The Government of BC’s Poverty Reduction Planning & Action Program is providing $5M over three years to support local governments to reduce poverty at the local level. The program was developed based on a recognition that local governments are crucial partners in poverty reduction. They see the impact of poverty first-hand and play a central role in developing collaborative local solutions.
Cities Reducing Poverty (CRP) members across Canada apply Collective Impact approaches as they work to move the needle on poverty in their communities. They frame their work under five core conditions, first identified in 2011 by John Kania and Mark Kramer of FSG Consulting, that have been identified as being shared by successful Collective Impact initiatives.
In 2019, the Cities Reducing Poverty network grew to 80 cities and communities across Canada and the USA, all committed to local poverty reduction efforts. Even more heartening is to see that this expanding movement is having an impact – we are seeing population-level changes in poverty rates and food security at national, regional and local levels. Coupled with several positive policy announcements, these trends indicate that despite the stubborn nature of poverty, we are moving in the right direction.
Enjoy the top 10 news stories and popular learning resources from 2019.
On November 25, we hosted a webinar featuring special guest, Cheryl Whiskeyjack, Executive Director of Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society, co-chair End Poverty Edmonton, and a member of the National Advisory Council on Poverty. She left us with several takeaways, three of which are highlighted below:
There are millions of people across Canada living in poverty. Yet, in this recent federal election, poverty and inequality was almost entirely ignored. Poverty in Canada is a crisis that needs to be prioritized. The fact that we do not see it this way betrays some of our deeply held beliefs about who is poor, why people are poor, and what (if any) are the responsibilities of governments and citizens to do something about it.
A new study in the Journal of Preventive Medicine from the University of Toronto finds that, since the introduction of the Canada Child Benefit (CCB), there is a 1/3 reduction in severe food insecurity for low-income families.
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