The Pulse
June 4, 2024
Here's what you need to know about Edmonton today.
Homelessness is a feature, not bug, of Canada's housing system, researcher says
Homelessness is an expected outcome of the country's housing system, according to the research lead at a University of Alberta housing lab.
"The normal functioning of our housing system produces homelessness," Joshua Evans of the Affordable Housing Solutions Lab told the audience during a live recording of Episode 266 of Speaking Municipally, Taproot's civic affairs podcast.
"We have a market-based system, and the market is really good at providing households that have that median income or higher with a really nice apartment or a really nice home," Evans said. "It's terrible at providing housing at market rates for those households that have the lowest incomes in our city."
Further, Evans said the homelessness that's visible on Edmonton's streets is the tip of the iceberg of a far larger housing "catastrophe."
"Beneath the surface are tens of thousands of households in Edmonton who face great difficulty affording the homes they're in and are at risk of homelessness themselves."
Evans also challenged a common sentiment that addiction, mental illness, and disability are causes of homelessness. These are precipitating factors that make someone vulnerable to homelessness, he said, but the lack of low-cost housing is the primary cause.
"That is the factor that explains homelessness from one city to the next, and it explains the rate of homelessness in a community more than any of these other factors," Evans said. "To address that we have to come up against some of the vested interests in the status quo of our existing housing system."
Joining Evans and co-hosts Mack Male and Troy Pavlek for the podcast was Eric Rice, a journalist, playwright, and researcher who's working with Taproot to better understand Edmonton's housing ecosystem.
Rice said his conversations with newcomers to Canada have revealed that many were surprised by the country's homelessness. "They thought we were a developed country — they saw pictures of West Edmonton Mall and our homes and thought there won't be homelessness here, there won't be poverty here," he said. "Then they got here and realized exactly how prevalent it was and wondered why we didn't care because we had the power to change it."
The primary way to fix homelessness, which has nearly doubled in Edmonton since 2016, is to build more subsidized housing, Evans said. Half of the social housing units in Canada were built before 1980. Evans said in the 1970s all levels of government agreed there was a government role in building social housing and that about 10% of new housing was subsidized. "In the 1990s, and since then, we've seen that consensus break down and deteriorate, and disappear altogether for a number of years," he said.
Headlines: June 4, 2024
- A new Leger poll suggests that Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi would face significant challenges if he seeks re-election, with only 16% of respondents likely to vote for him and two-thirds believing the city is heading in the wrong direction. Key issues for residents include housing prices, property taxes, and public safety. The poll highlights widespread dissatisfaction, particularly among older residents and men, with 43% indicating they would vote for "someone else" in the next municipal election. "In terms of civic politics, things are not good right now for the current administration there," said Andrew Enns with Leger.
- Several schools in the Edmonton Catholic School Division are ending their full-day kindergarten and pre-kindergarten programs because of budget constraints it says are caused by the provincial government's weighted moving average funding formula for K-12 education. The division's 2024-25 budget, passed last week, projects a $14.2-million operating deficit, which it says amounts to about 2,000 unfunded students. The board is advocating for the province to return to per-pupil funding to better manage enrolment growth.
- Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi appeared on Global News for its monthly Civic Matters segment, discussing the impact of the Edmonton Oilers playoff run on the downtown. Sohi also spoke about 15-minute cities, which have been a topic of discussion at city council as part of Edmonton's district policy and planning. "The idea is creating local communities, amenities, where people are able to enjoy their quality of life," he said.
- Despite a rocky start to the season and a mid-season coaching change, the Edmonton Oilers finished strong and are now vying for the Stanley Cup for the eighth time in the team's history and the first time since 2006. The team has seen strong performances from key players, including Connor McDavid, who led the playoffs with 31 points, Evander Kane, who led the team with 250 hits, and Stuart Skinner, who has a .920 save percentage in the post-season. The Oilers will play the Florida Panthers for Game 1 of the finals on June 8.
- The Edmonton Elks and Edmonton Riverhawks have adjusted the start times of their upcoming games to avoid clashing with the Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup Final schedule. The Riverhawks games on June 8 and 15 will now start at 1:05pm, and the Elks home opener against the Saskatchewan Roughriders on June 8 will begin at 2pm, to avoid conflicting with the Oilers.
- Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium has undergone $2 million in upgrades, including a new point of sale system to help reduce concession wait times, improved cellular and Wi-Fi infrastructure, and renovated concourse washrooms. The improvements were completed in time to mark the 75th anniversary of the Edmonton Elks, and to enhance the fan experience for the upcoming CFL season.
