Media releases | November 22, 2011

Media Advisory: New Report reveals 73,000 Alberta Children Living in Poverty

EDMONTON—The Edmonton Social Planning Council, Public Interest Alberta and the Alberta College of Social Workers will release a new report entitled In This Together: Ending Poverty in Alberta at a media conference: 10:30 AM, November 23, 2011
ABC Head Start, LaPerle Elementary School
(18715 97A Ave) Edmonton,This new report takes an in depth look at the reality of child and family poverty in Alberta and also explores a number of vital solutions that would prevent and reduce poverty in Alberta.A number of families who are struggling on low incomes who are active in the ABC Head Start program have also agreed to be interviewed following the presentation of the report.While Premier Alison Redford committed to develop a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy during her leadership race, it remains to be seen if the Alberta government is going to actually follow through on this commitment in any substantive way.Media from outside of Edmonton are encouraged to contact the spokespeople for phone interviews. John Kolkman will be speaking in Calgary on November 24th at the Dream No Little Dreams Conference organized by the YWCA of Calgary and Action to End Poverty in Alberta.This report is being released the same day as a national report by Campaign 2000 and other provincial reports.-30 -Media Contacts:John Kolkman – Edmonton Social Planning Council 780 423-2031 (ext 350)
Lori Sigurdson – Alberta College of Social Workers 780 421-1167
Bill Moore-Kilgannon – Public Interest Alberta 780 993-3736 (cell) The full report will be available for download from all three websites at 9:00 AM on November 23rdwww.pialberta.org             www.acsw.ab.ca             www.edmontonsocialplanning.ca