Alberta Government Cuts Funding to Rural Women’s Shelters

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Alberta Government Cuts Funding to Rural Women’s Shelters

ACWS calls on Minister Turton to delay mid-year reductions and release funding model
methodology

May 28, 2026 – Edmonton, AB — After more than a decade of stagnant investment in Alberta women’s shelters, the Ministry of Children and Family Services has cut funding for over a dozen shelters, most of which serve rural areas. The decision was announced on May 19, only six weeks before the planned implementation date, leaving many shelters scrambling to absorb the cuts without harming clients in crisis. While the announcement confirmed a net increase to sector-wide base funding, this investment was not spread evenly amongst all shelters, and many received funding reductions disproportionately affecting rural communities. As part of the Emergency Family Violence Services program, the new funding methodology takes effect mid-fiscal year and will remove nearly $1 million from the budgets of shelters already working to stretch every dollar. “We’re happy to see that some shelters will see a modest increase in funding,” said Cat Champagne, Executive Director of ACWS. “But the new funding methodology lacks transparency. These cuts are a shock to our membership and the sector as a whole. They will have devastating consequences for women and children in Alberta.” The Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters (ACWS) says the reductions disproportionately affect communities where the need for shelter service is highest. National research consistently shows that the
regions with smaller populations face the highest rates of gender-based violence, making population an inadequate and potentially harmful basis for funding decisions. “We don’t close rural police stations because they serve fewer people per dollar,” said Cat Champagne,
Executive Director of ACWS. “Access to safety should never depend on a community or organization’s ability to fundraise. Women’s shelters are public safety infrastructure, and they need to be funded like it.” ACWS notes that Alberta women’s shelters have not had sustained increases to their base operational funding in over 10 years. In response to the announcement, ACWS has launched a public advocacy campaign urging Minister of Children and Family Services, Searle Turton, to delay planned funding reductions to more than a dozen
women’s shelters across Alberta until next fiscal year. ACWS is also calling on the Government to release the full methodology behind the new funding allocation model. The campaign invites Albertans to contact their MLA directly and ask for two things: a delay of the implementation of these cuts until next fiscal year and transparency about how these funding decisions were made. Supporters can visit acws.ca to add their voice to the campaign.

Key Facts
• More than a dozen Alberta women’s shelters have been notified of funding reductions totalling nearly $1 million per year collectively, effective July 1, 2026.
• Rates of intimate partner violence are 1.8 times higher in rural communities than urban ones, and reported violence tend to be more severe (Statistics Canada).
• Women in rural communities are 2.9 times more likely to be violently killed than women in urban communities (Femicide Observatory, 2021–2025).
• Women face substantial cost, safety, and logistical barriers in travelling to other communities to find shelter space (ACWS, A Ride Can Save a Life, 2026).

-30-

Media Enquiries:
Jenny Adams
780-707-9101
jenny@theadamsagency.ca