An Urgent Call for a Just Transition Acknowledgments
CREDITS HOW TO REACH US THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR
LEAD AUTHOR Noel Keough
CO-AUTHORS Bob Morrison Sustainable Calgary Society Celia Lee Box 52 223 12 Ave. SW CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Calgary, Alberta Adrian Buckley T2R 0G9 Bill Phipps Melissa Ayers E-mail: [email protected] Nevena Ivanovic Website: sustainablecalgary.org Deborah Sword Twitter: @sustainablecalgary Ron Jaicarron
Jason Ribeiro Sustainable Calgary takes full Sajjad Fazel responsibility for the analysis and Sarah Piwowarczyk presentation of the information Milton Ortega in this report. Miho Lowan-Trudeau Hemontika Das Eliot Tretter Andrea Hull Neil McKinnon PAPER SUSTAINABILITY Clark Svrcek Linda Grandinetti This document is printed on Bob Morrison 100% recycled paper. Nic Dykstra Taylor Felt Leticia Chapa Alfred Gomez Byron Miller Ryan Martinson Victoria Fast Srimal Ranasinghe
COPY EDITOR Jo Hildebrand
DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION Fran Motta
SPECIAL THANKS TO Peter Peller, University of Calgary Librarian and Census Specialist SUSTAINABLE CALGARY MISSION: To promote, encourage, and support community-level actions and initiatives that move Calgary toward a sustainable future. In the context of our urban lives, we define sustainable development as the process of working toward the long-term health and vitality of our city and its citizens with regard to ecological, social, cultural, and economic processes.
Live simply so others can simply live.
MAHATMA GANDHI Table of Contents
ABOUT THIS REPORT 5 RESOURCE USE INDICATORS 45 THE STATE OF OUR CITY SUMMARY 6 Ecological Footprint 46 Transportation Spending 47 COMMUNITY INDICATORS 12 Domestic Waste 48 Crime Rate & Rate of Victimization 13 Population Density 49 Leisure Activity 14 Transit Usage for Work Trips 50 Membership in Community Associations 15 Energy Use 51 Number of & Attendance at Arts Events 16 Sense of Community 17 WELLNESS INDICATORS 52 Volunteerism 18 Access to Preventive & Alternative Health Care 53 Child & Youth Wellness 54 ECONOMIC INDICATORS 19 Healthy Birth-Weight Babies 55 Housing Affordability 20 Support for the Most Vulnerable 56 Oil & Gas Reliance Index 21 Self-Rated Health 57 Unemployment Rate 22 Childhood Asthma Hospitalization Rate 58 Hours Required to Meet Basic Needs at Minimum Wage 23 THE PANDEMIC – A CLEAR WARNING AND Food Bank Usage 24 A WAY FORWARD 59 Income Equity: Gap between Rich & Poor 25
EDUCATION INDICATORS 26 Adult Literacy 27 Average Class Size 28 Daycare Worker Salaries 29 Grade 6 Achievement Scores 30 Library Usage 31
GOVERNANCE INDICATORS 32 Representativeness of Electoral System 33 Municipal Campaign Finance 34 Effectiveness of Planning 35 Fiscal Balance 36 Valuing Cultural Diversity 37
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT INDICATORS 38 Air Quality 39 Food Grown Locally 40 Pesticide Use 41 Surface Water Quality 42 Christmas Bird Count 43 Water Consumption 44
4 2020 STATE OF OUR CITY REPORT About this Report
OUR PROCESS WHAT IS A SUSTAINABILITY INDICATOR? PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY
While producing this report was an important An indicator helps us understand where we 1. Maintain or enhance ecological integrity. goal, the process of its development are, which way we are going, and how far A sustainable community lives in harmony was equally valuable. Experiences with we are from where we want to be. A good with the natural world. It protects the air, sustainability reporting suggest that the indicator can act as an early warning of an water, soil, flora, fauna, and ecosystems way to attain a set of indicators that is truly emerging problem and helps us recognize that it depends upon for its survival. These meaningful, useful, and representative of what needs to be done to fix it. are the life support systems for all human our city is to involve a broad cross-section communities. of citizens in the indicator-selection process. What distinguishes a sustainability indicator This helps develop new understandings is its ability to illuminate the interconnections 2. Promote social equity. of issues and new insights into potential among systems. Each of the indicator In a sustainable community, each and every solutions. The small businessperson begins descriptions in this report includes a section citizen is afforded access to the benefits and to understand the ecological impacts of called Linkages. A linkage is a direct or opportunities that the community has to offer packaging choices, while the social worker indirect relationship between two or more without social or economic discrimination. sees new linkages among jobs, poverty, and systems, such that changes in one affect the habitat preservation. status of another. 3. Provide the opportunity for meaningful work and livelihood for all citizens. Over 2000 Calgarians participated in the ESTABLISHING TRENDS` A strong, resilient, and dynamic local creation of the first two State of Our City economy is essential for community reports. Our project team coordinated dozens The sustainability trend for each indicator sustainability. A sustainable economy of presentations and workshops across the is located in the upper right-hand corner provides the opportunity for meaningful work city among groups as diverse as Rotary Clubs, of the indicator pages (see trend legend and livelihood for each and every citizen. City Council, the Developmental Disabilities below). When designating the trend, several Resources Centre, and various community criteria were taken into account. Is the 4. Encourage democratic participation of associations. indicator currently at a sustainable level? all citizens. Is the indicator moving toward or away We live in a democracy. The bedrock of In a tremendous volunteer effort, citizens led from sustainability? Is the pace of change a democracy is citizen participation in the way in choosing indicators, researching of the indicator sufficient for it to reach a the functioning, planning, and decision- the data for each indicator, and writing the sustainable level in a reasonable time? The making of society. In a sustainable State of Our City reports. In the final analysis, answers to these questions are necessarily community, participation is both a right and the 40 indicators documented in this report subjective. The indicator project team reviews a responsibility and should be available to were chosen in a democratic process open to each indicator thoroughly and debates what every citizen. all who participated in the project. the information is telling us before reaching agreement on what we believe the trend to be. 5. Maintain ethical relations with our neighbours. After reading the report, you may or may not In our bid to achieve sustainability, we need agree with our assessments. We hope you will to find ways to work cooperatively with support our urgent call for a just transition to our neighbours in our urban village and in sustainability. the global village. Sustainability cannot be TREND LEGEND achieved at the expense of our neighbours – wherever they may be. Trend is sustainable or moving toward sustainability.
There is no discernible trend.
Trend is far from sustainable or moving further away from sustainability.
2020 STATE OF OUR CITY REPORT 5 State of Our The Story in 7 Domains Calgarians take pride in our sense of Community. While the indicators in this domain remain relatively healthy, our economic City Summary troubles are putting pressure on community cohesion and participation. Surveys conducted since the year 2000 indicate that a growing number of Calgarians feel a strong sense of community. No More Time to Lose — A Just For decades, a high number of Calgarians have reported being Transition Now! physically active. But we have seen less arts attendance and increasing crime rates over the past 5 years. These 2 reversals of long-term trends are probably related to our faltering economy. In 1998 Sustainable Calgary’s first State of Surveys suggest an upward trend in community association memberships, but renewal of leadership and the maintenance of Our City Report identified 2 critical issues facilities are looming issues. that needed attention – overconsumption All Economic domain indicators are in unsustainable territory. of resources and socio-economic Negative trends masked in the boom years are now being exposed. inequities in our city. Twenty-two years We have the highest income gap of any large city in Canada. A single parent with 2 children would still be required to work over later, the evidence suggests that the 55 hours a week to make ends meet. Food bank usage is as high as state of these critical domains has only it has ever been. We have seen deteriorating housing affordability over the past 20 years. Having led the country in employment worsened. Calgary has seen a lot of creation for much of the past 20 years, we now have the highest progress in those 22 years and we rates of unemployment of any large city in Canada, and there has been very timid movement toward diversification. remain a city with a very high quality of life, but an assessment of the 40 social, The Education system has performed well over the past 20 years. Our public library system is world class and heavily used, with ecological, and economic indicators the Central Library attracting global attention for its architecture clearly demonstrates that the lifestyle we and its programs. In our grade schools, we have some of the best international test results compared to Canadian averages and enjoy in Calgary is less sustainable than it to other OECD countries. Our public schools typically achieve was 22 years ago. provincial performance targets. However, we are seeing a rise in class size after several years of decreasing numbers, and we are missing government-mandated targets. One area of concern is the The first 20 years of this millennium are lack of support for daycare, resulting in too few spaces, fees that many families cannot afford, and the chronic issue of poorly paid Calgary’s lost decades with respect to staff. Another is that levels of adult literacy have been stagnant for action on sustainability. In large measure, 20 years: 40% of Albertans are considered functionally illiterate. our failure to meet the sustainability Calgarians are among the healthiest people on the planet. However, challenge can be traced to dysfunctional many of our Wellness indicators are trending in the wrong direction, are stalled, or are moving too slowly toward improvement. While decision-making processes – elaborated fewer children are showing up in emergency rooms with asthma in a set of Governance indicators that we attacks, mainly due to better management of the disease, youth obesity remains a significant health issue. We have more low-weight introduce for the first time in this report. births than anywhere else in Canada, and we compare unfavourably with Europe in this regard. Surveys show that more people consider their own health to be worse than others their age. Although income The window of opportunity for a gradual supports for people with disabilities have improved over the past 10 transition to a sustainable future has years, they are still well below the poverty line. There has been no discernible shift of health care budgets away from treating disease closed. We must now embark on a rapid and toward preventing it. transition or face the real prospect of While there is room for improvement, Calgarians are lucky to significantly compromised quality of life live in a high-quality Natural Environment, with 4 of 6 indicators and livelihoods and a precarious future sustainable or trending toward sustainability. Air quality shows a slightly improving trend and is relatively good. Water quality, as for our children and their city. measured by fecal coliforms downriver of the city, is improving.
