Vibrant Communities Calgary and Poverty Talks! weighed in on the Alberta government's expected surplus on CTV News. The segment cites a 30% increase in calls to 211 since 2019 with people struggling with basic needs. Meaghon Reid called on the province to implement indexing for income support and rate caps for utilities and insurance. View the segment below.
Article
Alberta government called on to share the wealth
VCC and Poverty Talks! are calling on the province to help struggling Albertans with expected surplus
6 September 2022
A few measures have been put in place to help Albertans combat the effects of inflation; however, VCC's Meaghon Reid says that it's not nearly enough and questions who is really benefiting from the measures being put in place in a Radio Canada interview.
"What we hear is worrying. There is an urgent need to find solutions to improve affordability. It's frustrating to hear that the province is doing so well and not knowing how you're going to eat in the evening," Meaghon explained.
"The government of Alberta must send a message that every person counts - not just the wealthy - but everyone," said Sue Gwynn, chair Poverty Talks!
Read the articles at the links below:
- Advocates call for poverty support as province anticipates budget surplus in upcoming fiscal report
- NDP demands government action as 211 calls for basic needs on the rise
- What should we do with Alberta's huge budget surplus? The article was published in French, but can be viewed in English by using a translate tool in your web browser.
Poverty Talks!
Lived experience of poverty guides the E4A strategy.
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