Leveraging the Alberta Community Advantage: Recommendations for the Government of Alberta in Building a Community Prosperity Strategy
By Karen Ball, CCVO President & CEO; Alexa Briggs, CCVO Director, Policy & Research; and Marokh Yousifshahi, CCVO Policy Analyst
CCVO’s previous #ABCommunityAdvantage post highlighted recommendations and the role nonprofits can play in the current efforts to build back and work towards a Community Prosperity Strategy. This week, we will be focusing on recommendations for the Government of Alberta and the importance of the nonprofit sector in Alberta’s Recovery Plan, as previous analysis from CCVO showed that the nonprofit sector was not meaningfully included in this plan. The recommendations below are steps to correcting that oversight and have been developed with your input. Based on feedback and conversations that built on draft recommendations CCVO crafted this summer, we have compiled the following recommendations for the Government of Alberta:
Create a Social Infrastructure Fund that will enable society to work effectively through the commitment of 3.5%, or $350 million, of the total budgeted amount of $10 billion allocated towards the Alberta Recovery Plan. This fund will support community focused recovery that will create jobs and spur economic stimulus.
Committing to increasing internet connectivity and digital literacy for individuals and organizations.
Recommendation 1
Create a Social Infrastructure Fund that will enable society to work effectively through the commitment of 3.5%, or $350 million, of the total budgeted amount of $10 billion allocated towards the Alberta Recovery Plan. This fund will support community focused recovery that will create jobs and spur economic stimulus.
A Social Infrastructure Investment Fund will enable nonprofit organizations to create jobs for thousands of Albertans across the province, ensure front-line and community support services are available for all Albertans, stimulate the economy and increase Alberta’s GDP, and ensure a high quality of life for all Albertans.
THE CASE FOR SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT
Social infrastructure refers to programs and services, facilities, and the environment that “enable society to work effectively”;[i] it includes areas that help individuals, families, groups, and communities meet their social needs. Not all social infrastructure is physical capital – it also includes human capital and public services.[ii] A strong social infrastructure investment influences an area's livability when investment in cultural facilities, public art, parks, libraries, galleries, and museums brings in tourism revenue, makes businesses want to trade, and encourages investors to invest.[iii] It improves the standard of living in a community by providing access to jobs through good transportation; public spaces such as cafes, sports facilities, and education buildings; and services and organizations that provide health, education, and training.
Government spending on physical infrastructure is often a form of investment that impacts GDP and increases jobs,[iv] and literature shows that productivity returns to social infrastructure investment are comparable to those of physical infrastructure.[v] Social infrastructure is known to generate positive and lasting broader impacts on the economy. For example, Quebec’s universal low-fee childcare programme was estimated to increase the number of women in the workforce by 3.8%, and Quebec’s GDP rose by about 1.7% ($5 billion) as a result.[vi] The Women’s Budget Group indicates that social infrastructure is much more labour intensive than physical infrastructure, and therefore, it will create more jobs in care work and elsewhere in the economy than a similar investment would in physical infrastructure, such as construction and other sectors.[vii] In the long term, investments in social infrastructure also improve the employability, mobility, health, and well-being of the labour force, increase productivity in the economy, and increase overall output and GDP.[viii]
Strengthening the economic recovery of Alberta will require the government to diversify its investments. Currently, the Recovery Plan invests $6.9 billion for capital spending in Budget 2020; $1.5 billion in the Keystone XL pipeline; at least $600 million for large-scale infrastructure projects (highways, projects to support the agriculture sector, gas line extensions for northern residents, and treatment facilities for Albertans recovering from addictions); $500 million in municipal infrastructure; $980 million accelerated for Capital Maintenance and Renewal; and $200 million for the Strategic Transportation Infrastructure Program and water infrastructure project.[ix]
In a recent poll by ThinkHQ Public Affairs Inc., 39% of Albertans felt that the provincial government should be spending more to support nonprofits in Alberta, compared to just 15% who think the government should be spending less.[x] One respondent indicated that “it is never a mistake to invest in our people. Now is not the time to be cutting back on social services and community supports.” Another indicated, “the government is there for the people. In these hard times, it should be helping its citizens as much as possible.”[xi] Further, 47% think that nonprofits deliver community-support services more efficiently than government, and only 15% think government delivers these services more efficiently. [xii]
A Social Infrastructure Investment Fund is vital to the recovery of our economy, the skills of those in the workforce, and those seeking to enter the workforce. When we invest in the nonprofit sector, we will be investing in organizations that are the essential job creators for many employees that can deliver services efficiently and effectively. Alberta nonprofits employ 286,000 people, totalling approximately $18.4 billion on salaries and other compensation.[xiii] The nonprofit workforce is increasingly staffed by paid professionals holding specialized expertise and advanced education degrees.[xiv] Nonprofits are increasingly becoming more engaged in strategic planning, financial audits, quantitative program evaluation, and nonprofit management education.[xv] An investment in job creators is an investment in the people, places, efficiency, and skills required to improve our economy.
