Friday, January 29, 2016

CIES Hosts Calgary's Immigration Sector


Yesterday afternoon CIES hosted the Immigrant Language & Vocational Assessment Referral Centre (ILVARC) Advisory Committee Meeting presented by ILVARC Director Shiraz Amiry. A regular who's who of Calgary's Immigrant Services and Settlement Agencies, the quarterly meeting allows the sector to exchange information and ideas, as well as to receive updates on federal and provincial funding, the Language Instruction for Newcomer providers throughout the city, as well as Immigrant Services Calgary and ILVARC itself. Those in attendance included representatives from Bow Valley College, Equilibrium, Columbia College, YWCA, Centre for Newcomers, Immigrant Services Calgary, Alberta Works, Alberta Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour, Calgary Immigrant Women's Association, Alberta Association of Immigrant Settlement Agencies, Chinook Learning Centre, Alberta International Medical Graduates Association, Momentum, and the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society amongst others.

Taking centre stage throughout was the sector's and the city's capacity to handle the influx of Syrian refugees.  Addressing this concern, the Alberta Association of Immigrant Settlement Agencies (AAISA) Research and Policy Coordinator Caroline Hemstock offered all those in attendance a provincial look at the resettlement of Syrian refugees with a brief but detailed presentation of facts and figures.

The meeting later moved to group discussions, then updates and feedback on the challenges facing the sector and was wrapped up by scheduling the next meeting for May 5th. It was a privilege for CIES to host such an event and we look forward to collaborating with our sector's collective family in order to reach our unified goal of providing the services and programs needed to help newcomers to Canada become productive and successful members of society. For more pictures of the event CLICK HERE



Thursday, January 28, 2016

Financial Literacy @ CIES

Understanding financial matters, complicated budgets and the overall economic nature of a country is challenging enough on its own. When doing so in a new country and in a different language, things can quickly move from challenging to overwhelming. Many scrape by with little understanding of what budgeting in Canada entails until creditors come knocking or they have an emergency and unpleasant realities have to be confronted.

At the very least designing a budget will help you to figure out where your money is going and where you can cut back. The tricky part is sticking to your budget.

Financial literacy is an essential skill that needs ongoing attention – today’s labour markets dictate that individuals have a high level of financial literacy. If left unchecked, the low numeracy skills in Canada could affect Canada’s ability to compete in the global economy.

The Money Smart Financial Literacy Project aims to inform low income newcomers and financially challenged individuals about:


  • The financial services in Canada
  • Banking system in Canada: different banks, services, accounts, mortgages, how to obtain credit, the fee for service
  • Assistance in developing skill, knowledge, and confidence in financial issues
  • Basic financial management and budgeting
  • Meet financial obligations

Activities included but not limited to:

Workshops, meeting with professionals from the finance and banking industries, face to face meeting with a financial counsellors, arranged field trips to different financial institutions, and hosting special financial literacy events. For more information give us a call at 403-291-0002.

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Calgary Arts & Culture - Quebec de Carnival Fete

French language and culture are an integral part of Alberta's history and the very Fabric of our nation. In honour of this central part of our great province,  the Historic Bow Valley Ranche Presents the 1st Annual Kick Off to Quebec Carnival Fete.

Join us for our tribute to the 60th Anniversary of the twinning of Calgary and Quebec City as sister cities. The Ranche at Fish Creek Restoration Society Historical BVR 1873 and Bow Valley Ranche Restaurant present an evening of festivities at Fish Creek Provincial Park that include:

5:30 pm Opening Ceremonies

  • Unveiling of hallmark ice sculpture
  • Presentation of the keys to the city by the City of Calgary to Bonhomme's twin
  • Franco-fun!

6:30 pm Reception inside the Bow Valley Ranche Restaurant

  • Cocktails
  • Le Chateau Fashion Show
  • Musical Performances by Quebec fan favourite Shari Chaskin, Quebec-based duo Folklofolie and Calgary's own Dusty Saddle Gang
  • Dinner Reception (7pm) with special French-Canadian reception menu by Bow Valley Ranche Restaurant Chefs Jenny Kang and Daryl Kerr showcasing Quebec's culinary heritage.

