Please share and encourage your team to subscribe | | 18th Annual ALIGN Conference "Strengthening Today; Building Tomorrow" | | This two-day learning event Feb 5 - 6, 2026, Fantasyland Hotel, Edmonton, is designed for employees in the human services sector. It includes presentations tailored for senior leaders, board members, supervisors, and front-line workers. | | Feb 5th Jody Urquhart- Motivational speaker & former comedian, presents This Would Be Funny… If It Wasn’t Happening To Me! Navigate Change by Mastering Human Connection. Learn More | | |
Feb 5th Curtis Slater - Executive Director for The PREP Society, presents Navigating an Uncertain Future: Leading with Hope, Humanity, and Adaptability.
Learn More
| | Feb 6th Chubby Cree Indigenous Hand Drum Group. Chubby Cree is not just a drum group; they are a movement for healing and cultural vibrancy, using their art to uplift communities and inspire hope.
Learn More | | |
Feb 6th Sarain Frank Soonias
Cree and Ojibwe Writer and Artist presents "Healing & Resistance Through Poetics." Sarain shares reflections from his poetry collection. Learn More
| | |
We can’t wait to connect, learn, and celebrate the incredible work happening across our sector together.
See you at there!
| | ALIGN’S Reconciliation Action Planning Consultation Service | | |
ALIGN’s Reconciliation Action Planning Consultation Service provides Community Service Providers with tailored resources fostering meaningful engagement and support for reconciliation efforts within your organization and community.
ALIGN’s Reconciliation Action Planning Consultation Service provides Community Service Providers with tailored resources fostering meaningful engagement and support for reconciliation efforts within your organization and community.
Tailored to your organization’s needs:
- Education & Training: Indigenous histories, cultures, rights
- Employment: Recruitment, retention, and advancement strategies
- Procurement: Engaging Indigenous businesses and suppliers
- Partnerships: Building meaningful, respectful community relationships
- Policy Review: Identifying and removing systemic barriers
- Cultural Integration: Embedding Indigenous perspectives into daily practice
Contact us at info@alignab.ca or call (780) 428-3660 today for your RAP consultation. Special Consultation Rate for ALIGN Members.
| | WEBINARS - ALIGN is excited to host Nicolette Miller, Senior Associate at Stack’d Consulting | | |
"Marking Time with Story: The Journey to ALIGN’s First Annual Winter Count"
ALIGN’s Winter Count Project: Acimowina – Teaching Stories
What does it mean to mark time—not just with dates and deadlines, but with stories, relationships, and shared meaning?
Last September, at ALIGN’s Annual General Meeting, we stepped into a powerful tradition rooted in Indigenous ways of knowing: the Winter Count. For many Plains Nations, including the Cree and Blackfoot, a Winter Count is a way of remembering the passing of each year through one defining story or event.
Traditionally, these stories were painted or etched onto buffalo hides, each symbol a visual anchor for oral histories passed down through generations.
This year, ALIGN hosted its first annual Winter Count, and it was nothing short of transformative...
| | ALIGN's Well-Being Community of Practice (CoP)
Weds. January 14th 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (ZOOM)
The Well-Being Community of Practice (CoP) is intended for service providers who are currently implementing the ALIGN Association’s Well-Being Toolkit.
Please Note: CoP meetings will now be held on the second Wednesday of each month through April 2026. If you are currently implementing the ALIGN Well-Being Toolkit and would like to join this CoP session please email:wellbeing@alignab.ca indicating your intention to attend, and we will send you the ZOOM link. | | |
ALIGN OHS Community of Practice
Next Meeting Feb. 24, 2026 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. (ZOOM)
The OHS Community of Practice is designed for ALIGN members and serves as a collaborative space where agency professionals can share knowledge, tools, and practical strategies to strengthen the quality, consistency, and effectiveness of incident investigations
Your input is valuable as we aim to create a supportive environment for learning and sharing best practices.
We look forward to ALIGN Member’s participation and to fostering a community dedicated to advancing Occupational Health and Safety. Please feel free to bring any ideas or topics you would like to discuss.z
Interested in attending?