THE INVESTMENT
A Social Infrastructure Investment Fund drawn from a percentage of existing dollars dedicated to support capital infrastructure is recommended at 3.5% of the total allocation for the Alberta Recovery Plan. This investment would allocate capital budgeted funds towards community-focused recovery that spurs economic stimulus through job creation. This Investment Fund could be distributed over three years through community partnerships with organizations such as community foundations, United Way, and municipalities, and could be tied to a requirement of matching funds through donations and contributions from other orders of government.
THE RETURN
A Social Infrastructure Investment Fund would:
Create jobs for women and people of colour. The Alberta Recovery Plan invests $10 billion in infrastructure funding – one of the largest infrastructure builds in the province's history,[xvi] and the largest in the country on a per capita basis.[xvii] The Recovery Plan is known to benefit sectors dominated by men and does not serve to benefit men and women equally, as it pays little attention to care work, including childhood education and care in female-dominated sectors facing large job losses.[xviii] The nonprofit sector workforce employs many women and people of colour.[xix] An investment in this sector is an investment in efficiently delivered services and job creation for people who have been disproportionately impacted by the effects of COVID-19.[xx]
Invest in local community efforts that are well-positioned as a unique tool for economic recovery. More specifically, an economic pathway for rural Alberta and investing in community economic development, such as tourism and arts and culture, will be an asset to local economic recovery. The Rural Economic Development Action Plan outlines a number of recommendations the provincial government can take to build on the economic development capacity of rural Alberta such as increasing tourism and culture-based business opportunities in rural communities. Providing opportunities to young entrepreneurs in rural Alberta will help bring in investment projects that will benefit current and future generations. Investing in local communities can also address the declining numbers in volunteerism and support voluntary initiatives that enable society to work effectively.
Strengthen social finance and social enterprise. The Premier’s Council on Charities and Civil Society identified this area as a recovery opportunity for Alberta’s nonprofits. The Government of Alberta can further this opportunity by creating a social infrastructure fund that will allow organizations to invest in social innovators – people who can increase nonprofits’ entrepreneurship and have particular insight into how the province may be best positioned to take advantage of the $755 million Investment Readiness Program and Social Finance Fund locally.[xxi] Investing in the social finance sector is a big opportunity for the Government of Alberta to lead the way and leverage funding from the private sector and donations from citizens.[xxii]
With a relatively small investment through existing funding sources, the provincial government can have a big impact with a Social Infrastructure Investment Fund. It will make Alberta communities more vibrant and prosperous places to live, encourage private investment and business activity, create jobs, increase efficiency in service delivery, and lead to a higher standard of living that will enable economic productivity.
Recommendation 2
Committing to increasing internet connectivity and digital literacy for individuals and organizations.
The emergency measures put in place in March 2020 to limit the spread of the virus resulted in many in-person activities suddenly becoming virtual. Organizations, businesses, and schools quickly adapted to navigate new systems to complete their work, which was successful in several instances.[xxiii] However, there is a rural/urban digital divide across Canada in terms of infrastructure, access, and use, which has been further exacerbated by the pandemic.[xxiv] Many families and vulnerable populations have had a difficult time with this switch as high-quality internet connections are too expensive for some, or as a result of their geographical location.[xxv] In April, many rural schools in Alberta set up bins for students to drop off and pick up their school assignments due to unreliable and slow internet access – including those who lack access to computers and internet altogether.[xxvi] Rural educators and school officials in Alberta say access to the internet and devices like laptops, computers, and phones is not universal in their areas.[xxvii] Getting access to internet-connected devices for many families is difficult and even more so for those families who cannot afford a device per child for their learning purposes. In 2016, before the pandemic, ACORN Canada indicated that low-income Canadians took out the money from their rent and food budgets to pay for an internet connection.[xxviii] The pandemic has also furthered the digital divide for vulnerable communities, particularly recent immigrants and refugees,[xxix] and other populations who do not have digital literacy. Many activities that have turned digital, including meetings, interviews, online learning, and how we interact online, have resulted in increased levels of anxiety, stress, and isolation for newcomers.[xxx]
The 5‘A’s of Technology Access provide a useful tool when implementing any digital divide recommendations.[xxxi] The 5‘A’s: Availability, Affordability, Awareness, Ability, and Agency, are “a simple heuristic and analytical device that guides participants through a structured five‐stage reflection about potential barriers to inclusive technology access.”[xxxii] The 5‘A’s highlight social and political factors that limit technology access:
Availability: This is about the availability of connectivity such as geographical location and infrastructure to support digital access, quality and speed of connectivity, relevant content in different languages, and assistive technologies for people with disabilities (blind or visually impaired).[xxxiii] These inequalities present in digital exclusions are often replicating the “same systemic inequalities that we have in our physical realities.”[xxxiv]
Affordability: Not all individuals can afford access to technology and internet connectivity. As indicated earlier, the internet cost for some families is high in Canada, even though digital access is now a necessity.
