Yesterday (July 28th, 2022) Mike Ellis, the minister for Mental Health and addictions, announced an additional $87 million over three years that will go to school-based mental health and pediatric rehabilitation supports. $42 million of this will go to mental health support, and $45 million will go to pediatric rehabilitation support. This is in addition to the $110 million that was announced in June.

Victory!

Late last night, Calgary’s City Council voted 13-2 to declare a climate emergency and call to action. This motion included a clear direction to city administration to make Calgary a Net-Zero city by 2050.

In July of 2021, the Green Line LRT, as announced by Mayor Naheed Nenshi and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, is a go. A news release from the Government of Alberta the same day also confirmed that the province has reviewed the City of Calgary's business case for the Green Line - and approved it.

That means all three levels of government are onboard the Green Line and, in the fall of 2021, construction begins. Learn more here.

Langevin School has been renamed, effectively immediately, by the Calgary Board of Education!

April 16th, 2021. This week we had a victory for the city and the Calgary Alliance. The Calgary Police Service and AHS have agreed to expand the Police and Crisis Team (PACT) and Mobile Response Team (MRT).

We took action by asking our city councillors to pass the city's Mental Health strategy. In March of 2021, the strategy passed at council and will begin to be implemented across the city. This programming was threatened with cuts in July of 2019. We took action then, too, to stop those cuts to the most vulnerable in our city.

On June 16, 2020 Calgary City Council approved the Green Line! This approval is an incredible victory for both ordinary Calgarians and for the Calgary Alliance! Our members successfully fought for the Green Line by writing letters, making phone calls, tweeting, speaking at Council and coming to socially distant rallies.

When the City of Calgary announced $60 million - $120 million over a year - in cuts to services, The Calgary Alliance for the Common Good launched the #KeepCalgaryStrong campaign and invited others to join in. Together we got a reaction that preserved many essential services for Calgarians, especially those who are most vulnerable. 

Our leaders asked the provincial government to increase social supports for low-income Albertans. Then in November 2018, we heard the good news that these supports will be raised and indexed to inflation.

Relationships formed through the Calgary Alliance for the Common Good resulted in the creation of an Elder-led reconciliation process. In this process, 17 Christian leaders are meeting monthly with elders, following a process of trust and relationship-building designed by the Elders.

Leaders from our Alliance recognized that there was a need for faith communities to come together to address poverty in our city, engage in dialogue and overcome our divisions. In response, they created Calgary's Interfaith Council which went on to win the King Abdullah II UN World Interfaith Harmony Week prize.

After Calgary’s 2013 flood. The Calgary Alliance for the Common Good partnered with Alberta Health Services to provide mental health first aid training for community leaders so that they could be better equipped to support people dealing with the long-term mental health challenges that the flood created. This training was then offered in other communities in Alberta.