If you are an ALIGN MEMBER and would like to register, please email mailto:info@alignab.ca indicating you're interest to attend. See you there!
| | | | CONNECTIONS is monthly newsletter designed to support Foster and Kinship Caregivers to ensure First Nations, Metis & Inuit children in their care have access to cultural resources, activities and events that broaden their cultural awareness. This is a great resources for all families, schools, and child serving programs interested in inclusion and broadening cultural awareness. | | ALIGN MEMBER'S SPOPTLIGHT | | January's Spotlight Member is
CARF Canada! | | This Spotlight we are featuring CARF® Canada an independent, nonprofit accreditor of health and human services. CARF has been a much valued member of ALIGN Association for many years and we encourage you to learn more about who they are and what they do! | | Our Network & Know: Member Spotlight series introduces organizations you’ll want to know—not just for who they are, but for how they can support, collaborate, and grow with you. It’s all about building stronger relationships, sharing valuable resources, and celebrating the people who help make ALIGN thrive. | | |
WCB
In case you missed it, here are the headlines from the most recent edition of December's WorkSIGHT - 2025 Issue 8 WCB-Alberta's e-newsletter.
- 2026 Premium Rates: A balanced approach for a stable system
- Proactive steps you can take to improve your premiums
- 2026 premium rate statement will be available mid-December by logging into your myWCB account
- Find opportunities to lower your cost
- Make sure your 2025 assessable earnings estimate is up to date
- Reminder: Updates coming to myWCB
Online Tools to Improve Your WCB Premiums
The best way to impact the premiums you pay is by implementing health and safety programs that prevent your workers from getting injured and disability management programs to help your injured workers return to work. Explore WCB resources that assist you to improve your WCB premiums
| |
Volunteer Management
National Volunteer Action Strategy
Volunteer Canada is developing a National Volunteer Action Strategy which will aim to revitalize volunteerism in the face of urgent challenges such as Canada’s aging population, the climate crisis and the cost-of-living crisis. They have published a number of update reports about what they’re hearing as they engage the sector, conduct research and share knowledge.
Statistics Canada Study: The diverse volunteering contributions of racialized Canadians, 2023
This study uses data from the 2023 Survey on Giving, Volunteering and Participating, which was held from September 15, 2023, to March 30, 2024. This marks the first time this survey has collected data on racialized groups, allowing for an in-depth look at volunteering among these populations in Canada.
| | |
Reports & Trends
Free Webinar – Sector Signals: The Trends Shaping the Sector in 2026
On January 29, 2026 join Bruce MacDonald, President & CEO of Imagine Canada, and Goldy Hyder, President & CEO of the Business Council of Canada, for an exclusive webinar exploring the trends, priorities, and signals shaping the charitable and nonprofit sector in Canada.
The Nonprofit Chamber 2025 State of the Sector Report
The Nonprofit Chamber’s 2025 State of the Sector Report provide a comprehensive, evidence-informed snapshot of the challenges, and emerging priorities of Alberta’s nonprofit and charitable sector.
Build Canada Homes and the Outlook for Housing Programs under Budget 2025 Report
The Parliamentary Budget Officer report’s purpose is to equip sector leaders, funders, policymakers, and community partners with reliable data and insights that can guide decision-making, strengthen advocacy efforts, and support long-term planning.
| |
Sector Resources
Fair Funding for Nonprofits launches new website and newsletter
Nonprofits are key partners in service delivery, but outdated funding practices limit their effectiveness. Fair Funding for Nonprofits is a new advocacy coalition calling on the government to modernize how it funds the sector to improve its return on investment, foster accountability and maintain vital services that communities rely on.
Child and Youth Care Interviewing and Counselling: Skills for the Other 23 Hours (CYCAA)
The CYCAA Child and Youth Care Interviewing and Counselling is a practical text designed to help students learn essential interviewing and counselling skills through a practical action-oriented approach and scenarios situated in common professional CYC settings such as group homes, treatment centres, or outreach services.
| | JANUARY DAYS OF AWARENESS | | | | National Ribbon Skirt Day January 4th! A day to celebrate Indigenous culture and resilience, inspired by 13-year-old Isabella Kulak. The day honors the cultural significance of the the ribbon skirt as a symbol of identity, strength, and connection to Mother Earth, encouraging all Canadians to learn about Indigenous traditions and stand against racism. | | | | |
January is Mentoring Month!
In Canada, January is Mentoring Month, a nationwide initiative to highlight the importance of mentoring, raise awareness about closing the “mentoring gap,” and encourage people to become mentors or support existing programs.
| | ALIGN offers several online self-study courses - start your learning journey today! | | ALIGN member agencies get free and unlimited career posting access on the ALIGN Career page! See what positions are available and apply now. | | Stay up-to-date with ALIGN & Sector events, news and resources. | | | | |
