Province addresses COVID-19 economic recovery for Alberta women
The pandemic has brought a number of long lasting impacts on Albertans, and when it comes to economic challenges, women are feeling the loss.
According to an RBC study, over 500,000 women lost their jobs when the pandemic began, with more than 200,000not looking to return to work.
Mother Kristin Rodier says she struggled to balance childcare and work full time during the pandemic, until she eventually burned out and lost her job.
"The toll on all of our mental health and exhaustion with being home all the time isolated, taking care of kids at home all the time is exhausting," said Rodier.
Rodier is not alone. Statistics Canada revealed 64 per cent of women reported that they have taken on homeschooling or helping children with homework at some point during the pandemic, compared to 19 per cent of Canadian men.
And while challenges in caregiving, risk of domestic and sexual violence, and ecomomic inequality have been a burden to women for decades, provincial officials say the pandemic has highlighted those issues.
They say they're committed to finding a solution by working with Alberta’s nonprofit sector, as recommended by a new report from the Premier’s Council on Charities and Civil Society.
"This report has been really important in terms of how the genesis of it has been from the point of civil society," said Whitney Issik, Associate Minister of Status of Women.
Between July and October 2021, the council worked with nonprofits, Indigenous Elders, and Alberta women to learn what is needed in their recovery from the pandemic.
The report provides recommendations to the province including an increased investment in affordable childcare and long term funding for non-profit organizations that aim to support women.
"The real difference here is that rather than (the) government stating, 'There are the goals from the top down,' this is actually civil society, and women telling the rest of society and government what the goals ought to be based on lived experience," Issik said.
Senior researcher with Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Katherine Scott is hopeful the province will consider putting the council’s recommendations to action but believes there are missing pieces.
"How are we supporting newcomers and new immigrant women getting established in the labour force? Do they have access to community support? Those sort of things aren’t spoken here," said Scott.
The report is also missing a timeline or clear action plan. Despite that, Scott says involving those at the centre of gender-based challenges is a good start.
"It’s fantastic there was engagement," said Scott. "We have to centre the voices of those who are most impacted (and) those who are most marginalized if we ever have a hope of changing up the way we do things."
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Chelan Skulski.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton attacked in prison
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a "major assault."
DEVELOPING Defence rests without Donald Trump taking the witness stand in his New York hush money trial
Donald Trump's lawyers rested their defence Tuesday without the former president taking the witness stand in his New York hush money trial.
Passenger killed, 30 injured as Singapore Airlines flight hits severe turbulence
One passenger was killed and 30 injured after a Singapore Airlines SIAL.SI flight from London hit severe turbulence en route on Tuesday, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, officials and the airline said.
Feels like mid-30s in parts of Canada, while other areas expecting snow
Anything is possible this week, as far as Canada's weather is concerned, with forecasts ranging from scorching heat in some parts of the country to rain and snow in others.
Canada's inflation cools to 3-year low of 2.7%, in boost for rate cut bets
Canada's annual inflation rate slowed to a three-year low of 2.7 per cent in April, matching expectations, and core measures continued to ease, data showed on Tuesday, likely boosting chances of a June interest rate cut.
'Documents are fraudulent': Graceland is not for sale, Elvis Presley's granddaughter says in lawsuit
Riley Keough, the granddaughter of Elvis Presley, is fighting plans to publicly auction his Graceland estate in Memphis after a company tried to sell the property based on claims that a loan using the king of rock ’n’ roll's former home as collateral was not repaid.
Trump campaign calls 'The Apprentice' 'blatantly false,' director offers to screen it for him
Donald Trump's reelection campaign called 'The Apprentice,' a film about the former U.S. president in the 1980s, 'pure fiction' and vowed legal action following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. But director Ali Abbasi is offering to privately screen the film for Trump.
Nestle to sell $5 pizza, sandwiches in the U.S. for Wegovy, Ozempic users
Nestle NESN.S will market a new, US$5 line of frozen pizzas and protein-enriched pastas in the United States which it says it designed specifically for people taking drugs such as Wegovy or Ozempic for weight loss.
What is BORG drinking, and why is it a dangerous trend? An expert explains
If you've been to a party lately and haven't seen someone drinking a BORG, you're likely not partying with college students.