The gift of the French language and culture is yours for the taking and to give to your children. It's never too late to start. If French is not your mother tongue and you would like to know more, check out Canadian Parents for French Alberta at www.cpfalta.ab.ca and tap into the wealth of resources for you and your children.You can also connect with Justin Morrow, founding president of Canadian youth for French www.youthforfrench.ca  and motivational speaker.  his story will astound you!  The more visibility and support we can achieve together as ordinary everyday Canadians for French everywhere across the country, the more we will all benefit from a strong, prosperous and welcoming Canada.

To purchase ticket to this wonderful cultural event CLICK HERE.  Hope to see you there! 

Monday, January 25, 2016

Community Investors VI: The Distress Centre

The sixth non-profit highlighted in the CIES Community Investors Series is the Distress Centre. As Calgary’s only 24 hour community support agency, the Distress Centre ensures everyone is heard — any time they want to talk, text or chat.  Distress means something different to everyone, so support, counselling and referral services to help with any kind of crisis are offered. No problem is too small.

Crisis intervention prevents bad situations from getting worse. Giving people the skills to overcome distress makes a stronger, healthier future for everyone. While the volume of calls, the look and the name have changed in 40 years, the Distress Centre’s belief in voluntarism and partnership remains unchanged. Their core values of 24 hour, non-judgemental, free, accessible support exist today as they always have and will continue to do so in the future.

Everyone has difficult times; even dark times; those phases of your life  when you feel overwhelmed, hopeless or just need someone to talk to. The Distress Centre is here for you. 24 hours a day. 7 days a week. 365 days a year.

Thank you to Distress Centre for the invaluable service you have provided the city of Calgary for more than 40 years. For more information about Distress Centre, along with possible career or volunteer opportunities, please visit their website.

Friday, January 22, 2016

CIES Sits On City of Calgary's Syrian Refugee Welcome Committee

Yesterday afternoon CIES once again met with the City of Calgary's Syrian Refugee Welcome Committee at Historic City Hall. Chaired by Scott Deederly, Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of the Mayor of Calgary, the committee represents a multi-faceted partnership of several arms of the community that is serving to help refugees, in the short term, through a tumultuous time of transition into a new, and many ways, unrecognisable life. Long term, the goal is to assist them in their integration and on their journey to becoming contributing members of Canadian society.

Those in attendance included representatives of organizations such as the Calgary Stampede, United Way, 1300 Stitches for Syria, the Muslim Council of Calgary, the Centre for Newcomers, the Calgary Public Library, the PARATUS Group and CCIS, among others. Support, facilitation, implementation and more in terms of services were discussed and shared.

A few numbers for you - Calgary has taken in about 600 refugees thus far, with 70% being privately sponsored and 30% being government sponsored. Currently 140 are in temporary housing, as they spend 14 days in transition housing; attend 8 different orientations about the city and the services available to them, before being assigned a home in which to live. Several of the families (approximately 125 in total) have been bigger than expected, (7-10 members) so housing is still a major challenge facing the city.


Regardless of this and other challenges, a common theme in our discussions was the support and care coming from all corners of our great city, and is very much reflective of Mayor Nenshi's words back in November when addressing the upcoming arrival of refugees; "The success of one of us, is the success of all of us."

Here at CIES we couldn't agree more and we will continue to contribute in any way we can to make sure each and every Calgarian is on the road to success.

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Calgary Jobs, Information and Training

CIES always does our best to stay plugged into the Calgary community. so you can be too. From Day one CIES has always believed that strong community partnerships are the best way to have both a meaningful and sustainable impact on the life of immigrants here in Calgary.  We are affiliated with a number of key organizations throughout the city and this expansive network allows us to stay informed on your behalf. Below is a list of upcoming opportunities for a wide range of skills sets and experience levels to improve your skills, network and submit resumes for employment. Click on the provided posters for more details.

SKILL BUILDING
  • Directions for Immigrants is offering a no-cost Exam Preparation Study Groups for Internationally Educated Pharmacists starting in February 2016.  Please see attached poster for more information.   

INFORMATION SESSIONS
  • Join Immigrant Services Calgary for an Information Session on January 21 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on how to advance your language, education, and career goals. 
  • The YWCA Canadian Employment Skills (CES) program is hosting an information session on January 21 at 10 a.m.  
  • Intake for the CCIS 5th Class Power Engineering Training - Building Operator Program has begun! The program starts on February 29 and includes 18 weeks full-time training.       

