Coalition pushing for maintained provincial funding for Alberta social services

Sep 6, 2019 | 2:37 PM

MEDICINE HAT — With the risk of significant provincial budget cuts over the next four years, a coalition of groups from across Alberta has formed to urge the government to maintain funding to community and social services.

Keep Alberta Strong consists of 34 organizations, many of which are front-line groups working with people living on low-income.

They’re calling on the Kenney government to maintain funding in six priority areas, affordable transit, child care and housing, the Alberta child benefit, social assistance rates and family and community support services.

“Many of these families rely on social assistance and other income boosting benefits like the Alberta child benefit, and they literally wouldn’t be able to put food on the table if they didn’t get those important benefits and programs and services.,” says Lee Stevens, spokesperson for Keep Alberta Strong. “They wouldn’t be able to get to their appointments if we didn’t have affordable transit.”

The Mackinnon report was released Tuesday, recommending at least $600 million be cut from Alberta’s operating expenses in order to balance the budget in the next four years.

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As a result, Keep Alberta Strong has launched a petition, advocating for consisting funding for the six social services in the fall provincial budget.

The group also launched an online petition suggesting Albertans write to their local MLA’s.

“We know how deeply people rely on these programs, and we know the impact and the damage it could do if any of them were cut,” says Stevens

Most of the 34 groups involved are Calgary and Edmonton based, but Stevens says the need for social services extends to all parts of the province.

“A smaller city or a larger city, the needs are the same when it comes to people who are marginalized and loving on low income,” she says. “They still need a stable source of income, they need affordable childcare, they need affordable housing. I think that these needs are kind of the same.”

The group is currently in discussions with additional organizations, and may be growing in the coming weeks.

by Jessie Weisner