The Latest

Who are the ‘1 in 10’ Experiencing Poverty in Edmonton?

A Profile of Poverty in Edmonton (2019) was produced through a partnership betweenEdmonton Social Planning Council and EndPovertyEdmonton. The report provides community, support agencies and government an important understanding of what poverty in our city looks like. It also draws attention to the socioeconomic factors that cause it.

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Are You Prepared for an Emergency?

We are often told to be prepared for an emergency by having 72 hours worth of supplies on hand. Equally important is getting to know and build relationships with your neighbours.

In fact, these relationships are essential during an emergency and in the days following an extreme weather event when emergency personnel are overwhelmed. During an emergency your first responder will likely not be a first responder; it is more likely that a neighbour will be the first person on the scene.

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From Band-Aids to Bridges: Transforming Approaches to Good Food

In August, we heard from one of our Cities Reducing Poverty members, Jill Umbach, Planning Network Coordinator of the Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force along with Laura Needham, Dietitian and Chair of the Food Security Action Group in Bruce Grey, about how they have successfully transformed approaches to promote food security in the area.

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Cities Reducing Poverty Policy Digest: September 2019

Welcome to the September 2019 edition of the Cities Reducing Poverty Policy Digest, which aims to provide you with timely poverty-related policy updates and resources from across Canada.

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The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty: What Can You Do?

Each year, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty falls on the 17^th of October. Declared by the United Nations in 1992, this date provides a shared moment each year – across the country and around the world – to:

1. Commemorate victims of poverty, violence and hunger
2. Reaffirm that poverty is a violation of human rights
3. Re-commit to coming together to ensure the right to live free from poverty is respected
4. Acknowledge the effort and struggle of people living in poverty
5. Celebrate the willingness of people living in poverty to fight poverty and contribute their expertise to ending it
6. Promote concrete activities around the eradication of poverty
7. Organize activities for the observance of October 17^th.

Source: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs - Poverty

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Hippocratic Oath for Community Workers

“First, do no harm.” This dictum is frequently but mistakenly associated with the Hippocratic Oath. Although it was disconcerting to learn that our physicians are not guided by this rule, I’m suggesting that it be adopted by community workers as the basis for our own code of conduct. We need to acknowledge the ways in which we often inadvertently harm the very communities we are trying to help and pledge to work in ways that contribute to their health. Here, then, is an outline of principles I would like to see included in a Hippocratic Oath for community workers whether they are social workers, recreation coordinators, clergy, community police, public health workers, planners, educators, service learning students, outreach staff, organizers or other community-based professionals.

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