Agenda Item No.: F.1.b.
Vibrant Communities - Update
Recommendation:
That the October 26, 2006, Community
Services Department report 2006CSS008, be
received for information.
Report Summary
This report provides an update on the
progress made by Vibrant Communities
Edmonton.
Previous Council/Committee Action
At the May 17, 2005, City Council meeting,
the following motion was passed:
2. That Vibrant Communities Edmonton
report back to the Community Services
Committee every six months for a twoyear period on the accomplishments as a
result of the expenditure of the funds
provided from the Social Services
Revenue Stabilization Fund.
This is the third report being presented for
information.
Report
The National Perspective

Vibrant Communities Edmonton (VCE)
is part of the national Vibrant
Communities (VC) initiative that was
founded in 2002, with 14 active
community partners across Canada.
These communities form the Pan
Canadian Learning Community (PCLC)
sharing best practices for addressing
some of the pressing socioeconomic
issues facing municipalities today. The
PCLC recently expanded to extend
involvement to all 27 Census
Metropolitan Areas (CMAs with
populations over 100,000) as the result
Routing:
Delegation:
Written By:
October 26, 2006
File: 2006CSS008
Community Services Committee
W. Trocenko/J. Kain/K. Gingras
J. Kain
Community Services Department
(Page 1 of 2)

of an additional $7.5 million in funding
nationally.
Nationally, VC outcomes for 2006
included information that over 16,200
Canadians are less poor because of
improved income support, new and
improved housing and assets, new jobs,
changed employer practices; and other
activities of VC partners.
The Edmonton Perspective
 In Attachment 1, VCE provides a
summary of the key accomplishments in
the subsequent six months since the May
2006 report. It describes work in each of
VCE’s three key strategy areas:
Workforce Development, Family
Economic Supports and Community
Investment. From the administrative
perspective we are pleased with the
results achieved to date. The Make Tax
Time Campaign was particularly
successful in that a financial impact
assessment demonstrated an increased
uptake of the Alberta Child Health
Benefit of an estimated $13,250.
Canada Revenue Agency agreed to send
a letter to all families eligible for the
Alberta Child Health benefit to advise
them of their eligibility. In addition, the
uptake on the civic Leisure Access
Program through the Make Tax Time
Campaign was estimated close to
$50,000.
 Another outcome of the brokering work
of VCE resulted in the completion of
research on the feasibility of alternatives
to high cost pay day loan and cheque
cashing companies. This included
mapping the increase in alternative
financial institutions and the decline in
F
1
b
Vibrant Communities - Update
traditional financial institutions. Vibrant
Communities Edmonton is working, and
making progress with local financial
institutions to develop alternative
financial products that will meet the
needs of people working and earning
low income.
Background Information Attached
1. Vibrant Communities Edmonton – Third
Report
2. Vibrant Communities Edmonton - Home
Buyers’ Assistance Plan
3. Vibrant Communities Edmonton Making Cents Brochure
(Page 2 of 2)
Attachment 1
Vibrant Communities Edmonton – Third Report
Vibrant Communities Edmonton
Report to City Council
November, 2006
Report #3 of 4 reports
Prepared by: Karen Gingras
Executive Director
Vibrant Communities Edmonton
P 780 428 1866
F 780 428 1878
Email: Karengingras@vibrantedmonton.ca
Attachment 1 - Page 1 of 7
Attachment 1
Vibrant Communities Edmonton – Third Report
The City of Edmonton funded Vibrant Communities Edmonton through the Social Services
Stabilization Reserve Fund in May 2005 and requested a series of reports. This is the third of
four reports. Our last report to Council’s Community Services Committee was May 2006.
Vibrant Communities Edmonton (VCE) is a collaboration between various sectors, including
people who earn low wages, business, three levels of government (municipal, provincial and
federal), and non profit organizations. December 2006 marks the half way point of this three
year initiative.
Our goal is to provide opportunities to build family economic success for people who are
working, yet have low incomes. We have adopted three key strategies in this effort:
1. Build family economic supports by providing opportunities to access existing benefits
and subsidies which help families stretch their budget and financial literacy education
which helps people understand why they spend what they spend so they can change how
they spend.
2. Contribute to workforce development by introducing innovative employee benefits to
employers in industry sectors that pay lower wages and brokering relationships between
sectors so that people earning lower wages have opportunities to obtain jobs that help
them support themselves and their families.
3. Strengthen community investment by focusing efforts on the feasibility of alternatives to
high cost cheque cashing and pay day loans through local financial institutions.
A key element that contributes to creating opportunities to build family economic success is
building connections between people who might not otherwise have worked together. Since our
last report, in May 2006, VCE has been weaving a web of networks that extend across various
business associations, nonprofit and education organizations, government departments in order to
gain access to employees in sectors such as retail, hospitality and food processing. The
following section highlights some of these connections and the resulting outcomes.
Attachment 1 - Page 2 of 7
Attachment 1
Vibrant Communities Edmonton – Third Report
VCE UPDATE – November 2006
1. Build FAMILY ECONOMIC SUPPORTS
1.1 Access to existing benefits and subsidies

Engaged Alberta Human Resources and Employment (AHRE) and Canada
Revenue Agency (CRA) in separate discussions regarding the potential to add
a “tick box” to Alberta’s T-1 General tax and benefit return so that, eligible
Albertans could begin the application process for the Alberta Child Health
Benefit when they file their tax return.

Brokered the connection between AHRE and CRA to begin negotiations.

CRA declined the request but did agree to send a letter to 80,000 eligible
Albertans advising them that they are eligible to receive this benefit. Delivery
date of letters – spring 2007.