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Community Investors Series V: Inn From The Cold

The fifth non-profit highlighted in the CIES Community Investors Series is Inn from the Cold. Inn From The Cold has operated as an agency of last resort here in Calgary for those children and their families who find themselves with no place else to go for nearly two decades. Going far beyond simply providing food and shelter, their services focus on the variety of support needed to allow children and their families begin the process of recovering both their independence and their self worth. Inn From The Cold offers sanctuary and healing through an integrated continuum of services that includes emergency shelter, instrumental needs, primary medical care, case management, therapeutic early childhood programming, supported housing, and an open door policy to all in need.

We often think we understand all the facts about such shelters but sadly there are many untruths thrown around which consistently need to be clarified in wider society. Homelessness is not simply caused by substance abuse, the most common deduction, but can be brought on by isolation, sudden job loss, poverty, or mental illness. In the end, homelessness is a problem that can affect anyone of us. Just because we believe that our lives are stable and secure today does not necessarily mean this will remain so in the future. The recent recession has had a significant impact as well, as people have lost their jobs or suffered a  drastic reduction in income, while provincial and local governments struggle to balance their budgets.

The numbers below come from the Canadian Homelessness Research Network (CHRN) and the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness  (download load full report here) the groups behind what they call the first extensive national report card on homelessness.The report's initial numbers tell a grim story. Among the report's findings:

  • At least 200,000 Canadians experience homelessness in any given year.
  • At least 150,000 Canadians a year use a homeless shelter at some point.
  • At least 30,000 Canadians are homeless on any given night.
  • At least 50,000 Canadians are part of the "hidden homeless" on any given night — staying with friends or relatives on a temporary basis as they have nowhere else to go.

2,297 people called Inn from the Cold home during a period of crisis in 2014 and more than half of their guests were children. This was a 130% increase in demand for their shelter services and they operated over capacity 97% of the year, with an average length of stay of 57 days. Unfortunately, children and their families are the fastest growing demographic impacted by homelessness and Inn From The Cold remains committed to a vision of a community where no child or family is homeless.

Their doors are open 24/7, 365 days a year and Inn From The Cold turns no family away.

Thank you to Inn From The Cold for the impact you have had on the life of Calgarians and the city of Calgary for nearly 20 years. For more information about In From The Cold, along with possible career or volunteer opportunities, please visit their website.

Monday, January 18, 2016

Diana's Demo Reel - Coming Soon

At the conclusion of our five part series, Demo's with Donna, CIES immediately began searching for our next video production. With the first series offering us an inside look at Canadian Language Benchmark classes at level 1, it was thought that showing what our clients journey towards would demonstrate the incredible jump in ability that takes place here at CIES.

Diana's Demo Reel will invite viewers into a CLB 7 classroom, and offer a different perspective of the journey towards integration into Canada, while still maintaining the ultimate goals. Shooting is set to began this week and we are aiming for the first episode to be out by end of the month. As always, ideas for additional series work, or one time productions are both welcomed and encouraged!


CIES attends Cabinet Minster Kent Hehr Luncheon

CIES attended the Canadian Club of Calgary's luncheon for the Honourable Kent Hehr this past Friday, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence. Minister Hehr in fact became a member of the Canadian Club of Calgary in 2010. The event was held at the historical Ranchman's Club. A living piece of Calgary History, the Club was founded in 1891 and has been in its current location on 13th Avenue and 6th Street for more than a century.

Upon being introduced by his father, Richard Hehr, a New Beginning was the theme of Minister Hehr's first official address in Calgary, where he informed attendees about his portfolio and outlined his mandate for the future. Additionally, he took the time to answer questions about the Liberal platform in general. A gifted public speaker and an extremely affable individual, Hehr kept the sold out crowd engaged throughout, and mixed in a few great on liners along the way. CIES would like to salute Calgary home town boy Kent Hehr for his dedication to public service and wish him the best of luck in his time in Ottawa. For more photos of the event CLICK HERE.



Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Community Investors IV: Neighbourlink

The fourth non-profit highlighted in the CIES Community Investors Series is NeighbourLink.  NeighbourLink is an award winning organization serving the city of Calgary started as a grass roots operation through a small group people who had three things in common: they noticed  a need, cared about that need and most importantly wanted to act.

