Spero - Newsletter of the Canadian Poverty Institute - Fall 2023 Issue

The Fall issue of Spero is now available. In recognition of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, this issue takes a look at child poverty. Read about how poverty affects children and some innovative approaches to addressing. The Fall issue is available here.

Read about:

  • Addressing Child Poverty in Black Canadian Communities: The Sunny Pathways Initiative

  • Childhood Poverty: Re-imagining Support for Families Experiencing Systemic Barriers

  • Child Poverty and Child Labour

  • Updates from the CPI

Spero - Newsletter of the Canadian Poverty Institute - Spring Issue

The Spring edition of Spero has just been released. In recognition of Black History Month and the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, this special issue of Spero offers reflections on racism and the experience of Black Canadians. Read about

  • The Amber Valley Story Is the History, Not the Future of Alberta

  • Stepping Up to Dignify Pregnancy and Childbirth In a New Land

  • Awaken(Ed) To Awake: Praising Current Progress While Addressing Persistent Forms of Oppression

  • Eliminating Racial Discrimination For Our Minds Sake

  • On Realization, Othering and Activism

Read the latest issue here.

Poverty and Anti-Black Racism: What Poverty Rates Tell Us (and Don't Tell Us) About Blackness in Canada

Poverty rates are revealing. Every five years, Canada conducts a Census that provides us with a snapshot of the population. Income and poverty are two of the important snippets of information reported by the Census that offer a glimpse of how people are doing.

Across Canada, many people continue to struggle daily in the reality of poverty. The fact that certain groups of people are more likely to experience poverty sheds light on what causes low-income and consequent poverty and what to do about it. Historically, Black Canadians are disproportionately represented among the population that lives with low-income.

Read More …

2023 Federal Budget Submission

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.

The Right to Refuge

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.

2022 Year in Review

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.

CPI Year in Review 2022

Inflation by Income: Differential Spending Patterns and Low-income Disadvantage

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.