Awareness: The lack of use of some technologies, level of public awareness on digital services, lack of understanding about the functions and applications of the service, and how it impacts an individual’s life are part of the digital divide.[xxxv] The government will need to provide more access to populations that would not regularly know about a program or service available to them and the expertise to make use of the program.
Ability: Often, governments and organizations wish to be inclusive of vulnerable populations, but effective use of technology may be limited due to digital literacy, skills, or knowledge.[xxxvi] This is particularly important to address the digital divide in the intersections present of class, gender, age, Indigenous culture, and race.
Agency: This refers to the extent to which a person feels able to act in the world to bring about change or what a person can do in line with the conception of good.[xxxvii] Agency may remain a barrier due to socially constructed norms and values about gender, ethnicity, and class, which are often internalized and negatively impact people’s sense of self-efficacy and agency for change.[xxxviii]
With the 5‘A’s to guide the following recommendations, the Government of Alberta can help bridge the digital gap by:
Committing to increasing internet connectivity for organizations and individuals in rural and remote communities.
According to Service Alberta, only 12.7% of communities outside of Calgary and Edmonton have service options that meet Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunication’s target speeds.[xxxix] The divide is more significant in First Nations communities. Across Canada, 40.8% of rural households had access to high-speed internet in 2018, whereas First Nations households accounted for 31.3%.[xl] The Government of Alberta does not have a broadband strategy in place to deliver internet to rural areas, and the provincial SuperNet program – which delivers broadband to hospitals, schools, and other community buildings in rural Alberta – still does not deliver high-speed Internet service to community members.
With the pandemic having exposed the importance of an up-to-date and strategic approach to connectivity for organizations and individuals, the Government of Alberta should follow the example of the Government of Ontario[xli] and federal government[xlii] in investing funds aimed at bringing high-speed internet to rural and remote communities. Alberta's government will need to go beyond these plans as the gap will require more effort to bridge. This funding should be accompanied by a formal broadband strategy and an action plan.
A provincial broadband strategy and funding program should strive to consider the longstanding infrastructure gaps for First Nations communities, especially those in remote areas. This program may be in response to COVID-19 but would have a long-lasting impact on the communities it serves and increase organizations' sustainability in these areas.
Develop a Digital Literacy Taskforce to create an Alberta Digital Literacy Strategy to remove access and cost barriers for First Nations communities and other vulnerable populations.
Access to internet-connected devices and high-speed internet is only one of the barriers in First Nations communities and vulnerable populations. Digital inequalities were already present before the pandemic where race, class, gender, age, and geographic location shape ones’ access to internet and digital tools.[xliii] Digital literacy is defined as “more than technological know-how: it includes a wide variety of ethical, social and reflective practices that are embedded in work, learning, leisure and daily life. Globally, the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) frames its benchmarks for digital literacy around six standards: creativity and innovation; communication and collaboration; research and information fluency; critical thinking, problem-solving and decision making; digital citizenship; and technology operations and concepts.”[xliv]
We recommend that the provincial government create a taskforce charged with developing a provincial strategy to ensure all Albertans have the necessary digital literacy skills.[xlv] The taskforce should include leaders from First Nations communities and local officials.[xlvi] The taskforce should consider a Digital Literacy Strategy for K-12, post-secondary education, and individuals outside of the classroom.
Investing in digital skills and knowledge of Albertans is crucial to a functioning digital economy that will guarantee individuals have the skills to adapt to, engage with, innovate in a digital economy, and benefit from it.[xlvii] Having a digital literacy strategy will help with the province's recovery and enable marginalized populations to be a part of Alberta’s workforce.
The Government of Alberta will need to implement bold actions to help with the recovery of our economy and the nonprofit sector remains a ready and willing partner in these efforts.
Stay tuned for the next post in our series as we develop a set of draft recommendations for funders and other stakeholders. We encourage you to share your thoughts about what makes a community great, helping to build a collective Community Prosperity Strategy. Join the conversation on our website or on social media using #ABCommunityAdvantage.
