Top 10 Cities Reducing Poverty Reads in 2018

Policy and systems change dominated the Cities Reducing Poverty network’s most popular ideas in 2018. We introduced a policy digest and followed learning trends and policy announcements throughout the year’s highs and lows – what is clear is that the need for systemic change is now at the forefront of our conversations on poverty, and that finding solutions to poverty is breaking through into the public debate.

As we close 2018, we are reflecting on trends and are working on a robust line up of learning opportunities for 2019. Below are the most popular resources and blogs from Canada’s poverty reduction community:

What People Were Learning About:

• The State of Cities Reducing Poverty – This is a must-read reflection on how the growth of the Vibrant Communities – Cities Reducing Poverty network has led to innovations, alignment across sectors and between governments, and the amplification of a voice on poverty that has contributed to policy and systems changes.

• TEN – A Guide for Cities Reducing Poverty – Municipalities are increasingly identifying leadership roles in poverty reduction. This book provides a concise overview of how cities are reducing poverty: their stories, their strategies, their resources, and tips for beginners on organizing a city-wide initiative.

• How to Develop a Common Agenda for Collective Impact – Move from strategic planning to creating community-wide common agenda for action on poverty. This 5 Step guide provides a 'how-to' approach for developing a common agenda when working on Collective Impact initiatives.

• Calgary’s Enough For All: Canada’s First Financial Empowerment Model – Financial empowerment can play a powerful, important role in a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy. This case study provides an overview of a Calgary collaborative, which designs and delivers initiatives that support Calgarians living on low incomes to reduce debt, increase savings, and build assets.

• Sustainable Livelihoods Framework – Whether using Sustainable Livelihoods (SL) as a broad conceptual framework or a practical tool for designing programs and evaluation strategies, SL is a holistic, asset-based framework for understanding poverty and the work of poverty reduction.

What People We Talking About:

• Basic Income in Practice: Reflections from the Ontario Basic Income Pilot – Participants of Ontario’s Basic Income pilot program share how their lives have been impacted after the first year. Then, just hours after posting these reflections, the provincial government cancelled the pilot and Cities Reducing Poverty members shared their concerns. Read the follow-up: Update on Ontario's Basic Income Pilot.

• Canada's First Poverty Reduction Strategy: Opportunity for All – On August 21, 2018 The Federal Government released Canada’s first Poverty Reduction Strategy, Opportunity For All, which set the Market Basket Measure (MBM) as Canada’s official poverty measure and commits to entrenching the official poverty line, its targets and National Advisory Council into law. Also popular was the listening report launched earlier in the year, entitled: Towards a Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy: What We Heard About Poverty So Far.

• Takeaways from Maytree's Policy School – How can the non-profit sector effectively participate in the public policy process? Christine Durant, Director of Hastings Prince Edward’s Poverty Roundtable, shares how Maytree’s Policy School has supported their poverty reduction priority areas and Christine’s key learnings.

• Ontario Making Progress on Child Poverty – In April, the provincial government’s annual poverty progress report shared that 24.4% or 19,000 fewer children were living in poverty, and 37.3% or 22,000 fewer children were living in deep poverty. These changes have been primarily attributed to the expanded Ontario Child Benefit.

• Economics of Doing Business and the New Minimum Wage – Business sector leader and Leeds Grenville Poverty Alliance member, Michael Adamcryck, weighs-in on the minimum wage increase debate against the backdrop of Ontario’s $15 wage commitments.

Cities Reducing Poverty has a robust library of resources covering process and topic-related poverty reduction issues. There are new resources being published weekly. Find these articles and more on the Tamarack website and by visiting the Cities Reducing Poverty section. You can receive new tools, resources and ideas from the poverty reduction network directly to your inbox by subscribing to the Cities Reducing Poverty bi-monthly newsletter.