6 2020 STATE OF OUR CITY REPORT Per capita water consumption is at a 20-year The Lost Decades: An Inability to Turn low. There has been a 20-fold increase in the number of community gardens since 2000. With Policy into Action respect to pesticide usage, we are on a positive “Calgarians are trend in usage per capita and by active ingredient lucky to live The past 20 years have seen an intensity, but application is still quite high. in a high- quality Natural impressive array of city-building policies Resource use indicators are almost universally Environment with 4 of 6 adopted by City Council. in unsustainable territory. Calgary is living well indicators beyond its means. Our ecological footprint sustainable or continues to grow and is the largest of any trending toward Many of these policies have been formulated with substantial citizen sustainability.” Canadian city. If everyone on the planet engagement, and most of them aspire to move Calgary toward a consumed as we do, we would need 4 to sustainable future. The problem is not policy. The problem has been 6 planets' worth of resources. Our energy backing up policy intention with budgets and workplans that allocate consumption per capita has grown significantly resources to make it happen. A review of the 40 sustainability over the past 20 years, and our large and indicators leads to the conclusion that the past 20 years have been growing per capita GHG emissions constitute lost decades – so much promise, with so little to show for it. a crisis. Our overall population density, while slowly increasing, is far from sustainable and Twenty years ago, imagineCALGARY engaged an unprecedented leaves us almost completely dependent on the 35,000 Calgarians in a conversation about our future – about private automobile and vulnerable to long-term what kind of city we wanted Calgary to be in 100 years. In 2004 maintenance costs. Steady improvement in Mayor Dave Bronconnier announced imagineCALGARY's long- numbers taking transit to work through the first term vision to the world at the Habitat for Humanity conference decade of the millennium has reversed in recent in Vancouver. Sustainability became the City's core planning years. Transport spending in the City budget is objective. This was followed up with the Plan It Calgary process. tilted in favour of transit, but overall spending For the first time, the Calgary Transportation Plan was integrated by all levels of government still favours road with the statutory Municipal Development Plan (MDP), guided by building. The only good news story here is how the imagineCALGARY 100-year vision. Subsequent City policy was we deal with waste. Total waste to landfill is crafted to operationalize Plan It Calgary – the Growth Management down over 50% since 2001, with waste-diversion Strategy, the Pedestrian Strategy, the Bicycling Strategy, Complete programs delivering results. Streets, the Climate Resilience Strategy, Transit Oriented Development, and most recently the 5A Network Principles Four of 5 Governance indicators are trending (Transportation) and the Great Communities Guidebook. unsustainably. Our democracy is under strain. Those we elect to government and to positions The City’s own report card on the MDP was released in 2018. The of power and influence do not reflect who we report states that the City is not on track to meet its MDP targets. are or what we value. Money plays too big a role Too many people still drive, and too much of our housing stock is in politics. Between 2007 and 2015, campaign still being built and planned on greenfields at the edge of the city, spending by successful candidates in municipal bursting beyond the soon-to-be-completed ring road. In 2019 City elections increased 400%. In 20 years, we Council approved 14 new greenfield communities, even more than have seen no improvement in the numbers of the development industry lobbied for. We know this edge-of-city women, visible minorities, or Aboriginal people land-use, segregated, car-dependent form of development will participating in leadership positions in our city. never pay for itself, yet we continue to build it. Calgarians’ satisfaction with the planning process is lower than it was a year ago but 10% higher Our city continues to grow with no realistic plan to reduce our than the 15-year average. We don’t have enough unsustainable levels of resource consumption. We are building a information available to determine whether our city that makes life more difficult and expensive for socially and city has a sound long-term fiscal balance. economically marginalized citizens and communities.
Our indicators suggest that this state of affairs is fueled by a dysfunctional democratic process, at all levels of government – a process that is growing more and more beholden to the wealthy. Over the past 2 decades, our resource wealth reached its apex. Rather than use that time and wealth to ensure a transition to a new economy in the face of the global climate emergency, we are left with lost decades. We will likely never enjoy the level of wealth we have experienced in the past 20 years. Yet over the next 20 we have to make a rapid transition to a sustainable future or risk a serious erosion of both our quality of life and our prospects for the future of Calgary.
2020 STATE OF OUR CITY REPORT 7 Calgary in the Global Village We may have the ingenuity and resolve to meet these challenges, but despite the pride we take in our “get 'er done” attitude, our reactions to In the 1960s, Canadian Marshall date give no assurance that we do indeed have “In 2019 City what it takes. There is no plan for transition from McLuhan coined the term global village. Council approved 14 new greenfield the deteriorating conditions of the Anthropocene As Canadians and as Calgarians, we are communities, to a sustainable future – no credible global plan, even more than no credible national plan, no credible provincial intimately tied to the global village. Our the development industry plan, and no credible city plan. In fact, in our prosperity is defined by the nature of our lobbied for.” province and our city, resistance to transition relationships with our neighbours in that remains a dominant political, cultural, and economic force. global village. Over the past 75 years, during a period in history referred to Yet Calgary is not an island. We face existential threats to our quality of life and the future of as the Anthropocene, the nature of our our city. The fossil fuel infrastructures on which economic and social relationships have we continue to rely are in danger of becoming stranded, unusable assets as global investment become untenable socially, ecologically, wakes up to the threat of climate change. The and economically. Our impact on the problems of orphaned wells and post-production cleanup threaten to bankrupt our province or planet has grown exponentially, relations leave it an ecological wasteland. We continue to within the global village have become build a high-maintenance city while the prospect of paying for it all recedes. Having lost 2 precious more unequal and unfair, and the climate decades, we must now move toward rapid and biodiversity crises threaten us all. transition. Each of these global trends are reflected locally in the 40 sustainability indicators reported herein.
In 2018 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported that “the next few years are probably the most important in our history.” It is abundantly clear that without action, the heating of our planet will make human life on earth much more difficult. The climate crisis has been created by the rapidly accelerating burning of fossil fuels to provide cheap energy and the manufacture of consumer products far beyond the needs of most Calgarians. Our place of privilege in the global village is a direct result of the bounty of fossil fuels beneath us. We have become wealthy through the fossil fuel economy, and our city is more affluent and stable than most places on the planet. For these reasons, we have a moral obligation not only to contribute to the solution to global warming but to be leaders in dealing with the climate crisis.
