Economic woes continue: survey
Report also shows mostly ‘good’ or ‘great’ quality of life
Alberta’s economic recovery has barely touched many Calgarians, with one in four saying they can only afford food and a roof over their heads, according to the annual Vital Signs survey.
In a poll of 2,262 people last June, 24 per cent said their ability to afford more than the basic necessities of life was below average or poor, which is up by one percentage point from last year.
Also, 21 per cent said access to affordable, nutritious food was below average or poor, which is a five percentage point improvement over the previous year, but still shocking and unacceptable, said Calgary Foundation president Eva Friesen.
“That’s about the cost of living and too many people are being left behind,” said Friesen, whose agency commissioned the survey.
“A quarter of the population can’t do anything but put a roof over their heads and eat.”
Given the economic downturn the city’s endured for nearly four years, she said it’s important to acknowledge the survey’s positives.
“Calgary’s had a tough go and 75 per cent said things are good or great this year, despite those challenges,” said Friesen, noting that number was 74 per cent in 2017.
And she noted the factual portion of the report cites the use of commuter bike lanes has nearly doubled since 2010, in spite of widespread grumbling about them.
But concerns over money remain, she said, with 34 per cent of respondents indicating they often experience personal financial stress while 38 per cent voiced concern over the affordability of home ownership.
“We have a high vacancy rate and drop-off of condo sales, so why aren’t prices following ?” said Friesen.
Many of the figures portray a painfully slow economic recovery, said Franco Savoia, executive director of poverty reduction group Vibrant Communities Calgary.
“Is it picking up like we hear? I don’t know,” he said. “We still lead the national unemployment rate as a city.”
In August, the city’s unemployment rate was 8.2 per cent, up from 7.9 per cent the month before and second only to St. John’s, N.L.
The financial instability cited in the survey reflects Calgarians’ notoriously high consumer debt-to-income levels that leave many vulnerable.
“If something happens like a car breaks down or whatever, it pushes them over the edge,” said Savoia.
Others live in homes they could once afford but no longer can, he added, “and they have to go to food banks.”
Without government subsidies like the three-year-old provincial child benefit for child care and low-income transit pass discounts, things would be considerably harsher for low-income Calgarians, he said.
Alberta should consider implementing a guaranteed annual income, said Savoia, an approach that was being tested in Ontario until cancelled by the Ford government.
“We’d like to do a pilot in Calgary,” he said.
Better public transit and more affordable housing are the two biggest priorities among survey respondents for the second year in a row, said Friesen.
But she noted being concerned about poverty dropped to 74 per cent from 78 per cent.
“That’s troubling because if we’re not concerned about poverty, we don’t do anything about it,” said Friesen.