News & Events
Read the submission by the Canadian Poverty Institute to the Government of Canada on our priorities for the upcoming federal budget. We highlight and provide recommendations in the areas of Human Rights, Income Support, Jobs and the Economy, Housing, Food Security, Environment and Climate Change, Transportation and Health Care.
Read our Submission Here.
Extreme cold and other hazardous weather conditions constitute a risk to the life, health and well-being of people, especially those who are unhoused. In such conditions, those without shelter often take refuge in public spaces such as transit stations. Denying them the right to safe shelter without providing access to alternate safe spaces is a violation of their basic right to life and security of the person.
Read our call to all municipal governments to affirm the right of all people to seek refuge in public spaces during extreme weather conditions.
The Right to Refuge: A Call to Action to Municipal Governments
Opinion: The Right to Refuge Must Be Enshrined by Calgary City Council. Guest Editorial in Calgary Herald, January 21, 2023.
As we begin 2023 it is a good time to look back and reflect on the accomplishments of the past year. For the Canadian Poverty Institute, 2022 was a year of tremendous activity as we continued to pursue our mission “to advance the eradication of poverty in Canada through research, teaching and action that promotes systems change.” Read about our work in these three areas.
Recent increases in the rate of inflation have caused concern about the financial resilience of Canadian households. Of particular concern are significant increases in the cost of basic necessities such as food, shelter and transportation. The impact of price increases in these goods and services, however, will affect households differently depending on the share of the household budget allocated to those items.
This report examines the impact of inflation on different income groups based on their differential household spending patterns. Based on this analysis, the lowest income households in Canada experienced a 5.8% rate of inflation in 2022 compared to a rate of only 3.7% among the highest income households. This differential will exacerbate existing trends of economic and social inequality.
Read the full report here.
December 21st was not only the longest but also the coldest night of the year. Despite this, people experiencing homelessness continued to be removed from places of shelter such as transit vehicles and stations into the cold. Granted, such places are not intended or equipped to serve as homeless shelters. At the same time, the response of simply removing people from what is perhaps their only place of refuge during extreme weather is equally untenable and morally wrong.
As a matter of principle and in fulfillment of Calgary and Canada’s human rights obligations, if during life threatening situations, people are taking refuge in places not designed for shelter, there should be an obligation to ensure that they are transferred responsibly to appropriate alternate places of shelter, or allow them to remain until such transfer can be arranged. We call on The City of Calgary to adopt such a policy and process immediately.
The Fall 2022 issue of our newsletter Spero has been released. In this issue read about:
Reflections on Dignity and Rights
Energy Poverty
Fair Access to Insurance Roundtable
Decent Work and the Labour Crunch - Webinar
Welcome to Faculty Associate Dr. Rodrigo dal Ben
New CPI reports, publications and resources
Read the latest issue here.
Text of a talk delivered by CPI Director Derek Cook at St. Mary’s University for Ozanam Day 2022: Hunger - A Collaborative Response.
Read the text of the talk here.
August 30, 2022 - The Canadian Poverty Institute is pleased to release its report on the ongoing impact of the 2020 hailstorm on NE Calgary. The report highlights the findings of an 8-month study that worked with residents to document the short and long-term impacts of the storm.
Read the Summary Report
Read the Full Report
The Canadian Poverty Institute is currently recruiting for a Project Coordinator to lead an energy poverty initiative. For more information and application details please view the job description.
Read the submission by the Canadian Poverty Institute to the federal government with respect to the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy. Through this brief, we shed light on the intersection of environmental concerns and poverty and offer a critical assessment and recommendations. While the Government of Canada is working to prioritize and strategize Canada’s plan for addressing environmental issues, the Canadian Poverty Institute asks the federal government to consider strategies that would inform equitable policy, speak to the inter-connected nature of the environment and poverty, and plan for long-term sustainability for all Canadians.
Read our Submission here.