Thomas Homer Dixon (author of The Ingenuity Gap), among others, has warned of the diminishing capacity of human societies to successfully deal with multiple emerging crises. The climate emergency is top of mind, but the rate of resource extraction; the volume of material we produce, consume, and throw away; and our food choices all contribute to an equally critical global biodiversity crisis. The inequality that has grown in our city over the past 20 years is mirrored in the global economy. Most Canadians – and even more so, Calgarians – are among the wealthiest 1% in a global economy that has created winners and losers and allowed fewer and fewer people to control more and more wealth, distorting our institutions of governance in the process. In the past 5 years, we have witnessed attacks on our democratic systems that are unprecedented in most of our lifetimes. None of this is sustainable.
8 2020 STATE OF OUR CITY REPORT The Way Forward: Leaders, Not 5. We need to resist the temptation to dismantle Laggards the systems that are the foundation of our well-being – health and education. We need to protect and grow our social capital. “Our indicators There is a moral imperative for suggest that Calgarians not only to step up to the over the past 20 6. We need to stop the outward expansion of years we have our city. We need to invest in transit and active experienced transport infrastructure. We need to build a city plate as members of the global village what ecological and to pull our weight, but to show economist Herman where walking, biking, and public transit are the Daly has referred norm and the private automobile is a tertiary leadership – to become first responders. to as uneconomic mode. growth – growth For too long, we have been counted as that makes us worse off.” 7. We have the seeds of opportunity for the laggards. What do we need to do? transition – young, vibrant, highly educated people and a culture of learning personified 1. We need to acknowledge that while fossil fuels built our city, in the new Central Library. With respect to our future is elsewhere, and we need to direct all of our collective energy, we are on the cusp of a final transition energies to building the new Calgary. once we tap our tremendous renewable energy resources. We have a growing 2. We need to take care of the most vulnerable first. How well we design culture and expertise endowed from do so is a measure of the character of our society. There is no years of prosperity. We need our buildings, reason we cannot provide affordable shelter for all Calgarians. neighbourhoods, transportation, the city, and All citizens who contribute their labour to our economy should the region designed for sustainability – there is expect, at the very least, a livable wage in return. The vulnerable no reason to settle for anything less. among us who need income support should not be condemned to live in poverty. 8. We need to welcome those from all over the world who are willing to contribute. We are a 3. We need to design a steady state economy that is, above all, fair country, province, and city of immigrants. During and just and that allows us to live within our means economically the Syrian refugee crisis, Calgarians answered and, more importantly, ecologically. Our indicators suggest that the call and demonstrated what is our better over the past 20 years, we have experienced what ecological nature. Continuing to welcome new people, new economist Herman Daly has referred to as uneconomic growth – ideas, and new energy from all corners of the growth that makes us worse off. world will make life better for all of us.
4. We can follow the lead of places like Iceland and New Zealand 9. We need to get our political house in order and commit to redesigning our economy to focus squarely on and restore trust in our systems of governance: well-being and to retool planning for the transition to a healthy, get money out of politics, and reinvent our sustainable, circular, and relocalized economy. democracy with fairness at the core.
2020 STATE OF OUR CITY REPORT 9 Trust: The Fragile, Frayed & Priceless reduction in trust in government during and after the 2008 global economic crisis (from Cornerstone of Sustainable Community 2007 to 2015). The report states that “against a background of perceived inequalities in We will not find our way forward if we do “In 2013, only 9% income and opportunities, high unemployment of Canadians had and job insecurity, resistance to globalisation a great deal and concern over global pressures such as not trust one another or the institutions of confidence through which we make decisions. in the media; immigration and climate change, restoring trust only 10%, in is essential.” Trust is a valuable and fragile currency Parliament; and only 6%, in major The one silver lining in all of this is that that bolsters the social and economic corporations.” Canadians express higher levels of trust in health of a community. Trust builds government than do citizens of most OECD social cohesion and capital and is in turn countries. Notably, trust in institutions was especially high among recent immigrants strengthened by social capital. compared to those born in Canada. Women and older Canadians express higher levels of Low levels of trust mean greater economic costs – higher legal confidence than men and younger Canadians. fees, more complicated contracts, slower pace of transactions, Aboriginal people are less confident in risk aversion for investors, and non-compliance with regulations. institutions than are other Canadians. Canadians Low levels of trust translate into low voter turnouts and resistance with higher incomes and higher levels of to change. Low levels of trust lead to alienation and reluctance education express higher levels of confidence. to support social welfare programs. Citizens expect institutions to be reliable, responsive, and efficient. They expect them to act If people perceive that the system is rigged with integrity, openness, transparency, and fairness. If institutions against them, they will oppose it. For the past fail to honour these values, people will withdraw their support, 40 years, many Canadians have experienced and that is bad for everyone. Without trust, information flows and increased marginalization and increased communication are slowed, and compromise and policy reform in inequality, with a very few reaping a greater and areas like fair taxation and climate change is made more difficult. greater share of the economic pie. We are at a critical moment when transformational change According to the most recent Statistics Canada report on public is required to confront the climate crisis. Without confidence in Canadian institutions, 43% of Calgarians report some a political system we can trust, there is no good or a great deal of confidence in the federal Parliament, and only reason for those who have been marginalized 34% confidence in major corporations. The highest levels of trust to support change. Climate change and loss of were reported for the school system (63%) and the police (81%). In biodiversity are existential threats. We cannot fall 2019, when asked whether the City of Calgary practices open deal with them without simultaneously dealing and accessible government, is working to improve citizens' input, with inequality. We cannot deal with inequality and uses that input in decision making, and whether citizens have without fixing our democracy. Trust takes a long meaningful input, roughly 60% to 70% of Calgarians agreed. But time to build but can be destroyed in an instant. between 2017 and 2019, these areas exhibited negative overall trends, with “open and accessible government” experiencing the steepest decline. Those who expressed trust in City Hall fell from 62% in 2017 to 52% in 2019. During the same period, levels of distrust rose from 15% to 23%.
The Statistics Canada data highlight some serious problems when we examine how many people expressed “a great deal of confidence.” In 2013, only 9% of Canadians had a great deal of confidence in the media; only 10%, in Parliament; and only 6%, in major corporations. Of particular concern is the decreasing ability of civil society to hold elected officials accountable for resorting to half-truths and outright fabrications. We have entered a period when some leaders seem to have decided that lying and deception are winning strategies. Therefore, these findings have serious implications for our democracy and our economy. Ownership concentration of social media, combined with technological innovation and polarizations in society, have undermined our trust in institutions and in those who represent them.
The OECD report Trust and Public Policy highlights a noticeable
10 2020 STATE OF OUR CITY REPORT The Indicators Community Indicators
CRIME RATE & RATE OF LEISURE ACTIVITY MEMBERSHIP IN COMMUNITY VICTIMIZATION ASSOCIATIONS Both property crime As of 2019, 64% of In 2016, 29% of and person crime rates Albertans report respondents reported have been increasing participating in a membership in since 2016, after 40 sufficient amount of their community years of decline. physical activity for associations, health benefits. comparable to 30% In 2018 the estimated person crime rate per 100,000 people in Calgary was 1,041. The in 2009. This is a positive increase from 2017 estimated property crime rate was 4,493. (57%) and is the highest level of reported There are 151 community associations with physical activity since 2009. Over the membership in the Federation of Calgary past decade, the percentage of physically Communities. active Albertans has remained relatively consistent, fluctuating around an average of about 60%.