Read our other blog posts in this series
[i] Centre for Progressive Policy (CPP). (2020). Productivity Knocks. Working Paper. Available at: https://www.progressive-policy.net/downloads/files/CPP_Social-Infrastructure_WP_Final_200304_171740.pdf
[ii] See CPP (2020) and Community Links (2018). Valuing Social Infrastructure. Available at: http://www.civilexchange.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Valuing-Social-Infrastructure-final.pdf
[iii] Community Links.
[iv] The Budget 2020 Fiscal Plan 2020-23 indicates investments in critical infrastructure will create opportunities for productivity and support jobs.
[v] Centre for Progressive Policy. (2020). Productivity Knocks. Working Paper. Available at: https://www.progressive-policy.net/downloads/files/CPP_Social-Infrastructure_WP_Final_200304_171740.pdf
[vi] Fortin, P. et. al. (2012). Impact of Quebec's universal low-fee childcare program on female labour force participation, domestic income and government budgets. Available at: https://www.homelesshub.ca/resource/impact-quebecs-universal-low-fee-childcare-program-female-labour-force-participation
[vii] See Schmitt, John. (2016). Can investing in social infrastructure jump-start economies? World Economic Forum. Available at: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/04/can-investing-in-social-infrastructure-jump-start-economies and Women’s Budget Group. (March 2016). Investing in the Care Economy: A gender analysis of employment stimulus in seven OECD countries. Available at: https://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/care_economy_en.pdf
[viii] Centre for Progressive Policy.
[ix] Government of Alberta. (2020a). Agriculture and Forestry: Key industries for Alberta’s Recovery Plan. Available at: https://www.alberta.ca/agriculture-and-forestry-key-industries-for-albertas-recovery-plan.aspx
[x] Province-wide poll facilitated by ThinkHQ Public Affairs Inc. Field dates September 8 to 11, 2020. A sample size of 1,135 respondents weighted to reflect gender, age, and region of Alberta population according to Statistics Canada.
[xi] Ibid.
[xii] Ibid.
[xiii] Culture and Tourism, Government of Alberta. (2018). Profiling the Nonprofit/Voluntary Sector in Alberta. Available at: https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/99071990-cfbc-4409- 9ca5-a25292582f2a/resource/1a736968-dfdb-4222-a937- a7de0c07ec0b/download/profiling-the-nonprofit-voluntarysector-in-alberta-anvsi.pdf
[xiv] For example, 70% of the sector’s employees have postsecondary education. See: HR Council for the Voluntary & Non-profit Sector. (2008). Toward a Labour Force Strategy for Canada’s Voluntary & Non-profit Sector: Report #2, Findings from Canada-wide Surveys of Employers and Employees. Available at: http://www.hrcouncil.ca/about/documents/ LFS_R2_web_001.pd
[xv] Schambra, William A. (2003). The Professionalization of Charity? Hudson Institute. Available at: https://www.hudson.org/research/3121-the-professionalization-of-charity-
[xvi] Government of Alberta. (2020b). Building vital public infrastructure. Available at: https://www.alberta.ca/building-vital-public-infrastructure.aspx#:~:text=Alberta's%20Recovery%20Plan%20commits%20to,the%20history%20of%20the%20province.
[xvii] Enterprise Canada. (2020). Alberta’s Recovery Plan Analysis. Available at: https://enterprisecanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/ENT_AB_Analysis.pdf
[xviii] See, for example: Tedds, L. et. al. (2020). The gendered implications of an infrastructure-focused recovery: Issues and policy thoughts. Available at: https://www.policyschool.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/EPT-Gender-Implications-2.pdf and Marokh Yousifshahi. (Sep, 2020). Alberta Recovery Plan Requires More Support for All Albertans. CCVO. Available at: https://www.calgarycvo.org/ccvo-blog/alberta-recovery-plan-requires-more-support-for-all-albertans
[xix] Ontario Nonprofit Network. (2018). Women’s Voices – Stories about working in Ontario’s nonprofit sector. Available at: https://theonn.ca/our-work/our-people/decent-work/womens-voices/
[xx] Statistics Canada. (2020). Labour Force Survey, July 2020. Available at: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/200807/dq200807a-eng.htm
[xxi] United Way, Calgary and Area. (2020). The Role of Shared Value Solutions in Economic Recovery.
