Community Advocacy

Town Hall a success as Toronto families remind MPs: Good jobs and public services reduce poverty
June 2, 2009 |

On Monday June 1, more than 100 people participated in a town hall meeting held to get input from community members who will not be given an opportunity to address Parliamentary hearings about the federal role in poverty reduction.
Tagged with: Childcare • Community Advocacy • Housing • Poverty in Canada • Social Assistance
City Poverty was Declining, but Sudden Downturn Hit Hard
April 18, 2009 | The Hamilton Spectator

Hamilton’s Social Planning and Research Council released its Incomes and Poverty in Hamilton Report that showed nearly 90,000 people were living below the Statistics Canada low-income cutoff.
Tagged with: Community Advocacy • Poverty in Canada
Poverty group forming slowly, but surely
April 2, 2009 | Guelph Mercury

The establishment of a poverty-fighting coalition in Guelph in going ahead, but the work is not moving fast enough for some.
Tagged with: Community Advocacy

Charity may help Jean, but not our broken welfare system: Fiorito
February 15, 2013

Jean has cancer and can’t afford to eat properly. Many people want to help. But does individual charity mask the poverty of our welfare policy?

Jean has cancer. She is my age. She knows what the future holds. She shrugs.

It’s coming to us all.

You remember that her disability cheques cover her rent, her phone, her television, and not much else; for all her other needs, including food, she has maybe a hundred bucks a month.

In addition to her disability cheque, she gets a few crumbs of money as part of the special diet allowance, because she has hypertension and high cholesterol.

But she has not been getting a particular portion of the special diet allowance — the portion meant for those who have cancer — because of this cruel qualifier: she has the illness, but she is not losing weight.

Oh, well, then.

Read more here
$45M dental-care boost protects poorest children
October 1, 2010
Ontario is expanding free dental services for poor children to include preventative care such as check-ups, cleanings, X-rays and fillings, the Star has learned.

Health Minister Deb Matthews will announce Friday that the “healthy smiles” program — costing taxpayers $45 million annually — is designed to help 130,000 kids aged 17 and under.
Big bang for full-day learning buck
August 30, 2010
Ontario is missing out on a significant economic payoff by offering a scaled-down version of full-day learning this fall, says a report being released Monday. A new economic analysis of the initiative outlined by the premier’s early learning adviser last spring shows an immediate return of $2.02 for every dollar invested in operations and $1.47 for every dollar spent on new classrooms, says the report, obtained by the Star.
Funding shortages for home services are staggering
August 27, 2010
ARCH Disability Law Centre, dedicated to advancing the rights of people with disabilities, says its campaign was prompted by “an alarming and growing trend of adults with intellectual disabilities being unable to afford vital supports that would facilitate their development, independence and participation in the community. “This crisis is growing and we need your help,” ARCH says.
Radical change for Ont. mental health urged
August 26, 2010
A new report says a “radical transformation” of mental health and addiction care is needed in Ontario if people are to receive the help they need.

Nova Scotia’s Poverty Reduction Strategy
The Nova Scotia government released its Poverty Reduction Strategy on April 3, 2009. The strategy provides a framework for addressing the needs of those most vulnerable and those at risk of falling into poverty, while promoting the prosperity necessary for Nova Scotia to grow.

25 in 5 Network for Poverty Reduction
c/o CSPC-T
2 Carlton St., Suite 1001 | Toronto, ON M5B 1J3
ph. 416-351-0095 x.214 | fx. 416-351-0107
info@25in5.ca

Community Advocacy

Town Hall a success as Toronto families remind MPs: Good jobs and public services reduce poverty

City Poverty was Declining, but Sudden Downturn Hit Hard

Poverty group forming slowly, but surely