In 1993 NeighbourLink officially became a registered charity operating and have been declared an “Essential Social Service” by Service Canada to our city, Currently in their 23rd year of operation, NeighbourLink’s primary purpose has not wavered; they are a non-profit organization that partners with other social service agencies, individuals, and corporations in order to provide essential resources and practical assistance to those who need it most. Their two primary programs include:

ICU2- Infants and Children Under 2

The purpose of the Infants and Children Under 2 (ICU2) program is to help infants born into low-income households get the best possible start in life by providing baby essentials their parent(s) cannot afford.

Infant safety and well-being is our first concern. By ensuring that babies who are currently sleeping on the floor or in a laundry basket are given a safe crib to sleep in or that children who currently ride in a vehicle held back only by their parents arms are placed in an appropriate car seat, we hope to prevent avoidable infant injuries/fatalities.

Low Income Family Furniture Essentials Support (L.I.F.F.E Support)

The LIFFE Support program accepts donations of new and used furniture and household goods from the Calgary community and then distributes the items to families in the city through our Partnership referral program. If we don’t have sufficient donations of items to meet the need for essential goods such as beds, small dressers and kitchen tables and chairs then, we are able to bulk purchase through the financial support associated with the partnership agreements.

By ensuring that families and individuals are given basic household essentials to make their house a home, NeighbourLink assists Calgarians who are living in poverty as they rebuild their lives and create a brighter future for themselves and their children.

Before job training, before language assessment, before furthering one's education, before most anything, care for the city of Calgary's Children and a home to live in must come first. Thank you to Neighbourlink for the impact you have had on the life of Calgarians and the city of Calgary for the last 23 years. For more information about Neighbourlink visit their website. 

Monday, January 11, 2016

Your 2016 CIES Calendar

As 2016 has now arrived, the Calgary Immigrant Educational Society would like to wish you a very Happy New Year. The year just ended was full of many successes here at CIES and we will strive to continue with our commitment to the City of Calgary, prioritizing our care and dedication towards our ultimate goal - To help newcomers and economically challenged Calgarians become productive and successful members of society. As the New Year dawns, new hopes and expectations from the coming months arise from our end and we anticipate that the coming year will see our professional relationships thrive and grow. We would like to convey our new year wishes to you through this beautiful calendar and wish the oncoming days of 2016 be filled with love and happiness always. CLICK HERE to Download our 2016 Calendar.


Calgary Jobs, Training & Information

CIES always does our best to stay plugged into the Calgary community. so you can be too. From Day one CIES has always believed that strong community partnerships are the best way to have both a meaningful and sustainable impact on the life of immigrants here in Calgary.  We are affiliated with a number of key organizations throughout the city and this expansive network allows us to stay informed on your behalf. Below is a list of upcoming opportunities for a wide range of skills sets and experience levels to improve your skills, network and submit resumes for employment. Click on the provided posters for more details.

SKILL BUILDING
  • Discover which industries are hiring at the next Job Search Boot Camp.  Attend on January 18 or 19! 
  • Clear Communication for Health Care Professionals for internationally educated professionals in any health care occupation.  January 18 to 22 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. 
  • Check out the Supply and Logistics training program offered by Bow Valley College.  This 30-hour, self-directed on-line training starts on January 19.  
  • Attend the Retail Training Program, offered by the Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association.  The course has no fee and childcare is paid for, as well as transportation during the training period. 
INFORMATION SESSIONS
  • CCIS is hosting an Open House for their 5th Class Power Engineering - Building Operator training program on January 16.


Friday, January 8, 2016

January is Employment Skills Training Month

January is Employment Skills Training Month at CIES. As a result, we would like to invite you to learn more about our Employment Skills Training Program by joining us at an open house on Wednesday, January 13th at our SE Location - 1723 40th Street SE. Whether a potential student or one who simply wants to learn more about CIES, reserve your seat today. Learn how to get and keep a good job in Calgary and let us help guide you to a successful career. For more information check out the informational video below, call 403-235-3666, or come see us any time!

Demos With Donna Volume V

Over the past year we have been working together with Donna Clarke, a teacher of English as a second language for more than 16 years, including the last 7 with CIES. Throughout the year she has invited us, and all of you, into her Pre-literacy and CLB Level 1/2 classroom and shared her experiences, thoughts and ideas about not only teaching and learning English as a second language, but on an immigrants journey through integration into Canadian culture and our home, the City of Calgary.

