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OAFB Seeks Major Downpayment For Poverty Reduction

TORONTO, ON  (March 22nd, 2007) – The Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB) seeks a commitment from the provincial government in today’s budget to reduce poverty for Ontario’s children, working Ontarians, and Ontarians with disabilities through renewed investment in social supports.  Over 330,000 Ontarians are served by food banks every month, and of those, 40 per cent are children, 17 per cent are working, and 20 per cent are persons with disabilities.

OAFB will be looking for announcements consistent with the organization’s proposals to government including:

• creating a new Ontario Child Benefit (OCB) for all low-income families;
• developing child poverty measures and reduction targets;
• hiring more Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) caseworkers;
• increasing the maximum Ontario Works (OW) and ODSP allowance;
• expanding access to and coverage for the Ontario Trilium Drug Program for low-income working Ontarians;
• implementing a low-wage strategy including a low-wage board, a new three year schedule of minimum wage increases, a focus on the development of quality jobs, and more employment standards officers; and
• creating an individual development account (IDA) program to allow low-income Ontarians to save for education, home ownership, or business development.

“We have been waiting for over a generation for significant reform.  Need has skyrocketed, and the faces of our volunteers and those we serve have grown weary.  We are hungry for change,” said Joanne Santucci, Executive Director of Hamilton Food Share and Vice-Chair of the OAFB.  “We must recognize the impact that hunger and poverty has on the lives of hundreds of thousands of our neighbours, and our collective well being.”

 “The provincial government has publicly acknowledged the need to make poverty reduction a priority,” added Adam Spence, Executive Director of the OAFB. “They must now take action with a significant downpayment to reduce poverty in our prosperous province.”

Adam Spence and Joanne Santucci will be participating in the budget lock-up and will be available for comment immediately following the budget announcement at 4 pm.

The Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB) is a network of over 100 food banks including communities across the province from Ottawa to Windsor, and Niagara Falls to Thunder Bay.  For more information about the OAFB, as well as hunger and poverty in Ontario, please visit www.OAFB.ca.

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For further information, contact:
Adam Spence, Executive Director, Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB),
w: 416.656.4100, c: 416.543.0897
Joanne Santucci, Vice-Chair, Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB),
w: 905.664.9065, c: 905.902.5533