[xxii] Macneill, Kim Hart. (2020). The Philanthropist interview: Senator Ratna Omidvar. Available at: https://thephilanthropist.ca/2020/10/the-philanthropist-interview-senator-ratna-omidvar/
[xxiii] Camillo, C. et. al. (2020). A tectonic shift in the digital divide: It’s now deeper than a technological gap. Graduate School of Public Policy. Available at: https://www.schoolofpublicpolicy.sk.ca/research/publications/policy-brief/covid-series-tectonic-shift-in-the-digital-divide.php
[xxiv] See, for example: Government of Alberta. (2020d). Moving forward: Charting a path to civil society recovery. Premier’s Council on Charities and Civil Society. Available at: https://open.alberta.ca/publications/moving-forward-charting-a-path-to-civil-society-recovery and Ashleigh Weeden and Wayne Kelly. (2020). Addressing the digital divide: COVID-19 and the importance of connecting rural Canada. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342318420_Addressing_the_Digital_Divide_COVID-19_and_the_Importance_of_Connecting_Rural_Canada
[xxv] See, for example: Fowler, D. (2020). We need to get all Canadian students online quickly in the face of pandemic uncertainty. Available at: https://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/opinion-children-students-internet-access-1.5583321 and Laura Beamish. (2020). As more services move online, digital divide worsens for Wood Buffalo's rural communities. Available at: https://www.fortmcmurraytoday.com/news/local-news/internet-ongoing-challenge-for-rural-areas-as-covid-19-increases-online-use
[xxvi] Madeleine Cummings. (2020). How rural Alberta teachers are educating students who don’t have Internet and computers. Available at: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/how-rural-alberta-teachers-are-educating-students-without-internet-and-computers-1.5521700
[xxvii] Ibid.
[xxviii] See The Globe and Mail. (2016). Low-income Canadians may draw on food budgets to pay for Internet: group. Available at: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/low-income-canadians-may-draw-on-food-budget-to-pay-for-internet-group-says/article28513147/ and Brennan Doherty. (2020). The digital divide has reacher emergency status, experts say. Future of Good. Available at: https://futureofgood.co/digital-divide-emergency-status/
[xxix] Zahra Premji. (2020). Digital divide amid COVID-19 leaves Canada's newest arrivals feeling isolated, immigrant group says. Available at: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/digital-divide-covid19-newcomers-british-columbia-1.5773066
[xxx] Ibid.
[xxxi] Tony Roberts and Kevin Hernandez. (2018). Digital Access is not Binary: The 5'A's of Technology Access in the Philippines. Available at: https://www.ictworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/5a-technology-access.pdf
[xxxii] Ibid.
[xxxiii] Ibid.
[xxxiv] Jack Graham. (2020). COVID-19 is highlighting Canada’s digital divide. What can we do abou it? Future of Good. Available at: https://futureofgood.co/covid-19-is-highlighting-canadas-digital-divide-what-can-we-do-about-it/
[xxxv] Roberts, T. & Hernandez, K.
[xxxvi] Ibid.
[xxxvii] Ibid.
[xxxviii] Ibid.
[xxxix] Rural Municipalities of Alberta. (2018). Service Alberta provides provincial Broadband Strategy update. Available at: https://rmalberta.com/news/service-alberta-provides-provincial-broadband-strategy-update/
[xl] Katharina Koch. (2020). The digital divide and the lack of broadband access during COVID-19. Available at: https://www.policyschool.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Infrastructure-Trends-Digital-Divide.pdf
[xli] Government of Ontario. (2020). Ontario Improving Broadband and Cell Service for Rural Communities. Available at: https://news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2020/06/ontario-improving-broadband-and-cell-service-for-rural-communities.html
[xlii] Government of Canada. High-speed Internet for all of Canada. Available at: https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/139.nsf/eng/home
[xliii] ACORN Canada. (2016). Internet for all: Internet use and accessibility for low-income Canadians. Available at: https://acorncanada.org/internet-all-internet-use-and-accessibility-low-income-canadians
[xliv] Media Smarts. Digital Literacy Fundamentals. Available at: https://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy/general-information/digital-media-literacy-fundamentals/digital-literacy-fundamentals
[xlv] Media Smarts. (2010). Digital literacy in Canada: From inclusion to transformation. A submission to the Digital Economy Strategy Consultation. Available at: https://mediasmarts.ca/sites/default/files/pdfs/publication-report/full/digitalliteracypaper.pdf
[xlvi] Brennan Doherty. (2020). Digital equity organizations welcome $2 billion in Broadband investments but worry it will go to major telecoms. Future of Good. Available at: https://futureofgood.co/2-billion-broadband-investment/
[xlvii] Tea Hadziristic. (2017). The state of digital literacy in Canada. A literature review. Available at: https://brookfieldinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/BrookfieldInstitute_State-of-Digital-Literacy-in-Canada_Literature_WorkingPaper.pdf