Pitch made to tackle poverty

from The Canbridge Times

Ray Martin, Cambridge
(Sep 21, 2007)

There was a call to arms in the war on poverty at Cambridge council, Monday.

With 15,500 people living below the poverty line in the city, 6,700 emergency food hampers being handed out by the Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank last year and a waiting list of 874 families on the community housing waiting list, something has to be done, say officials from the Cambridge and North Dumfries Social Planning Council.

"We may live in one of the most economically vibrant communities in Canada, but we need to have a Need for Poverty Reduction Strategy," said Linda Terry, social planning council executive director.


In her presentation, Terry said a study done last year shows that one in six kids in this community is living beneath the poverty line, that a person working full-time at minimum wage still can't make enough to break the poverty line and the gap between the rich and poor is growing.

In calling for the poverty reduction strategy, Terry told council that the United Kingdom, Ireland, Quebec and Newfoundland already have similar strategies in place, "and its time Ontario had one too."

In making the pitch, the local social planning council is acting in concert with its counterparts from across the province who are all pushing for a poverty reduction strategy.

Terry called on all levels of government to work together on the strategy which needs to have clear benchmarks, targets, a co-ordinated plan and monitoring.

After hearing the presentation council decided to pen a letter of support for the strategy which will be posted to the appropriate office following the upcoming provincial election.