When CIES first opened up its Communication and Media Department last year, it was new for all concerned but Donna was the first to jump into the the mix. In doing so, she helped CIES share stories of the work we do, but more importantly about immigration and the adaptation to life here in our great city and beyond. We would like to extend our gratitude for her contribution to this long term project, as it simply would not have happened without her. With that, please find below our last Demos with Donna, an off campus assignment in the form of a trip to Value Village. A special thanks to the Value Village on 3405 34 St NE for being a long time collaborator with these field trips and for allowing us to film on location. And watch out for our new series, Diana's Demo Reel, coming soon!

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

CIES Interview on SHAW TV

A couple months back, Shaw TV and Hello-Bonjour Alberta Access Producer Suzanne de Courville Nicol invited CIES to talk about the work we do for the Calgary community. Hello-Bonjour Alberta hosts Ann Boiteau and Marc Lalonde introduce Francophile personalities and community leaders who share their stories in English and French. It was a pleasure for us to stop by and share our Society's mission and would like to thank both Suzanne and Shaw TV for their continuous efforts on behalf of the Calgary Community.Our visit recently went to air so please check out the interview with our Executive Director Dr. Sally Zhao, along with Suman Khanal and Racine Diallo below! 





Volunteers - The Heart of CIES

People around the world, day in and day out, through acts of voluntarism, be they large or small, bring help, kindness and hope to so many people. An interminable resource, available in abundance to every nation, voluntarism should be appreciated and supported, for its collective purpose is to make the world a better place. CIES currently has more than 100 volunteers working in a wide range of areas and throughout the last fiscal years our volunteers logged more than 11,000 hours. In other words, our volunteers are the very Heart of CIES.

See below our first of what will be a quarterly CIES Volunteer Newsletter. If you or someone you know would like to get involved with our Volunteer Program, come on down and see us or give us a call any time. CLICK HERE to download.


A Gregorian Christmas

While Christmas trees and decorations have been taken down in many countries, celebrations are just beginning in others. Throughout Eastern Europe and The Middle East, as well as parts of Africa, Orthodox Christians, Greek Catholics and Coptic Christians will celebrate Christmas 13 days after the well-known Dec. 25 festivities.

The difference in dates goes back several centuries to when Pope Gregory XIII established the Gregorian calendar in 1582. The Gregorian calendar has become known as the “Western calendar” and is internationally followed by many governments with Christmas celebrated Dec. 25. The Gregorian calendar was introduced to correct the Julian calendar that was created under the rule of Roman leader Julius Caesar and dates back to 46 B.C. Not all religions have switched over to the Gregorian calendar, which accounts for celebrations on Jan. 7 .

There are 15 different Eastern Orthodox churches and several, including ones in Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, Georgia and Macedonia, celebrate Jan. 7 . Ethiopian and Egyptian Coptic churches also celebrate in January.

Traditions vary across countries and religions. A mass is usually celebrated on Christmas Eve in the evening. In Russia and Ukraine 12-course meat- and dairy-free meals are eaten on Christmas Eve to represent the 12 apostles. Common dishes include borscht, dumplings and stuffed cabbage. On Christmas day, carolling around neighbourhoods is a common tradition. In Ethiopia church services and sporting tournaments are part of the holiday while in Serbia families traditionally go out to look for an oak branch to decorate their homes.

Whatever the case may be, we extend our warmest wishes to those celebrating on January 7th!

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

2016 CIES Initiatives - The Reading Room

A new CIES Initiative for 2016 is our Reading Room. Recognizing that some of our lowest level students need extra care, this initiative will help stem the gap between pre-literacy and literacy classes. The mission of our “Reading Room” is to provide a quality, comprehensive reading instructional program to promote literacy. We provide one-on-one or small group instruction to students who require extra help reading.

We recognize that as abilities and goals vary so must the instructional program. The potential of each student is maximized through an individual educational plan.  Each student will be challenged to develop to their fullest potential in this eleven-step program. Best known to our blog followers for her Demos with Donna Series, the Reading Room in is the brainchild of Donna Clarke, CLB 1/2 instructor in our NE location. Stay tuned for more details!

