Vibrant Communities Edmonton is part of a national initiative that links 16 communities across Canada.  Together, we are sharing experiences and resources to improve the quality of life for people in Canada.

In Edmonton, we are focusing our efforts on building family economic success for families who are working and earning low wages.

We know that even at $10.00 per hour, it is very difficult for a parent to support a child.  Click Here to see what it means to live on $10.00 per hour.

We are building collaborations between people who would not normally work together, sharing our resources and knowledge with various sectors, building on existing programs in Edmonton and taking comprehensive approaches to helping families build stronger financial futures. Together, we can accomplish so much more than by working alone.  That’s the true power of collaboration.

The most recent collaborative report, released on November 21, 2008  called

“We Can Do Better” looks at the picture of child and family poverty in Alberta. Based on 2006 census data, 1 in 10 Alberta children lived in poverty. In the City of Edmonton, the report shows that 1 in 6 children lives in poverty, and in Calgary 1 in 8 children lives in poverty.

Poverty is a complex issue that needs to be addressed by all sectors in our community. Vibrant Communities Edmonton agrees that a comprehensive provincial poverty reduction strategy which would include all levels of government, business, community, non profit and institutional sectors needs to be undertaken.   

As a follow up to the “We Can Do Better” report, a" Poverty Forum" will be held in Edmonton

on October 21, to discuss components of a comprehensive poverty strategy.

For more information visit: http://www.pialberta.org/events/wecandobetter

Vibrant Communities continues to address poverty reduction in Edmonton through new partnerships and place based poverty reduction strategies. Updates on our work and our new directions will be posted in October.