Today representatives from YW Calgary joined the Government of Alberta, our community partners and those with lived experience as we celebrated the important changes made to index social benefits like Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) and Income Support with inflation. These long-overdue increases to benefits will have a direct impact on women’s lives and [...]
Can you live on $627 a month? Think about how much you spend on your most basic needs like shelter, food and transportation? Could you find housing for under $627? Could you then afford to feed yourself? These are the types of questions that some of the most vulnerable Albertans have to ask themselves [...]
So far this year Calgary Police Service (CPS) has responded to nearly 3,400 domestic violence incidents. This figure represents a 46 per cent increase compared to the five-year average. In Alberta, we, unfortunately, have one of the highest rates of domestic violence in Canada. We know that women represent 80 per cent of domestic [...]
October is End Poverty Month here in Calgary we know that creating communities where women thrive is dependent on ensuring they have access to a fair, living wage. When the minimum wage went up to $15 per hour, we celebrated because it meant that vulnerable individuals in our community employed at minimum wage jobs [...]
It’s the first ever Gender Equality Week in Calgary and boy has it been a wild ride. The week started off promising as we got ready to talk about the important work we’re doing to advance gender equality at a resource fair hosted by the City of Calgary. We spent much of the early part [...]
When Dany walked into the room, the first thing that he did was to thank our team even though we were there because he chose to support YW. You see, this year’s YW WALK A MILE IN HER SHOES® event marks Dany’s fifth year of throwing on a pair of high heels, rallying support [...]
This weekend Calgary gets ready to gather as a community and celebrate Pride. Many of you may have seen the other Pride marches in towns and cities across the world showcasing the vibrant rainbows and flags we have come to associate with Pride. As a woman-centred organization and a long-standing fixture in the Calgary community [...]
Mary found herself trapped in an abusive relationship. Mary faced demeaning and degrading comments daily, but when the abuse turned physical, Mary knew she had to leave. It was through her own knowledge of the non-profit sector that Mary found herself seeking refuge at YW’s Sheriff King Home crisis shelter. There she got the courage [...]
For Nelson Mandela's 100th birthday, we are featuring a blog written by a YW team member on her experiences with Apartheid and the institutionalized racism found in North American and Canadian culture. I’m black. I’m a cis female. I’m an immigrant. I’m a borderline millennial. And a whole bunch of other things beyond rhetoric. [...]
When you live in the hustle and bustle of big city life with access to hospitals, doctors, groceries and government agencies, it can be easy to take for granted the vital role safe and reliable transportation plays in our everyday lives. As city dwellers we have options, we can jump on the train to [...]
