The Latest

Evaluating Poverty Reduction: Hearing the Music Not the Noise

From a poverty reduction perspective, we are inundated by the sound of many voices: our clients, our funders and donors, our colleagues, governments at all levels, business leaders and their labour counterparts, and on it goes. That’s what this article is about: lessening the noise that envelopes us and increasing our capacity to make music together when it comes to identifying, acting on, and evaluating poverty reduction efforts.

Read More

Creative Resource Development: Best Practice Recommendations for Local Initiatives

Creative Resource Development: Best Practice Recommendations for Local Initiatives, as presented by Shakira Miracle, Coordinator at Vibrant Abbotsford, during VC Canada's City Convenor Call, September 7, 2016. Learn more about the Vibrant Abbotsford poverty reduction collaboration and their projects by visiting: http://vibrantabbotsford.ca.

1. Assess your team (stakeholders): resources are often right outside of your doorstep, but you need to allow yourself the space to step back to assess the field before you dive-in. One of the common challenges of our work is finding undesignated funds. Think outside the box about who your stakeholders are and what they want. For example: Read More

The Canadian Poverty Institute: Healing Poverty in Canada

In 2014, Calgary's Ambrose University embarked on a bold vision: to develop a national academic institute dedicated to the eradication of poverty in Canada. This was the genesis of the Canadian Poverty Institute (CPI) whose mission is “to contribute to the healing of poverty through teaching, research and public education that informs policy and enhances practice.” 

Read More

Ten Things to Know about Central Agencies in Canada

From time to time, voluntary sector leaders—and advocates in general—come up with ideas for new spending and new social programs. When they do this, they often focus too much on influencing elected officials, and too little on influencing senior public servants. What’s more, it’s important that their proposals be supported by good research, in part because exaggerated claims about the benefits of their proposals may hurt them in the end. With all of this in mind, here are 10 things to know about central agencies in Canada.

Read More

Sharing Successes from Yukon (Whitehorse)

This year the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition celebrates the 20th Anniversary of their poverty reduction work in the Yukon territory and in Whitehorse specifically. They've undergone much development and evolution as a group over the years, dependent on the current need and passion expressed by the community. They actively listen to residents, and have taken on the role as a spawning ground for other organizations and projects to take hold (ex. the downtown urban garden society, and the local Habitat for Humanity chapter).

Here, with Bill Thomas, Co-Chair of the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition (YAPC), we take a look at how their values and priorities are bringing local youth to the coalition's advocacy, awareness, and action priorities to reduce poverty and create stronger leaders.
Read More

Edmonton Moves Forward with its Roadmap to End Poverty in a Generation

Mayor Don Iveson's Taskforce to End Poverty in a Generation had its final meeting on May 30, 2016. Actually the meeting was really a celebratory gathering, a time to acknowledge the work and leadership of so many. 

In particular we celebrated the publication of End Poverty Edmonton’s Roadmap to Guide Our Journey which is based on the EPE’s Strategy to achieve a poverty free city within a generation. Both of these documents have been endorsed by Edmonton’s City Council and indeed, City Council has already been involved in implementing certain aspects of the strategy even before the Roadmap was finalized.

Thanks to a partnership with the Alberta Government, the City will be launching a low income bus pass that will provide a 60% discount on the standard fares for public transit. The program is being launched in 2017 with three years of funding in place. The total cost is estimated to be around $12.4 million and will be split 50-50 between the province and the city. Approximately 20,000 low income families will benefit from this savings. For more information about how the subsidy works, click HERE.

Read More