NUMBER OF & ATTENDANCE AT SENSE OF COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERISM ARTS EVENTS In 2018 approximately In 2014 an equivalent percentage of In 2013, 50% of Calgarians, Albertans, and Canadians 2.95 million people (67%) reported a very strong or somewhat Albertans volunteered – attended arts events in strong sense of belonging to their local more than the national community. The Calgary Foundation’s 2018 Calgary – equivalent to Vital Signs survey similarly reported that average of 44%. 2.33 visits/capita. roughly two-thirds of Calgarians reported a strong sense of belonging. But Alberta was behind Saskatchewan, the province with the highest rate (56%). This is a drop of 14% from 2017 (2.72 visits/ Albertans volunteered an average of 161 capita). The long-term trend is still positive. hours in 2013, more than the national In 2011 there were 2.05 million attendees average of 154 hours but less than Nova (1.88 visits/capita). Scotia at 181 hours. COMMUNITY 13 2018 2017 Person Property 2015 2013 Statistics Canada police-reported Statistics incidence of intimate partner violence people in in 2017 was 294 per 100,000 17% higher than the average Calgary, for all census metropolitan areas. Of 75% are female. victims in Calgary, 2011 youth sports when you witness it. such decrease domestic violence, of Calgary Centre as the Women’s (womenscentrecalgary.org). in Canada since 2002. The report also estimated that the cost of providing health care and other supports for victims of domestic violence are 6 times the costs of programs to combat domestic violence. Many women endure domestic violence because escaping from the violence often means joining the ranks of the homeless. DEFINITIONS The statistics on crime rates in Calgary were drawn from the Calgary Police 2005– Reports: Annual Statistical Service’s crime includes attempted and 2018. Person committed homicide; street, financial, and commercial robbery; sex offences; assault; kidnapping; extortion; and harassment. Property crime includes break and enter, theft, and fraud. & GET INVOLVED ACTION TAKE in behaviour • Call out unsportsman-like • Support organizations that work to rates of self-reported domestic violence in Alberta had been among the highest 2009 2007
Per 100,000 people 100,000 Per 2005 2003 PERSO A PROPERTY CRI E I CA ARY PERSO A PROPERTY 2001 1999 0 2020 STATE OF OUR CITY REPORT 2020 STATE 4,000 8,000 2,000 6,000 and Calgary Stampeder football games, and Calgary Stampeder the 2013 flood, and lower the Stampede, oil prices. A 2012 SPP report found that The way we design our city, communities, The way we design our city, and public spaces can deter crime and Neighbourhood gathering enhance safety. to build community gardens help spots like ties between neighbours while establishing Building a strong sense of community. caring communities where all healthy, citizens can enjoy the benefits of a city and contribute to the life of a city is one of the best ways to prevent crime. The 2017 SPP report showed a correlation between increased domestic violence these crimes, 43% were race and ethnicity these crimes, 43% were race and ethnicity related, 36% were religion related, and 10% were related to sexual orientation. LINKAGES A report of the University of Calgary’s (SPP) suggests that School of Public Policy the 50% increase in break and enters and vehicle theft from 2015 to 2018 in Calgary related to increased unemployment is likely and increased availability and use of drugs (particularly as related to the fentanyl and opioid crisis). feeling safer than they did between 2007 when 22% to 30% reported and 2010, but the last 3 years have feeling unsafe, seen an upward trend from a low of 15% in 2013. police-reported hate crimes Nationally, went up 40% between 2014 and 2018, Of from 1,295 reported crimes to 1,798.
do not feel safe walking alone in their neighbourhood after dark. Calgarians are According to the City’s 2019 Citizen According to the City’s 18% of Calgarians Satisfaction Survey, Vancouver, and 60 in Victoria. Calgary’s and 60 in Victoria. Calgary’s Vancouver, index was the highest it had been in 6 years after a historic low of 62 in 2012. rose 17% from 2014 to 2018. In Calgary index rose 21%. In the over the same time, 78 in 2018 the index was at 82 nationally, 72 in Montreal, 68 in Calgary and Toronto, After a steady decline between 2005 After violent crime severity and 2014, Canada’s Canada, index, developed by Statistics average for all census metropolitan areas. 75% were female. Of the victims in Calgary, According to Statistics Canada, police- According to Statistics reported incidence of intimate partner violence in 2017 was 294 per 100,000 17% higher than the people in Calgary, period. Sex crimes and assaults also decreased significantly. From 2000 to 2015, crime against persons From 2000 to 2015, crime against persons 41%. The declined by approximately number of youth accused of offences declined by almost 50% over that same and property crime rates in Calgary steadily decreased. Between 1999 and 2014, property crime declined by 60%. TREND From the early 1990s to 2015, both person lead people to stay behind locked doors lead people to stay behind locked and resist stepping out into the community, a walk or to participate in whether to take community life. the immediate victim: parents, children, witnesses, and the friends, co-workers, Fear of crime can community also suffer. through financial loss, physical injury, physical injury, through financial loss, alienation. The emotional trauma, and repercussions of a crime spread beyond IMPORTANCE component of key A sense of safety is a Crime directly a sustainable community. of life of victims decreases the quality Both rates have been increasing since Both rates have been decline. 2016, after 40 years of THE FACTS person crime rate In 2018 the estimated people in Calgary was 1,041. per 100,000 Crime Rate & Rate of Victimization of Rate & Rate Crime 14 COMMUNITY Men andwomen usethepathways those under35years. use thepathwaysforexercise comparedto and olderweresignificantlymore likely to pathway use. Respondents aged55years Age isapredictivefactorforthe typeof recreation (12%),andenjoyingnature (9%). dog walking(17%),commuting(15%), purposes. Othercommonreasonsincluded pathway usersusedthepathsforexercise Intercept Surveyreportedthat43%of system. The2010Pathway Research continue tovaluethecity’s pathway As ameansforexercise, Calgarians behaviours ofAlbertans. to haveastronginfluenceonthehealth accessibility andwork-life balancecontinue status. Thesepatternsindicatethat patterns inanindividual’s physicalactivity personal perceptionproducepredictable household income, educationlevel,and persistent. Factorssuchasage, annual Albertans. However, sometrendsremain general increaseinphysicalactivityforall Activity suggeststhattherehasbeena The 2019AlbertaSurveyonPhysical TREND vibrant communities. foster socialsupportnetworksandcaring, community level,leisureactivitycanhelpto to allotheraspectsoftheirlives.At the often bringpositive, productiveenergy experience rich,activeleisuretime emotional well-being.People who contribute tophysical,mental,and levels, andthepursuitofhobbies Physical activity, thereductionofstress balanced individualsandcommunities. Leisure timehelpstocreatehealthy, IMPORTANCE of about60%. consistent, fluctuatingaroundanaverage active Albertanshasremainedrelatively past decade, thepercentageofphysically physical activitysince2009. Overthe and isthehighestlevelofreported is apositiveincreasefrom2017(57%) physical activityforhealthbenefits.This participating inasufficientamountof As of2019, 64%ofAlbertansreport THE FACTS Leisure Activity well-being formany Albertans.Itis community engagement andinterpersonal health benefits;theyarealsoa sourceof Active lifestylesoffermorethan physical top participatorybarriertophysical activity. consistently beencitedbyAlbertans asa Survey in1980, financialrestrictionshave active. SincethefirstAlberta Recreation Calgarians arenotsufficientlyphysically of themostcommonlycitedreasonswhy Survey, financialandtimerestrictionsare2 According totheAlbertaRecreation related barrierstophysicalactivity. must bemaintainedtoreduceseason- physical activity, pedestrianinfrastructure With seniorsreportingthelowestlevelof 2031, 1in5Albertanswillbeasenior. active lifestyle. Itisestimatedthatby essential toCalgariansmaintainingan and accessibilitytooutdoorspacesare It seems,then,thattheenvironment the mostimportantbenefitsofrecreation. the preservationofnaturetobeone Additionally, 56%ofAlbertansconsider recreational activityamongAlbertans. was reportedtobethemostcommon in outdoorrecreationalactivities.Walking Survey, Calgariansfrequentlyparticipate According tothe2017AlbertaRecreation LINKAGES 21% in2013to25%2016. the numberoffemalecyclists,risingfrom Pedestrian Countindicatedanincreasein cycling. However, the2016Bicycleand while menaremorelikely tousethemfor them forwalkingornatureobservation differently. Women morefrequentlyuse 60% 50% 20% 80% 40% 30% 70% 10% 2020 STATE OFOURCITYREPORT 0 1995 1997 1999 TO E PERIE CE EA T E EFITS POPU ATIO ACTI E E OU 2000 2002 2005 income levelsbeabletoaffordanactive therefore crucialthatAlbertansofall • Joinorstartaweeklydailywalking • Explorethemanypathwaysystems • Take classesatorbecomeamember TAKE ACTION &GETINVOLVED 2017 AlbertaRecreation Survey. Alberta SurveyonPhysicalActivityandthe in recreationactivitiesisfromthe2019 an averageweek.Statistics onparticipation in strenuous,moderate, andmildactivityin from surveysoftimespentbyindividuals enough toexperiencehealthbenefitsis percentage ofpeoplephysicallyactive the AlbertaCentreforActiveLiving.The Survey onPhysicalActivity–areportof in Calgaryisfromthe2019Alberta Information aboutphysicalactivitylevels DEFINITIONS lifestyle. 2007 group. foot orbybike. and parksinallareasofCalgaryon (ywcalgary.ca). YMCA (ymcacalgary.org) andYWCA of fitnesscentreslike theCalgary 2009 physically active. reasons Calgariansarenotsufficiently are 2ofthemostcommonlycited Survey, financialandtimerestrictions According totheAlbertaRecreation 2011 2013 2015 Alberta Calgary 2017
