Alberta
Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre thrilled with Provincial Funding announcement
Mark Jones of the Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre comments on the Province’s financial commitment to children
From the Province of Alberta
New funding model for child advocacy centres
The Government of Alberta is introducing a consistent and equitable funding model to help vulnerable children across the province get the help they need.
Child advocacy centres provide a safe place for children and youth who have experienced abuse. The centres allow clients to tell their stories and access support throughout the entire process of disclosure, investigation, the judicial phase and healing journey.
The centres bring together multi-disciplinary teams to provide a coordinated and child-friendly approach that minimizes trauma, supports healing, and increases the likelihood of offender conviction.
A new funding allocation model will replace the previous system of annual grants, which created uncertainty and inconsistency between centres. A three-year funding cycle will ensure an equitable and sustainable approach, emphasizing government’s continued commitment to supporting the most vulnerable Albertans.
“Child Advocacy Centres show the power of public, private and not-for profit organizations working with caring citizens to support children and families affected by abuse. This new funding model will ensure fairness across the province and give families certainty in accessing the supports they need.”
“We are grateful for the support of the Government of Alberta. Child Advocacy Centres are the result of a strong community response working to end child abuse through collaboration of services and resources. This funding allows us to continue to help children and youth who have experienced abuse efficiently access the services and supports they need, under one roof.”
“This long-term funding model allows us to plan for the future of our centre in a thoughtful way. While we are disappointed to receive less funding than before, we understand the need to ensure equity across the province and we will look to take a leadership role in collecting data and information to inform government decision-making over the next few years.”
Government will provide $3.4 million per year for 2020-23 to support child advocacy centres in Edmonton, Calgary, Grande Prairie, Red Deer, Lloydminster and Fort McMurray. Funding has been set aside for centres in Medicine Hat and Lethbridge, should they become operational.
| 2019 | 2022-23 | |
|---|---|---|
| Zebra Child Protection Centre (Edmonton) | $712,000 | $1,037,050 |
| Calgary and Area Child Advocacy Centre | $1,979,000 | $1,306,850 |
| Caribou Centre Child Advocacy Centre (Grande Prairie) | $150,000 | $202,350 |
| Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre (Red Deer) | $150,000 | $303,530 |
| The Little Bear Child and Youth Advocacy Centre (Lloydminster) | $115,530 | $126,470 |
| Care Centre for Children and Youth (Fort McMurray) | $133,000 | $160,200 |
Total funding amounts will not change, but will be distributed based on the new model, which takes into account previous base funding, the volume of clients served, and the intensity of need based on a community’s child intervention caseload. The three-year grants will also include data collection obligations, allowing for funding based on consistent metrics across the province. The funding allocation model does not affect co-located government staff from Children’s Services and Alberta Health Services.
New funding model reduces red tape
Because grants will no longer have to be renewed each year, the new funding model will reduce the administrative burden on centres and government staff. This is part of government’s ongoing commitment to reducing red tape and making processes more efficient.
Quick facts
- In 2008, there were 14,403 substantiated cases of child abuse in Alberta.
- 36 per cent of adults in Alberta have experienced some form of abuse in their youth.
- Alberta’s Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act requires anyone who believes a child is at risk to report their concern.
- Albertans should know the signs of abuse and neglect, and report any concerns to the Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-387-KIDS (available in multiple languages, 24 hours a day), or contact a local Children’s Services office, Delegated First Nations Agency, or law enforcement.
- The funding in each centre will be directed towards multidisciplinary triage, forensic interviews, victim advocacy, court preparation, and service coordination (medical and mental health referrals).
From the Fraser Institute
By Spencer Gudewill and Tegan Hill
Last November, Premier Danielle Smith announced that her government will give up to $1.8 billion in subsidies to Dow Chemicals, which plans to expand a petrochemical project northeast of Edmonton. In other words, $1.8 billion in corporate welfare.
And this is just one example of corporate welfare paid for by Albertans.
According to a recent study published by the Fraser Institute, from 2007 to 2021, the latest year of available data, the Alberta government spent $31.0 billion (inflation-adjusted) on subsidies (a.k.a. corporate welfare) to select firms and businesses, purportedly to help Albertans. And this number excludes other forms of government handouts such as loan guarantees, direct investment and regulatory or tax privileges for particular firms and industries. So the total cost of corporate welfare in Alberta is likely much higher.
Why should Albertans care?
First off, there’s little evidence that corporate welfare generates widespread economic growth or jobs. In fact, evidence suggests the contrary—that subsidies result in a net loss to the economy by shifting resources to less productive sectors or locations (what economists call the “substitution effect”) and/or by keeping businesses alive that are otherwise economically unviable (i.e. “zombie companies”). This misallocation of resources leads to a less efficient, less productive and less prosperous Alberta.
And there are other costs to corporate welfare.
For example, between 2007 and 2019 (the latest year of pre-COVID data), every year on average the Alberta government spent 35 cents (out of every dollar of business income tax revenue it collected) on corporate welfare. Given that workers bear the burden of more than half of any business income tax indirectly through lower wages, if the government reduced business income taxes rather than spend money on corporate welfare, workers could benefit.
Moreover, Premier Smith failed in last month’s provincial budget to provide promised personal income tax relief and create a lower tax bracket for incomes below $60,000 to provide $760 in annual savings for Albertans (on average). But in 2019, after adjusting for inflation, the Alberta government spent $2.4 billion on corporate welfare—equivalent to $1,034 per tax filer. Clearly, instead of subsidizing select businesses, the Smith government could have kept its promise to lower personal income taxes.
Finally, there’s the Heritage Fund, which the Alberta government created almost 50 years ago to save a share of the province’s resource wealth for the future.
In her 2024 budget, Premier Smith earmarked $2.0 billion for the Heritage Fund this fiscal year—almost the exact amount spent on corporate welfare each year (on average) between 2007 and 2019. Put another way, the Alberta government could save twice as much in the Heritage Fund in 2024/25 if it ended corporate welfare, which would help Premier Smith keep her promise to build up the Heritage Fund to between $250 billion and $400 billion by 2050.
By eliminating corporate welfare, the Smith government can create fiscal room to reduce personal and business income taxes, or save more in the Heritage Fund. Any of these options will benefit Albertans far more than wasteful billion-dollar subsidies to favoured firms.
Authors:
Alberta
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