In an effort to increase the number of people accessing existing benefits and
subsidies VCE launched Make Tax Time Pay (MTTP), with the intention of
recruiting the existing CRA volunteer tax preparers to also help with
applications for benefits and subsidies. The evaluation is complete and the
results are in:
a.
b.
c.
d.
16 new tax preparation sites
531 tax filers assisted at the new sites
53 organizations/departments involved
221 people submitted 422 applications for benefits and
subsidies
e. Only the Alberta Child Health Benefit and the City of
Edmonton Leisure Access Program departments
provided sufficient information to calculate an increase
in financial benefit to the approximately 50 families
that applied for both programs of at least $499.96 per
year, assuming only one child per family.
f. VCE partners have reported that participating in MTTP
“cultivated a ‘cultural shift’ within the department” and the
“community’s perception of the department has begun to
shift in part due to involvement with MTTP, as evidenced by
Attachment 1 - Page 3 of 7
Attachment 1
Vibrant Communities Edmonton – Third Report
invitations to sit on committees and acts a resource for other
social service agencies.”
g. Unintended outcomes – over 60 businesses use the
MTTP binder which compiled the applications for
benefits and subsidies, as a Human Resource tool and
50 MTTP binders have been distributed throughout
Capital Health
h. Highlights of improvements:
-Ensure that sites have volunteers who only assist with
applications for benefits and subsidies
-Create a site coordinators orientation manual
-Deliver site coordinator training
-Implement a simpler tracking tool

MTTP planning committee is convening and preparing for the 2006-2007 tax
prep season.
1.2 Financial literacy

The second series of 12 financial literacy workshops for people earning lower
wages is underway.

Planning has begun to include the financial literacy workshops in the English
as a second language (ESL) classes at NorQuest College.
a. Training sessions are being organized for participating
teachers at NorQuest as a way to familiarize the
instructors with the curriculum.

Brokered relationship between a representative from Western Economic
Diversification and the Executive Director of the Edmonton Financial
Literacy Society to discuss the potential for funding amendments to the
financial literacy curriculum to include aboriginal content.
a. Funding has been received by Edmonton
Financial Literacy Society in partnership with Bent
Arrow through the Urban Aboriginal Strategy, to
amend the curriculum and deliver financial literacy
workshops in the Aboriginal community.
Attachment 1 - Page 4 of 7
Attachment 1
Vibrant Communities Edmonton – Third Report
2. Contribute to WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
2.1 Innovative employee benefits
 Developed MAKING CENTS – on-site financial literacy education for
employees in lower paid jobs.
 Partnered with the HOME Program to develop the HOME BUYERS’
ASSISTANCE BENEFIT PLAN – options that employers can use as
recruitment and retention strategies which include opportunities for on-site
home buyers’ education workshops.
 Developed a relationship with a representative of Alberta Human Resources
and Employment (AHRE) who has well established relationships with the
hospitality industry.
 Met with a representative from Edmonton Economic Development
Corporation (EEDC) to explain VCE and obtain referrals to targeted
industries:
a. As a result of the AHRE and EEDC connections, we
are presenting a two hour workshop to representatives
of approximately 40 hospitality businesses where we
will explain the benefits of implementing MAKE TAX
TIME PAY, MAKING CENTS and the HOME
BUYERS’ ASSISTANCE BENEFIT PLAN as
recruitment and retention strategies.
 Met with representative of Alberta Human Resources and Employment with
connections to the food processing industry to explain MAKING CENTS and
HOME BUYERS’ASSISTANCE BENEFIT PLAN:
a. We are presenting a two to four hour session about
recruitment strategies that incorporate the above
employee benefits to approximately 50 food processing
businesses.

Recruitment through the Corporate Wellness department is underway in the
City of Edmonton Maintenance Department for participants in on site
financial literacy workshops.

Brokered a relationship between the a representative of the federal
government and Maple Leaf Foods to discuss employment of immigrants who
already reside in Edmonton as another employee recruitment strategy:
Attachment 1 - Page 5 of 7
Attachment 1
Vibrant Communities Edmonton – Third Report
a. Discussions were brokered between Maple Leaf Foods,
federal government and immigrant serving agency to
create a pipeline of employees who have completed
ESL training.
3. Strengthen COMMUNITY INVESTMENT
3.1
Feasibility of alternatives to high cost pay day loans and cheque cashing
companies

The first phase of a feasibility study has been completed and the VCE
Financial Innovations subcommittee has approved the release of the report
detailing the research results.
a. Two members of the VCE Financial Innovations
subcommittee are representatives of two different
financial institutions. As a result of the feasibility
study one of the financial institutions has expressed an
interest in the options.
b. VCE has met with the Chief Financial Officer, Sr. VP
Corporate Services and VP Direct Banking, of the
interested financial institution, to discuss additional
research requirements.
c.

Second phase of research is underway to develop a
business plan for an alternative product that has the
potential to be introduced in the Edmonton
marketplace.
Legislation will soon to be introduced by the federal government to download
regulating the pay day loan industry to the provinces. We have contacted a
representative from the Alberta Government Services department:
a. The Alberta Government Services representative made
a presentation to the Leadership Council outlining the
Alberta Government’s process for determining
regulations.
b. VCE provided the Alberta Government Services
representative with our entire collection of research
papers on the alternative financial services industry.
Attachment 1 - Page 6 of 7
Attachment 1
Vibrant Communities Edmonton – Third Report
c. We have been assured that VCE will have input into
Alberta’s pay day loan legislation.
PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE
Vibrant Communities Edmonton’s multi sectored Leadership Council has determined that the
unique ability of VCE to work across sectors to build family economic success, merits
continuation. They are exploring ways in which VCE might continue in the long term, well past
the present May 31, 2008 end date.
Attachment 1 - Page 7 of 7