COMMUNITY 15 community association. community associations from the Federation of Calgary Communities (calgarycommunities.com). The 2009 data are found in the Signposts data are found in the The 2009 the City of Calgary II report published by from a random in 2013 and were derived Calgarians. The 2008 sample of 3,000 by the survey was commissioned Communities as part Federation of Calgary of Project Intelligence. & GET INVOLVED ACTION TAKE of your • Become an active member more about Calgary’s • Learn
2020 STATE OF OUR CITY REPORT 2020 STATE survey of 2,800 Calgarians (Community Needs and Preferences Research) conducted for the City of Calgary. transportation, and planning – important contributions to city building and healthy communities. activities help the residents build CA stronger support networks and social contacts. Health Canada notes that people exposed to these social determinants of have health experience less heart disease, lower premature death rates, and are more life. to participate in community likely DEFINITIONS Ipsos from an The 2016 data are taken perceptions that they promote NIMBYism perceptions that they promote NIMBYism and are unrepresentative of the community as a whole. LINKAGES Surveys indicate that many households of sports advantage to take join their CA and recreational opportunities, thereby promoting healthy lifestyles. to give residents the opportunity CAs improve local neighbourhoods through volunteer involvement in environment, and resident associations in newer and resident associations communities. Governments benefit through reduced demand for servicing communities that are funded in part by homeowner and resident associations. Whether this has freed up more funding for community associations is an open question. There is also a concern that an amenity gap has been created between newer communities with homeowner and resident associations and older communities with CAs. they face challenges such evolve, As CAs as effective mobilization of residents and In response to the PI and City reports, to the PI and City reports, In response Communities the Federation of Calgary to increase has focused on programs around non- knowledge and capacity financial management, profit governance, 58 workshops and urban planning, with 2019 alone. people in reaching almost 1,000 funding for Insufficient and unstable has led to recreational amenities in homeowner mandatory membership Membership in Community Associations in Community Membership programs are offered. that people have no time, they aren’t they aren’t that people have no time, interested, the programs offered aren’t of interest, or they do not know what 68% of Calgarians were aware of their community association. The most common reasons given for non-participation were average for organizations of comparable size and mission. A 2016 City of Calgary report found that management, community outreach, and governance is needed, while compensation the employees is generally below for CA old and in need of repair or replacement. As well, training for employees and volunteers programming, financialin areas like PI found that, although CAs play a vital role play a PI found that, although CAs they urgently need in the life of the city, resources. Many association buildings are significantly lower among visible minorities, significantly lower among visible minorities, 18- to 34-year-olds, and households annually. making less than $60,000 every 3 months, a relatively small number of volunteers did most of the work. The survey also found that awareness of and was membership and participation in CAs Project Intelligence (PI) report found that although half of Calgary households activities at least once participated in CA TREND Membership in community associations A 2008 appears to be holding steady. promote participation, social support, neighbourliness, cooperation, shared visions, and trust. to the creation of what we call social capital: they create community cohesion; foster independence and creativity; and and responsibility afforded to community and responsibility afforded in large part because associations (CAs), contribute CAs of their proactive history. Communities. IMPORTANCE of the status Calgary is unique in terms associations, comparable to 30% in 2009. to 30% in 2009. associations, comparable associations with There are 151 community of Calgary membership in the Federation THE FACTS reported In 2016, 29% of respondents membership in their community 16 COMMUNITY from $6.4million to$12.4million. City Councilincreased theCAD budget recognition oftheimportance thearts, up from$3.75 millionin2009. In2018, in $5.14 millionthrough 6grantingprograms, In 2018CAD reportedcontributionsof Greater ForestLawn. its annual4-dayeventinEllistonPark in has regularlyattractedover100,000 to Since itsbeginningsin2003,Globalfest 2018, itssecond-highestattendanceever. World FilmFestival,attracted38,000 in with itsrootsintheArushaCentre’s One the CalgaryInternationalFilmFestival, From aninitialaudienceof8,000 in 2000, approximately 40,000 attendeesin2018. steadily sinceitsfoundingin2007, with of OurCityReport. SledIslandhasgrown come onthescenesincefirst State in thecity. Othermajorfestivalshave 1980, isthemostestablishedmajorfestival The Calgary Folk MusicFestival,foundedin variety offestivaleventsthaneverbefore. More Calgariansareenjoyingawider people (0.45 visits/capita)at14festivals. Development (CAD) registered565,000 By comparison,in2018CalgaryArts the top10festivals(0.38 visits/capita). estimated that411,000 peopleattended In 2010aSustainableCalgarysurvey TREND or volunteer. take part,whetherasparticipant,spectator, arts affordanewoutlooktothosewho expressing meaninginourdailylives.The great valueontheartsforfindingand the arts.Asustainablecommunityplaces derived fromcreatingandparticipatingin than tointangiblessuchastheenjoyment less likely tobelinked tohigherincome being, qualityoflifeandhappinessare Beyond acertainlevelofmaterialwell- IMPORTANCE visits/capita). there were2.05 millionattendees(1.88 The long-termtrendisstillpositive. In2011 drop of14%from2017(2.72 visits/capita). equivalent to2.33visits/capita.Thisisa people attendedartseventsinCalgary– In 2018approximately 2.95million THE FACTS Number of&Attendance atArtsEvents individuals often findthatfestivalsand issue. Lower-income familiesand Equitable accesstotheartsisan ongoing $7.02, andCalgaryat$6.50. at $9.35, Toronto at$8.90, Winnipegat followed byEdmontonat$13.54, Montreal receiving $19.36/capita inartsgrants, CAD datafrom2015showVancouver Canadian citieswithrespecttoartsgrants. Still, Calgarylagsbehindallmajor supported 716full-timeequivalentstaff. 7,125 artistswerehiredandtheartssector grew by18%inthesameperiod.In2018, 18% since2009. Calgary’s population expenditures reached$125million,up diversification. In2018Calgarians’ arts The artscontributetoeconomic contribution valuedatmorethan$12million. supported by23,500volunteersin2018,a bring peopletogether. Theartswere way and86%believethattheartshelp Calgarians engageintheartssome A 2016CAD surveyfoundthat92%of LINKAGES Inglewood in2013. 2017; andtheopeningofFestivalHallin 2011 andtheopeningoftheirbuildingin both in2012;thecreationofcSpace the CulturalLeaders Legacy ArtistAwards, Cultural Capitalandtheestablishmentof 2011; thenamingofCalgaryasCanada’s the establishmentofaPoet Laureate in including thecreationofCAD in2005; have celebratedmanymilestones, Over thepast20years,artsinCalgary 2020 STATE OFOURCITYREPORT 2.5 0.5 2.0 0.0 3.5 3.0 1.5 1.0 2009 2010 ARTS E E TS ATTE A CE PERCAPITA 2011 2012 2013 2014 reach economically. Additionally, aCAD other artsandculturaleventsareoutof • Attend someofthemanyfestivals • Volunteer foryourfavouritearts TAKE ACTION &GETINVOLVED own surveyofthetop10festivalsincity. 2014, SustainableCalgarycarriedoutits community events,andfestivals.Priorto organizations, professionalevents, on attendanceattheir10cornerstone CAD AccountabilityReports. CAD reports The attendancedataaretaken fromthe DEFINITIONS than 30%oftheirincomeonhousing. $35,000 annuallyand50%spentmore artists reportedincomesoflessthan 2017 foundthathalfofCalgaryprofessional Arts ProfessionalSurveycarriedoutin (calgarycinema.org). com), CinemathequeCalgary (globalfest.ca), SledIsland(sledisland. (calgaryfolkfest.com), GlobalFest in Calgary:CalgaryFolkMusicFestival organization. 2015 2016 economically. and culturaleventsareoutofreach often findthatfestivalsandotherarts Lower-income familiesandindividuals 2017 2018 2019