- The Edmonton Elks have signed a one-year deal with McLeod Bethel-Thompson to help improve the team's performance after finishing fifth in the West Division for the past three seasons. The 35-year-old quarterback, who helped the Toronto Argonauts win the Grey Cup, is also expected to mentor Canadian quarterback Tre Ford.
- Many residents of Fox Lake, a northern Alberta community heavily impacted by last year's wildfires, remain displaced, with about 525 long-term evacuees living in temporary accommodations. Despite ongoing efforts and significant funding from Indigenous Services Canada, rebuilding the destroyed homes and infrastructure is progressing slowly, with full recovery expected to take up to three years. The community continues to face challenges with transportation and social problems made worse by the displacement and trauma from the fires.
Wild Prairie Soap Company looks to build on success exporting to Asia
The "Trade Heroes" series highlights Edmonton region companies who have 'exportitude' — the mindset and commitment to think globally when it comes to their business. It's brought to you by Edmonton Global.
Tanya Zurock founded Wild Prairie Soap Company about 24 years ago when she started making natural soap for her children. Today, the company's growing array of products are available in retail stores across Canada, Japan, and South Korea. And Zurock has no plans to stop there.
"We've got some new product launches coming domestically, maybe for export as well," Zurock said. "We're looking forward to some really great upswing…in 2024."
Part of that upswing could come from further expansion in Asia, where the company has seen success in recent years. Wild Prairie Soap first entered the Japanese market in 2018, and was available in more than 200 stores, but had to pull out during the COVID-19 pandemic as her partners in the country encountered challenges. It has since found a new distributor and is ready to re-enter the market, especially following a successful trade show in Tokyo in February.
"It's an excellent market to enter because its standards are very high," Zurock said. "If you can clear all those hurdles with importing cosmetics in Japan then you know it's much easier to do that in other countries."
Wild Prairie Soap Company has also found success in South Korea, especially with Korean Airlines, where its products are available in the in-flight Sky Shop magazine. Shortly after entering the market in 2021, Zurock said sales in South Korea made up about 20% of the company's revenue. "It was an important piece of growth for us," Zurock said.
The company has encountered its share of challenges in exporting, in particular with making volume pricing attractive to importers, especially with fluctuating input costs. Logistics and the paperwork involved in exporting has also been a challenge, but one that Zurock finds energizing.
Her advice for aspiring exporters is to do your research and leverage all the experts you can find. "You have to see them as your partners and your champions, because without them, it's harder, for sure," Zurock said.
One of the experts that Wild Prairie Soap leveraged was the Trade Accelerator Program. Zurock participated in TAP's first cohort in 2018 and found the experience very helpful. "It really got us focused on the right things," she said. "It helped us build a plan, and allowed us access to some experts who could help."
Travelling to and spending time in the markets you're looking to enter is also key, Zurock said. "If you want to be successful in a market, you've got to go and see it and be prepared to go to that market often to meet with your partners," she said.
Zurock said her company is continually learning about exporting and is excited to see where it can go next, hinting that China could be a future market.
"I've been selling in the Canadian marketplace for almost 25 years, and although it's certainly an important part of what we do, it's kind of exciting to see your products out in the world and in the major cities of the world," Zurock said.
"We're pretty proud to be from Edmonton and to be promoting products from our region and to be a part of that entrepreneurial Edmonton spirit," she said.
Photo: Wild Prairie Soap Company now offers its products in retail stores across Canada, Japan, and South Korea. (Supplied)
Happenings: June 4, 2024
Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.
- Deep Tech Canada Investor Series: De-risking Deep Tech starting at 9am online
- Seniors' Week at the Royal Alberta Museum (until June 9)
- Lunch and Learn with Iain De Jong, OrgCode Consulting starting at 11:30am at the Santa Maria Goretti Centre
- Pies for Pops starting at 12:30 at Meals for Wheels
- Alberta Women Entrepreneurs Awards Celebration starting at 5:30pm at the Edmonton EXPO Centre
- Trail Running Film Festival starting at 6:30pm at Metro Cinema
- Testing Business Ideas starting at 6:30pm at Edmonton Unlimited
- Vancouver Bandits vs. the Edmonton Stingers starting at 7pm at the Edmonton EXPO Centre
- Queen: It's A Kinda Magic starting at 8pm at the Winspear Centre
- Tuesday Jam Hosted by Samuel Heintzman starting at 8pm at The Yardbird Suite
And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:
- June 20: From Simulation to Real World: Bringing Health Tech to Market at NAIT
- June 22: Chalk 124 Street at 124 Street and area
- June 26: Learn Downtown: Brewing Beer for a Better Tomorrow at the Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)
Visit the beta version of the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.