves.

The committee contributes to reaching the goal

that “All Aboriginal People are equal participants in

Calgary’s prosperous future.”

The Co-chairs of the IAC are Evelyn Goodstriker, a

member of the Kainai Nation, and Jay Gerritsen. The

committee meets on a monthly basis where they work

Enough for All Quarterly Update: January 2017

The Indigenous Advisory Committee supports the Enough for All strategy

“All Aboriginal People

are equal participants in

Calgary’s prosperous future.”

to address important issues facing Indigenous people

in Calgary (including issues of discrimination and

stereotypes). The committee also plans future events and

provides input to the Indigenous strategic plan at VCC.

The IAC continues to be comprised of other original

members including Tim Fox of the Boys & Girls Club

of Calgary and Joanne Pinnow of the United Way of

Calgary. Other partner organizations actively involved

include representatives from the City of Calgary, Hull

Services, Bow Valley College, ASCHH (Aboriginal

Standing Committee on Housing and Homelessness),

as well as other dedicated community members. The

full list of partners can be found on the enoughforall.

ca website under the Indigenous strategy.

Recently the committee was visited by the original

author of the Indigenous strategy, Genevieve Fox, a

member of the Kainai Nation (her spouse is Roy Fox,

current Chief of Kainai). She gave the committee

important words of wisdom by reminding us to learn

about the doctrine of discovery and understand

what drives people to move between reserves and

cities. She also highlighted the lack of employment

opportunities, difficulty of finding places to rent and

the challenges that are present for Indigenous people

in the educational system.

Luckily, the IAC has several Elders to consult with and to

seek out advice on how to continue the work within the

Indigenous community in Calgary. The IAC has exciting

events planned for 2017. In 2016, the group successfully

wrapped up the Elder Teachings, Oomkitapiiks

Aisksinimatstohkiya in Blackfoot, events which were

successfully held with many partner agencies. These

include St. Mary’s University, the Calgary Public

Library, the City of Calgary and many other partner

organizations from the Enough For All strategy.

Please sign up for the VCC newsletter or contact us if

you have any further questions at enoughforall.ca.

Enough for All Quarterly Update: January 2017

Blanket Poem by Erin Davenport

Notes from the author:

I wanted to show with my poem that

in times of adversity there is still hope.

Sometimes it can take a while to find

and at times it takes having to look at

things from a different perspective.

When we have hope, not just in ourselves,

but for everyone around us anything is

possible. That’s one of the reasons the

Enough Project, a Poverty Talks initiative

to mark United Nations International Day

to Eradicate Poverty, is so special. Everyone

involved with this project had hope and

were inspired in their own way to get our

message out to as many people as possible.

I think this idea came across in all of the

poems and performances.

In my poem, I wanted to inspire people to

get involved in whatever way they can. I also

wanted to inspire other people to get

involved in whatever way they can. It may

seem sometimes like it’s not enough, but

even a little can go a long way toward

helping others.

We are all in this together.

– Erin Davenport,

Erin Davenport is the author of Blanket Poem and a

member of Poverty Talks. Erin was a participant at the

Enough! Spoken Word event held in 2016 where she

shared her Blanket Poem. Video of the event can be

found at https://vimeo.com/188106601.

Blanket Poem By Erin DavenportEnough… what does this mean to me Well it means both… It means scarcity in the bank account, but abundance in heart account.

It means no trips to Ireland or Mexico, but it does mean camping in the

beautiful mountains of Canmore, exploring rivers, lakes, and trails.

Hunting wild berries and drinking fresh water from a mountain stream…

The smell of hub oil, like rotten eggs everyday, but the sound of frogs

chatting at night before sweet dreams carry me away…It means not buying expensive gifts filling your house with things you don’t want,

but it does mean I make a warm cozy blanket for you to curl up with on a cold

winter’s night made with love just for you…The sight of my garden, growing my own food shared with friends in the

neighbourhood. Dishes from all walks of life, ending a hunger no one knows

when will strike…

But we can’t do it alone. We all need help sometimes. Someone that can

show us a path that has yet to be traveled. Connecting with people that

become close to us. There is no better feeling. A dear friend that helps send

you on a dream long since forgotten…I sincerely hope this will inspire us to give a little more, so we can make

many precious blankets…That way there is enough for us all.

400 – 119 14 Street NW Calgary, AB T2N 1Z6 enoughforall.ca

Enough for All needs all of us, from

every sector, working together to

succeed! Are you or your organization

interested in getting involved? Find out more

at enoughforall.ca or reach out by contacting

info@vibrantcalgary.com