COMMUNITY 17 2018 2017 2015 A strong sense of community is related to lower mental illness and higher suicide rates, less child abuse, quality of child rearing, physical improvements in neighbourhoods, and greater resiliency reduced crime, among individuals. 2013 Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association Calgary Immigrant Women’s (ciwa-online.com). 2011 groups of people may be excluded from groups of people may be excluded healthy Inclusive, community membership. communities are those in which diverse groups of people feel welcome and connected. DEFINITIONS Sense of community (SOC) can be defined as a sense of belonging to community and having feelings one’s and support fellowship, of reciprocity, among community members. The Statistics Canada General Social Survey asks people to rate their sense of belonging to community as very strong, somewhat strong, somewhat weak, or very weak. & GET INVOLVED ACTION TAKE or offer financial support to the • Volunteer is frequently reported among people with shared identities, marginalized 2009 Rated somewhat strong or very strong Rated 2007 SE SE OF E O I TO A OCA CO U ITY A OCA TO SE SE OF E O I 2005 Canada Alberta Calgary *Data not available for 2004 and 2006 2003 2020 STATE OF OUR CITY REPORT 2020 STATE 70% 80% 50% 60% from a strong SOC, it is also important to recognize possible negative ways Since SOC in which SOC may operate. volunteering. Individuals with a higher SOC tend to be happier and less worried, and A to have a greater sense of competence. strong SOC is also related to lower rates less child of mental illness and suicide, child rearing, physical higher-quality abuse, improvements in neighbourhoods, reduced among and greater resiliency crime, have also shown that individuals. Studies SOC can have a significant influence on the relative success of economic development efforts. While all these positive benefits arise SW of the city reported higher levels of sense of belonging than those in the SE or to have a weak those more likely NE. Also, sense of belonging were unemployed (44% of unemployed individuals reported a weak sense of belonging). LINKAGES has many show that a strong SOC Studies benefits for individuals and communities. It is related to greater feelings of safety and security and to increased levels of voting, recycling, helping others, and belonging among Calgarians; however, belonging among Calgarians; however, their survey also indicated differences in sense of belonging among various demographic and spatial divides. Sense of belonging increased with age: 83% of seniors over the age of 65 reported a strong sense of belonging while only 64% of people under 35 reported a strong in the NW and sense of belonging. People
The Calgary Foundation’s 2018 Vital The Calgary Foundation’s Signs survey indicated a strong sense of strong sense of belonging to their local community. a strong sense of belonging to their local community and 78% of residents of reported a Newfoundland and Labrador For example, in 2018, 69% of Albertans in 2018, For example, reported a strong sense of belonging to while in the same their local community, 70% of British Columbians reported year, ratings with other jurisdictions, however, ratings with other jurisdictions, however, sense of indicates that Albertans’ high. belonging is not exceptionally would show a similar increase. would show a similar increase. A comparison of sense-of-belonging highest SOC among Calgarians since 2003. Data for Alberta and for Canada SOC increased from show that people’s expect that Calgary data 2015 to 2018. We sense of belonging in Calgary and Alberta sense of belonging in Calgary and Alberta is slightly higher than it was in the previous 10 years. The 2014 survey reported the TREND results from the Canadian Recent Community Health Survey indicate that types of interactions often help us feel at home in our neighbourhood and rooted within the larger city. recognize it in neighbourly and friendly waving, chatting, visiting, actions like These lending items, and giving assistance. your community, the ability to meet most of your community, and your needs through your community, a feeling of being emotionally connected We and committed to your community. complex idea, composed of several elements – a feeling of belonging or membership and of having influence in IMPORTANCE sense of Most people understand it is a Yet community (SOC) intuitively. Vital Signs survey similarly reported that Vital Signs survey similarly Calgarians reported a roughly two-thirds of strong sense of belonging. (67%) reported a very strong or somewhat (67%) reported a very to their local strong sense of belonging 2018 Calgary Foundation’s The community. THE FACTS percentage of In 2014 an equivalent and Canadians Calgarians, Albertans, Sense of Community Sense 18 COMMUNITY made tocharitable organizationswas In 2013inAlberta, theaveragedonation contributed byjust10%ofthepopulation. in 2013,53%ofallvolunteerhours were in averagehoursvolunteered.However, when Albertaranked fifthamongprovinces hrs), andreboundingto161hours in2013, falling backto2000levelsin2010(140 (175 hrs),dippingslightlyin2007(172 increasing from2000(139hrs)to2004 volunteer hasfluctuatedsignificantly, The numberofhoursthatAlbertans less thantheprovincialaverageof55%. 50% ofCalgariansvolunteeredin2010– Foundation’s VitalSignsreportedthatonly level arehardertocomeby, buttheCalgary place in2013.Volunteer statisticsatthecity among allprovincesandtiedforfourth has consistentlyranked thirdorfourth dropped forthefirsttimein13years.Alberta to 55%in2010. In2013thispercentage and 2010, jumpingfrom39%in2000 showed asteadyincreasebetween2000 The percentageofAlbertanswhovolunteer TREND new skills. to make newfriends,network,andgain their community. Itisalsoanexcellent way on makingacontributiontocauseor individuals asenseofsatisfactionbased On apersonallevel,volunteerismoffers it, andthecaretheyaffordit. community, theresponsibilitytheyfeelfor of people’s senseofbelongingtotheir crisis. Volunteering isagoodindicator and intheresponsetoSyrian refugee during thepost-floodcleanupin2013 years, ithasbeenparticularlyapparent defining characteristicofCalgary. Inrecent The spiritofvolunteerismhasbeena IMPORTANCE Scotia at181hours. average of154hoursbutlessthanNova hours in2013,morethanthenational Albertans volunteeredanaverageof161 reported thehighestratesinCanada(56%). 44% butlessthanSaskatchewan,which – morethanthenationalaverageof In 2013,50%ofAlbertansvolunteered THE FACTS Volunteerism rise tofillthegaps. Eldercareisaperfect and socialservices, volunteerlevelsmay withdraw fundingforeducation, health, On acautionarynote, asgovernments satisfaction. including mortality, mentalhealth,andlife volunteering improveshealthoutcomes, billion in2017andcitesresearchthat dollar valueofvolunteeringatnearly$56 Board ofCanadastudyestimatedthe (1 millionjobsinCanada).AConference full-time jobstotheAlbertaeconomy equivalent of$5.6 billionand140,000 In 2013volunteerscontributedthe who volunteer. enriched bythecontributionofparents and foodbanks.Ourschoolsystemisalso on volunteers,asdomanylibraryprograms bird counts.Mostcityfestivalsrelyheavily habitat protectionprogramsandtheannual sustainability ofourcommunity, suchas activities thatcontributetotheecological Volunteerism isoftenthecatalystfor LINKAGES to charities. to accountformostofthemoneydonated those whovolunteermorehoursalsotend Labrador (87%).Research confirmsthat and wasbehindonlyNewfoundland that year, AlbertatiedwithSaskatchewan in 2013,thehighestratehistorically. In aged 15yearsandolder, 85%donated Canadian averageof$531.OfallAlbertans country andsignificantlymorethanthe donation amountwasthehighestin $863, upfrom$586in2004.The2013 2020 STATE OFOURCITYREPORT 60% 0 2000 39% A ERTA O U TEER RATES
55% 2010 Research onPublicPolicy estimatedthat example. A2015studybytheInstitutefor • CheckouttheVolunteer Centreof • SupporttheInstituteforResearch on TAKE ACTION &GETINVOLVED data in2020. their household.Canadawillrelease2018 neighbours, andfamilymembersoutsideof when peoplecasuallyassistfriends, volunteerism occursmorespontaneously, a volunteerorcharitableactivity. Informal as intentional,organizedparticipationin and older. Formalvolunteerismisdefined volunteerism amongCanadians15years indicator measurestherateofformal Canada GeneralSocialSurvey).This Volunteering andParticipation (Statistics and 2013NationalSurveyofGiving, the 1997, 2000, 2004,2007, 2010, Provincial andnationaldatacomefrom DEFINITIONS family members. 11 to20hoursperweekofcaregivingfor 20% ofwomenand15%menprovide community. for opportunitiestovolunteerinyour Calgary, orPropellus(propellus.org) content/uploads/2015/12/study-no58.pdf). caregiver support(https://irpp.org/wp- Public Policy’s recommendationsfor (1 millioninCanada). full-time jobstotheAlbertaeconomy equivalent of$5.6 billionand 140,000 In 2013volunteerscontributedthe 50% 2013 Economic Indicators
HOUSING AFFORDABILITY OIL & GAS RELIANCE INDEX UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
According to the 2016 census, In 2018 Calgary’s oil In 2019 Calgary had the approximately 22.2% (103,290) of all Calgary households spent 30% or more and gas reliance (OGR) highest unemployment of their gross income on housing. The index stood at 34.9. rate of Canada’s 6 City of Calgary reported that 19% (88,000 households) of households earning less largest cities. Approximately 5.4% of Calgary’s workforce, than $60,000 annually are currently in about 47,000 people, were directly need of affordable housing. The 2018 In 2019 Calgary’s unemployment rate was employed in the primary sector industries Point-in-Time (PiT) Homeless Count found 7.2% compared with a national rate of of forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, 2,911 people experiencing homelessness 5.6%. This is almost a complete reversal and oil and gas. Primary sector industries in Calgary. from 2011, when nationwide unemployment and utilities contributed about $36 billion sat at 7.5% and Calgary’s unemployment (28.4%) of Calgary’s GDP in 2018. In rate was 5.8%. Alberta, the value of oil and gas exports in 2018 was $84 billion – 71% of all merchandise exports.
