Achieving the PromiseEnding Poverty in Alberta

Published by: Edmonton Social Planning Council

Public Interest AlbertaAlberta College of Social Workers

November 2012

Assessing Child and Family Poverty• 91,000 Alberta children under 18 years living below the low income

measure (after-tax) in 2010. One in nine Alberta children lived in poverty. With the slow economic recovery, this represents a 12% decrease from 2009.

• The % of young children under 6 years living in low income is higher than the under 18 child poverty rate. 48,200 young children (one in six) are living in low income families in 2010.

• Children under 18 years are almost four times as likely to live in female lone-parent families as in two-parent families.

• Over half (52%) of Alberta low income children under 18 are living in families where at least one parent works full-time for the entire year.

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

Alberta Low Income Rate, Low Income Measure After Tax (LIM AT), Children Under 18 Years Old and Children Under 6 Years

Under 18 Yrs Under 6 Yrs

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Poverty Rate by Family Type, Alberta, (LIM AT) (Persons Under 18 Years)

Female Lone Parents 2 Parent Families

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

55%

60%

Percentage of Albertan children in poor families where one or more parents has a full time, full-year job (LIM-AT)

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

$0

$50,000

$100,000

$150,000

$200,000

$250,000

$300,000

$350,000

Poorest 10%2nd Poorest 10%

Average

2nd Richest 10%

Richest 10%

Annual Total Average Income of Families with Children, by Income Group, Alberta (Constant 2010$)

Albertans Earning $15 per hour or less, by Age GroupApril 2011 to March 2012

15-19 yrs22%

20-24 yrs20%

25-44 yrs35%

45+ yrs23%

Women65%

Men35%

Percentage of Albertans 25 Years and Older Earning Less than $15 per Hour (April 2011 to March 2012)

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 20120%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

16%

Unemployment Rates of Alberta Population, Youth and Aboriginal People

Overall Population Youth

Aboriginal People

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

0.5%

1.0%

1.5%

2.0%

2.5%

3.0%

Employment Insurance Beneficiaries, Alberta

Number of Albertans

Percentage of Employed Albertans

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 20,000

22,000

24,000

26,000

28,000

30,000

32,000

34,000

36,000

38,000

40,000

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2

2.2

Income Support (Alberta Works) Caseloads, Alberta

Caseloads % of Albertans

PercentageN

umbe

r

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Percentage of Children Lifted out of Poverty by Government Transfers, Alberta

Solutions- Build on What’s Working• Enhance federal child tax benefits • Introduce parallel Alberta Child Benefit• Reward work (increase minimum wage and employment

tax credits , implement living wage) • Support place-based initiatives• Increase and index income supports for those who can’t

work• Strengthen public services (child care, education, health

care, public pensions)• Deliver on 10 Year Homeless Plans• Use Homeless Plans as a model for a comprehensive

poverty reduction strategy