The Poverty Project

Mental health and addictions

2009-06-24T20:39:37-04:00

By Maggie Hughes Mental illness is the invisible disability that carries such a stigma that those who suffer from it do not want to admit to it — or worse, they do not seek help. Not that help always comes to those in need. The recent shooting of a mentally handicapped man by the OPP in Elmvale, Ont. is an example of why. The Select Committee on Mental Health and Addictions Panel, made up of nine...

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What do statistics mean?

2009-06-16T20:05:52-04:00

By Patricia Reid I was reading some stats on poverty rates from the Canadian Council on Social Development and feel a bit confused on some of the stats. The figures show much higher poverty line incomes for large cities compared to smaller towns or rural areas. I do realize that living in very large cities, the cost of housing is higher but man, after living in small towns, I know the cost of...

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Third annual hope from hope food drive and challenge

2009-06-12T21:55:20-04:00

By Sharon Cruickshanks It’s time to show you care! The 3rd annual Hope from Hope food drive and challenge has begun. Many of you may remember that back in the summer of 2007 our local food banks were facing a crisis situation; many had to close their doors for a time due to empty shelves. The Spectator’s poverty beat reporter at that time, Bill Dunphy, had reported on the dire situation in an...

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Help for tenants in their own language

2009-06-12T21:33:49-04:00

By Bob Wood A new language interpretation service should make a difference for Hamilton tenants. By calling the Hamilton Tenant Helpline at 905-526-9119, tenants can get help in understanding their rights and receive basic information and referrals to help through their housing crises. And they can get this help in the language of their choice. “All Hamiltonians should have access to crucial...

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An opportunity for tenants

2009-06-04T12:13:15-04:00

By Bob Wood Calling all tenants. There is an opportunity to improve the health, safety and well being of tenants in Hamilton. Cities now have new powers to license residential rental units. The City of Hamilton wants to know from you if this is a good idea and they have started a consultation. Very few tenants turned out for the first Public Information Centre this past Monday. I’m worried that...

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Regulating rental housing

2009-05-26T15:09:20-04:00

By Bob Wood Would it be a good idea to establish a landlord registry in Hamilton? On June 1 city staff are beginning consultations to assist in developing recommendations and an overview so that “City Council can make an informed decision on if or how rental housing should be regulated.” Why this review could make a difference to tenants Since 2007 Ontario municipalities have had the ability to...

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E.I., E.I., Ohhhhhh (Part Deux)

2009-05-25T21:15:45-04:00

By Tom Cooper I last wrote about the dysfunction that is our federal Employment Insurance system in December. We’re now neck deep in the recession and there are 1.4 million workers unemployed in Canada… and still no serious efforts coming from the government to reform EI. According to the Canadian Labour Congress, only 43.09 per cent of unemployed Canadians are receiving EI regular benefits —...

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An apple a day, if you can afford it

2009-05-11T17:34:44-04:00

By Tom Cooper In my column in the May 12th Spectator, I discuss some local initiatives led by Food Share and others that are aiming to provide low income Hamiltonians with nutritious food. With concerns around the swine influenza growing, recommendations coming from our Public Health Department are to eat healthy and get exercise. Good advice, but sometimes difficult if a person lives on an...

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Payday loans settlement

2009-05-08T21:34:51-04:00

By Bob Wood A guest post Around the water cooler at McQuesten Legal and Community Services, we can get into fairly animated conversations about the payday loan business. Words like “despicable” and “the worst manifestation of capitalism” are the kinder characterizations you’re likely to hear. Across North America, various payday loan companies have moved in to fill a void created by the big...

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Bill 152 - The Poverty Reduction Act is now a law

2009-05-07T20:38:48-04:00

By Liz Weaver Yesterday, Bill 152 – The Poverty Reduction Act — was unanimously passed into legislation, committing the Province of Ontario to become a leading jurisdiction in Canada in poverty reduction efforts. Bill 152 was strengthened after public hearings in which many poverty networks, organizations and the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction presented their comments and suggestions...

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Hop on the bus

2009-04-23T20:41:39-04:00

By Tom Cooper For the last year or so, the City of Hamilton has had an affordable transit pass ‘pilot project’ to help people who work but still live below the low income cutoff. We know there are about 25,000 people in Hamilton who shove off to work — at various hours of the day — and yet don’t earn enough to be able to pull out of poverty. The affordable transit pass was created to help ease...

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A law to enshrine a poverty reduction strategy

2009-04-22T21:27:19-04:00

By Liz Weaver Members of the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction including Sandy Leyland, Bill Medeiros, Tom Cooper and me made a presentation to the Government of Ontario Standing Committee on Social Policy about Bill 152, an act respecting a long-term strategy to reduce poverty in Ontario. Below are a few highlights from the Roundtable’s presentation to the Standing Committee: Bill 152:...

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Report on Income and Poverty in Hamilton

2009-04-20T20:52:42-04:00

By Patricia Reid The report on Income and Poverty in Hamilton was released Friday. The meeting at Riverdale was well attended. The report was interesting, except … it was based on 2005 figures. The data from 2005 was showing an improvement, especially amongst the seniors. I wonder how that will continue. As the population ages, with greater demands on the various programs and payments, how can...

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Canadian Poverty in an International Context

2009-04-16T20:42:18-04:00

By Liz Weaver Canada Without Poverty (formally the National Anti-Poverty Organization) has emailed some interesting information from report called Growing Unequal? Income Distribution and Poverty in OECD Countries from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The OECD brings together governments of 30 countries committed to free markets to compare policies on economic growth and...

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No excuse for massive poverty

2009-04-08T20:46:03-04:00

By Maggie Hughes I have been avoiding talking about poverty lately because of the increasing numbers of hard working people who are suddenly out of work. Now there will be lots of people who will know what it is like to live in poverty and they will find out the hard way that Canada, especially Ontario, has no social safety net. Until poverty actually happens to you or someone you love, there is...

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