HOURS REQUIRED TO MEET FOOD BANK USAGE INCOME EQUITY: GAP BETWEEN BASIC NEEDS AT MINIMUM WAGE RICH & POOR To meet basic needs at minimum wage In 2018 the Calgary In 2017 the ratio of in Calgary in 2018, a single parent with 2 children had to work 55.35 hours/week Food Bank Society Alberta’s top 20% of at the minimum wage of $15.00/hour. (CFB) distributed earners to the bottom This has improved considerably since 2004 (111 hours/week at a minimum wage 9.4 million lbs. of 20% was 26 to 1. of $5.90/hour). A living wage in 2018 food through 83,401 was $20.76. That was down from 32 to 1 in 2016 but hampers, providing up from 25 to 1 in 2015. To be considered food for 192,391 in the top 1% of earners in Canada, you require an income greater than Calgarians. $235,000. 20 ECONOMY adopted anew policy thatwillcontribute units by2024.In May2019, CityCouncil 26,000 additionalaffordablehousing the nationalaverage, Calgarywill need units is6%.InCalgary, itis3.6%. To meet average supplyofnon-market housing In Canada’s othermajor cities,the limited. in Canada,andthesupplyamongmost market rentalratesareamongthehighest least $53,000 peryear. Calgary’s low-end affordable, ahouseholdmustbeearningat in 2016was$1,308.Forthisunittobe monthly rentfora2-bedroomdwelling 1991 and4%since2006.Theaverage properties. Thisisanincreaseof6%since and 36%areunabletoaffordtheirrental renting, 10.2% areinsubsidizedhousing Of thosehouseholdsinCalgarythatare Calgary homeownersoverspentonhousing. Comparatively, in1997only7.5% ofall households wereoverspendingonhousing. mortgage. Ofthesehomeowners,16.5%of Calgary householdsownhomeswitha According to2016censusdata,66%of and ithasdeclinedsignificantlysince1997. considerably worsethanitwasin2006 improved from2010to2016,itisstill Although housingaffordabilityinCalgary TREND stability, andsecurity. health, financialflexibility, independence, It contributestobettermentalandphysical housing iswovenintoallpartsofourlives. household. Suitableandaffordable and mostunavoidableexpenseofany a humanright.Housingisthehighest The UnitedNationsconsidershousing IMPORTANCE in Calgary. 2,911 peopleexperiencinghomelessness Point-in-Time (PiT)HomelessCountfound need ofaffordablehousing.The2018 than $60,000 annuallyarecurrentlyin households) ofhouseholdsearningless City ofCalgaryreportedthat19%(88,000 of theirgrossincomeonhousing.The Calgary householdsspent30%ormore approximately 22.2%(103,290)ofall According tothe2016census, THE FACTS Housing Affordability According tothe CanadaMortgageand DEFINITIONS secondary education,anddental visits. essentials like nutritiousfood,post- housing, theytendtocutbackon When familiesareoverspending on and highergreenhousegasemissions. congestion, lessleisuretimewithfamilies, City sprawlcontributestomoretraffic homes). 848 homes)and$80,000 (125%or2,228 homes), followedbythe$50,000 (1570%or $60,000 incomebracket (1800%or1,677 greatest increaseinchoiceoccurredatthe buyer, basedonJune2011MLSdata.The would havebeenavailabletoahome- 26% and1800%morehomesforsale and putthesavingsintohousing,between purchase ofacar, orasecondthirdcar, found thatifahouseholdcouldavoidthe Affordable Living:Housing+ Transportation The 2016SustainableCalgaryreport attributable tohighertransportationcosts. results inhighercostsofliving,mostly the “drive’tilyouqualify”approachoften facto affordabilitystrategyinCalgary. But Building outintogreenfieldsisthede LINKAGES substance use. job lossand25%duetoaddictionor Another 16%becamehomelessdueto were unabletopaytheirrentormortgage. became homelessdidsobecausethey population. InAlberta,15%ofthosewho they represented20%ofthehomeless population identifiesasIndigenous, showed thatwhileonly3%ofthegeneral by 19%.The2018PiTHomelessCount Homelessness, homelessnesshasdropped 2008 ofCalgary’s 10Year PlantoEnd years. Sincetheimplementationin Calgary hadrisenby650%over10 count showedthathomelessnessin experiencing homelessness.The2008 1992 foundthat447individualswere Calgary’s firsteverhomelesscountin affordable housingevery2years. 10 Cityparcelstodevelopersofnon-profit Calgary. Thepolicyallowsthesaleofupto to buildingmorenon-market housingin 2020 STATE OFOURCITYREPORT when ahouseholdspendslessthan30% Housing Corporation,housingisaffordable • Explorethepossibilityofco-ophousingin • Learn moreabouthomelessnessin • AdvocateforaNationalHousingStrategy TAKE ACTION &GETINVOLVED Housing andHomelessness). Count Technical Report (7Citieson 2018 AlbertaPoint-in-Time Homeless Housing Strategy 2016–2025,andthe census data,CalgaryCorporateAffordable indicator camefromStatistics Canada on April11inCalgary. Informationforthis one night.The2018PiTcounttookplace of peopleexperiencinghomelessnesson counts provideasnapshotofthenumber 30% ofitsgrossincomeonshelter. ThePiT Median Incomeandspendsmorethan it earnslessthan65%oftheCalgaryArea household needsaffordablehousingwhen shelter. AccordingtotheCity’s definition,a of theirbefore-taxincomeonadequate (sacha-coop.ca). Co-operative HousingAssociation Alberta attheSouthern Foundation (calgaryhomeless.com). Calgary fromtheHomeless housing co-opsandlandtrusts. to fundnon-market alternativeslike SPE I O OUSI I CA ARY 453,626 Households Non-market
spending housing Met by market
Over ECONOMY 21 2018 2016 2014 2012
2010 2008 (belocal.org). Finance and Enterprise). These three values are reflected as percentages, which are then added together and divided by 3. An index of 100 would be total reliance. & GET INVOLVED ACTION TAKE • Support local business at Be Local insurance and movement toward a a progressive taxation system. Moreover, more sustainable economic development strategy should focus on activating the community economic development drivers sustainability and on the cluster of key challenges facing Calgary. 2005 Citizens’ Sustainable Calgary’s recommended refocusing Agenda Report on economic development opportunities in affordable housing, energy conservation and renewable energy sources, waste management, human-powered transportation, immigrant workforce expansion, green building design, and transit- and community-oriented development. DEFINITIONS The OGR index is derived by determining contribution the oil and gas industry’s economy: to three areas of Calgary’s employment (the Conference Board of GDP Canada Metropolitan Outlook Report), (the Conference Board of Canada), and net exports (Government of Alberta, Alberta provide resilience during the bust, including changes to unemployment 2006 2004 2002 2000 1990 CA ARY S OI A AS RE IA CE I E OI A AS CA ARY S 1998 1996 1994 1992
1987 2020 STATE OF OUR CITY REPORT 2020 STATE 5 0 15 10 35 40 30 25 20 Clearly, not enough reforms were Clearly, to during the boom time undertaken 0.93 and 0.86, respectively. and 0.86, 0.93 LINKAGES to our Economic diversification is linked Many Calgarians have sense of community. experienced the impact of the boom-and- bust cycles in oil and gas. Although Calgary has the largest number of millionaires per capita of any Canadian city and Canada’s in recent most productive workforce, years, the city has experienced increased unemployment, declining job growth, falling home prices, higher emigration, and slower population growth. There were only 57 business bankruptcies There were only 57 business bankruptcies in Calgary in 2018, three fewer than in 2017 but the second-highest number since 2014. The Conference Board of Canada has an economic diversification index for Canadian cities, scaled, in terms of from 0 to increasing economic diversity, this index was 0.77; 1. In 2009 Calgary’s From a reached a nadir in 2012 of 0.74. it dropped slightly in 2017, high of 0.83 The same index rated in 2018 to 0.81. at 0.83, Saskatoon, and Toronto Vancouver, 2012 was 5%. Since 2016, the rate has it was remained above 25%. In late 2019, among in January 2020, Moreover, 27.2%. cities, Calgary was second 7 major Canada’s from the bottom in terms of number of new housing starts and fourth in total value of building permits, and outperformed only Edmonton in MLS benchmark composite housing price growth.