LINC Instructor Donna Clarke in the Reading Room, located in our NE Location

Monday, January 4, 2016

Bloom's Taxonomy - Still Relevant After All These Years

What follows is a quick summary of a phrase we often hear being thrown around – Bloom’s Taxonomy. I tried to keep it short and prosaic, avoiding cryptic academic jargon whenever possible. The list of verbs on the next page was taken from Washington Board of Vocational Education.

Bloom’s Domains

Cognitive (about knowing)
Affective (about attitudes, feelings)
Psychomotor (about doing)

Formulated by Bloom and his associates, his cognitive and affective domains were completed and published in the 1950s. Psychomotor was never published. The Cognitive domain is most often what is being referred to when discussing Bloom’s taxonomy.

Cognitive Domain: A Hierarchy of Six Levels 
  • Knowledge: the recall of specific items
  • Comprehension: can recall, but can do a little more (e.g. paraphrase, define, discuss to some extent)
  • Application: all of the above, but can take information of an abstract nature and use it in concrete situations
  • Analysis: can break down a communication into its constituent parts, revealing the relationships among them
  • Synthesis: can pull together many disorganized elements or parts so as to form a whole
  • Evaluation: makes judgements about the value of materials or methods.


For myself, breaking down the levels into sets of questions helped me get the full grasp of each step towards high-order thinking. I put together an example below:

Knowledge based question: What are the health benefits of jogging?

Comprehension based question: Compare the health benefits of jogging vs. weight training.

Application based question: Which kinds of exercises are best for building muscle and why?

Analysis based question: List four ways to exercise with weights and explain which have the highest health benefits. Provide references to support your statements.

Synthesis based question: Convert an ineffective exercise for cardio training into an effective method by changing the style or technique. Explain the health benefits of using the technique you chose vs. the other.

Evaluation based question: Do you feel that cardio training provides more overall health benefits as opposed to weight training? Why or why not?


Verbs to help with writing objectives in the Cognitive Domain.


LINC Home Study - Everything You Need to Know

Sometimes it can be difficult for anyone to attend classes, be it college or language classes like the CIES Language Instruction for Newcomers (LINC) Program. Some are prevented from attending due to illness, disability, conflicting work schedules, or distance. Here at CIES we offer those with these types of obstacles a chance to take our language classes from home. For these students we offer the LINC Home Study program (LHS). Classes are offered to clients with benchmarks 3-3-2-2 to 8-8-8-8.

There are two parts to LINC Home Study: first, students complete exercises and activities online each day on the LINC Home Study website, a digital version of the in-class curriculum developed specifically for at-home students. Students can log on any time and work through the online classes to complete their learning objectives. Secondly, students are paired with a LINC Home Study instructor who monitors and encourages their growth. Students receive a weekly phone-call (or Skype!) from their instructor which lays out the week's activities, assign and discuss homework, and answer additional questions. Classes are free of charge and provides self-driven students the opportunity to further their English skills from home. Classes require a basic familiarity with computers and computer (non-tablet) with internet access.Through LINC Home Study, students are provided with online learning modules, exercises, voice and text lessons, individualized lesson plans, and links to language and community resources.

Watch the video below for everything you need to know before getting started with the LINC Home Study program.


Community Investors III - Momentum

The third non-profit highlighted in the CIES Community Investors Series is Momentum. Momentum exists because, despite all of Calgary’s prosperity, there are still people living in poverty in our city, many of whom work full-time hours. These Calgarians do not need a band-aid approach to crisis management; they need the tools to prevent such crises from happening. Momentum serves people who are ready to make a change and make it last.Through skills training, financial literacy education and business development support, Momentum helps people maximize their economic potential. The results are individuals and families with sustainable livelihoods, who are able to contribute to their community. Momentum conducts presentations at CIES several times a year and we count them as an invaluable partner in the services we provide our clients.

It is also important to note that the economic costs of poverty are relevant to us all. Alberta taxpayers contribute between $7.1 billion and $9.5 billion every year to maintain persistent levels of poverty. These costs include direct benefits to families living in poverty as well as health, crime and other factors. If one factors the billions in lost tax revenue these numbers double.

In the end Momentum envisions every person as having a sustainable livelihood who can contribute to their community and to work towards this vision, momentum partners with people living on low incomes to increase prosperity, and inspires the development of local economies with opportunities for all. CIES would like to extend a healthful thank you to Momentum for the incredible impact you have on the life of Calgarians  the last 25 years. For more information about Momentum visit there website or give them a call at 403-272-9323.