Canada’s Toronto Mulls Poverty Eradication: Mayor Calls It A Litmus Test Of Political Will

Canada’s Toronto city’s goal to create a prosperous city living for all residents by 2035 had a milestone on Tuesday with the release of an action plan to bust poverty. The report, named “To Prosperity: Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy” outlines many anti-poverty measures to check the growing inequality and lack of opportunity.

“It is unacceptable that, in a city as prosperous as Toronto, people cannot meet their basic needs for food, clothing, shelter and transportation,” says the action plan, reports Star. The plan offers 24 recommendations and 74 short, medium and long-term actions for addressing immediate needs, solutions and tips for driving change in the system. Actions include ensuring of essential services such as shelter allowances and daycare subsidies that are well funded.

The 48-page report sets a great vision, said Deputy Mayor Pam McConnell, who oversees the city’s anti-poverty programs. “We want to be renowned as a city where everyone has access to good jobs, adequate income, stable housing, affordable transportation, nutritious food and supportive services,” the report exhorted.

Council’s Approval

The report will have to be vetted by city’s executive committee on June 30 and then by the council later, before it gets into action mode. If approved, the city staff will work with the communities to develop timelines, measurement tools and a multi-year funding plan. The final strategy will be submitted to the council for inclusion in the 2016 budget. The city has been trying to address poverty and inequality by offering support to individuals, families and neighborhoods. It earmarked $25 million for poverty reduction in the budget of 2014.

“What’s new is that we will have an absolute commitment from all members of council that this is the direction in which all of our departments, agencies, boards and commissions should be moving,” McConnell said. The poverty mitigation plan also owes credit to councillor Joe Mihevc, who raised the idea of developing a municipal poverty-busting plan in February 2014 and called up the staff need to craft “a bold vision with strong recommendations.” As a result, two dozen community agencies are involved in action and strategy centred around on five themes--housing, city services, transit, food access, and quality jobs and living wages.

Mayor Optimistic

Meanwhile, Mayor John Tory, who is committed to tackling poverty in Toronto, said political effort to reduce poverty is a test in turning the city as a great one. He welcomed the poverty reduction strategy and said efforts to tackle the problem was “one of the fundamental litmus tests and determinative in deciding whether we can stay on the top and say we’re the best place in the world in which to live.”

(For feedback/comments, contact the writer at k.kumar@ibtimes.com.au)