The downtown office vacancy rate in is Canada’s administrative centre for oil and and administrative centre for oil is Canada’s gas and has the second-largest number of corporate headquarters in Canada. 32.4, but it has averaged 34.8 since 2010. 32.4, but it has averaged 34.8 since 2010. The average of the past 10 years is just below the 1990s average of 35.4. Calgary The 2018 OGR index is above the long- The index is down term average of 34.1. From from a historic high of 38.8 in 1987. the index averaged just 2000 to 2009, was $47.52, the second-highest average was $47.52, among all industries. were engaged in mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction, and the average hourly wage in those combined sectors recent boom times have furthered locked recent boom times have furthered locked dependency on oil and gas. in Calgary’s businesses In 2018 only 1.9% of Calgary’s factors are not negatively correlated. The sharp decrease in oil prices in 2014 did not decrease the OGR index. In fact, the Unsurprisingly, the OGR index is positively Unsurprisingly, correlated with oil prices, and the sharp rise in oil prices through 2007 and 2008 these 2 increased the index. However, TREND to economy remains tethered Calgary’s the fortunes of the oil and gas industry. making becomes heavily influenced by the making becomes heavily influenced by the dominant economic player. is better able to withstand economic prices. downturns and fluctuating market not on a single industry is also Reliance since decision- healthy for democracy, IMPORTANCE A diverse economy that does not rely on or sector employer, a single resource, exports in 2018 was $84 billion – 71% of all exports in 2018 was $84 merchandise exports. mining, quarrying, and oil and gas. Primary mining, quarrying, and utilities contributed sector industries and GDP of Calgary’s about $36 billion (28.4%) value of oil and gas in 2018. In Alberta, the 5.4% of Calgary’s workforce, about 47,000 47,000 about workforce, 5.4% of Calgary’s were directly employed in the people, fishing, forestry, of industries sector primary THE FACTS oil and gas reliance In 2018 Calgary’s Approximately 34.9. (OGR) index stood at Oil & Gas Reliance Index Gas Reliance Oil & 22 ECONOMY Development and theInformationand For example, Calgary Economic sustainable economicfuturefor Calgary. provides adirectpathwaytomore Continued economicdiversification sluggish atbest. transition toapost–fossilfueleconomy is that remainunfilled.Momentumtoward data scientists,coders,andprogrammers created approximately 2,000 jobsfor city’s emergingtechnologysectorhas On theotherhand,expansionof will likely neverreturntohistoricallevels. the climateemergency, jobsinthatsector automation andthegatheringthreatof to dominatetheeconomy, butwith The oilandgassectorcontinues in 2018. vacancy rate, whichpeaked at27.8% in arapidlyincreasingdowntownoffice with thechangingnatureofwork,resulted energy sectoralonein2015.This,along that Albertashednearly20,000 jobsinthe 2015/16 Albertarecession.Itisestimated a peakof9.4% in2016attheheightof unemployment averaged6.4%,reaching stood at8.2%.From2011to2019, Calgary’s improvement from2018,whentherate The 2019unemploymentrateisan TREND employment challenges. critically importanttoaddressingsystemic bold environmentalandclimatepolicy, is economy, alongwiththeintegrationof The continueddiversificationoftheCalgary participate inthelifeoftheircommunity. necessities oflifeandtheresourcesto meaningful andthatprovidesforthe to theircommunitywithworkthatis should havetheopportunitytocontribute In asustainablecommunity, allpeople IMPORTANCE rate was5.8%. sat at7.5% andCalgary’s unemployment from 2011,whennationwideunemployment 5.6%. Thisisalmostacompletereversal was 7.2% comparedwithanationalrateof cities. In2019Calgary’s unemploymentrate unemployment rateofCanada’s 6largest In 2019Calgaryhadthehighest THE FACTS Unemployment Rate
Calgary isthemost unequallargecity 20,000 jobs. transit. Stage 1oftheGreenLinewillcreate effective creatorsofjobsisbuilding mass Dollar fordollar, oneofthemostcost- car tohaveaccessawiderrange ofjobs. own –andoftencannotafford to own–a help peoplewhodonotdriveor convenient, affordable, andefficientcan gaining employment.Publictransitthatis of transportationcanpreventpeoplefrom Sometimes, structuralbarrierssuchaslack can finditverydifficulttosecurenewjobs. displacement, andonceunemployed,they literacy skillsarevulnerabletolayoffand Workers withlittleeducationorpoor strongly linked tounemploymentrates. Levels ofeducationandliteracyare can suffer. unemployed citizensandtheirfamilies unemployment, andthebasichealthof can becomeoverloadedintimesofhigh as affordablehousingandfoodbanks these programsincreases.Servicessuch unemployed citizens,whiledemandfor are availabletosupportprogramsfor people earningwages,fewertaxdollars drain acityofitsprosperity. Withfewer High levelsofunemploymentcan LINKAGES the neweconomy. gain theskillstheyneedtoparticipatein unemployed oilandgassectorworkers recently launchedanonlinetooltohelp Communications Technology Council 10% 12% 6% 2% 8% 4% 2020 STATE OFOURCITYREPORT 1987
1989 1991 1993 1995 CA ARY S U E P OY E T RATE 1997 1999
2001 2003 in 2019hadthehighestunemployment in Canadatermsofincomegap, and • Supportorganizationsthatadvocate TAKE ACTION &GETINVOLVED Statistics Canada. Census MetropolitanAreaandarefrom cited inthisindicatorarefortheCalgary or activelylookingforwork.Thefigures who areemployed(part-timeandfull-time) force includesindividualsaged15andover force whoarewithoutwork.Thelabour proportion ofthepopulationinlabour The unemploymentratemeasuresthe DEFINITIONS comes withit. and theoutsizedecologicalfootprintthat continue torelyonagrowingeconomy the wealthmorefairlywithouthavingto we cancreatemorejobsanddistribute country. Fromasustainabilitypointofview, generates morewealththananycityinthe rate. At thesametime, oureconomystill 2005 Income Calgary(basicincomecalgary.ca). for abasicincomeall,suchasBasic 2007 2009 challenges. to addresssystemicemployment climate policy, iscriticallyimportant integration ofboldenvironmentaland Calgary economy, alongwiththe The continueddiversificationofthe 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 ECONOMY 23 2018 2016 2014 2012 2010 2008 asking them to support universal pharmacare and universal dental care. in Calgary through organizations Vibrant Communities Calgary like and through the (vibrantcalgary.com) use of local currency (calgarydollars.ca). family on food, shelter, and clothing. family on food, shelter, These calculations assume an average work week of 40 hours and 2 weeks of with all 13 statutory vacation annually, The LICO is used for this holidays taken. assessment as it has been calculated so long-term trends can be since 1959, established. It is also the measure used by the City of Calgary to determine if people qualify for subsidies. & GET INVOLVED ACTION TAKE or call your MP and premier, • Write • Advocate for poverty reduction which families are expected to spend 20 percentage points more than the average 2006 2004 2002 2000 For a single parent with 2 children in Calgary For a single parent with 2 children 1998 1996 1994