In the mid-1990s, Edmonton had a very different look and feel than it has today. The City of Edmonton actually lost population between 1991 and 1996 while growth stalled in the metropolitan region population. West Edmonton Mall went into receivership and the beloved Oilers were on the verge of moving to Texas. There were double-digit unemployment rates as recently as 1994. Today, Edmonton’s economy is on a roll. The capital region is at the centre of an Alberta energy boom that Statistics Canada describes as “the strongest period of economic growth ever recorded by any province in Canada’s history.” There are portable signs advertising job openings on every major street and thoroughfare. There are so many unfilled positions – particularly in low wage sectors such as retail trade and the hospitality sector – that thousands of temporary foreign workers are being brought in to fill these positions. Yet as the findings of this report attest, not all households are sharing in this prosperity. Many individuals and families are finding it difficult to keep up with rising living costs, especially for shelter, and some are falling behind. The motivation in preparing this report is to explain how, in this buoyant economy, people who are working still live in low income households. The goal of this report is to go beyond simply documenting why many Edmonton families are benefiting less from the current boom than is often assumed. The goal is also to find long-lasting solutions to build family economic success for people who are working and living in low income households.