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Food banks hope liberal election plan for poverty reduction ignites broader discussion

Toronto, ON (September 6, 2007) – The Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB) welcomes the Ontario Liberal Party’s commitment to the creation of a comprehensive poverty reduction plan.  This commitment was made this morning in the release of the Ontario Liberal election platform alongside other proposals on housing, social innovation, job growth, asset-building, supplementary benefits, and child care that are in line with recommendations of the OAFB. 

However, the OAFB believes that these plans must include a broader commitment to all low-income Ontarians, a timeline for their completion, and a promise to commit necessary financial resources towards its implementation.

“We are pleased that Dalton McGuinty has committed to the creation of a comprehensive poverty reduction plan,” said Adam Spence, Executive Director of the OAFB.  “However, we must see further investment and action for all low-income Ontarians including children and adults, those on social assistance and those with employment income.”

The need to reduce hunger and poverty in Ontario is clear.  Over 330,000 Ontarians are served by food banks every month.  This figure has increased by almost 20 per cent in the past five years.  Ontario is also well behind its counterparts in responding to poverty.  Other provinces and nations including Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ireland and the United Kingdom have successfully developed and implemented poverty reduction plans.
 
“We need a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy for all low-income Ontarians,” said Sandy Singers, Chair of the OAFB and Executive Director of the Partners in Mission Food Bank in Kingston.  “This strategy should be developed in consultation with stakeholders, and include significant up-front investments, aggressive targets for poverty reduction, enhanced supports for low-income workers, and improvements to the adequacy of social assistance.”

The OAFB looks forward to the platform details of the other major political parties in Ontario as they relate to hunger and poverty, calling on all parties to commit to the development of a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy.

“We need to have an inclusive and informed discussion about hunger and poverty in the election campaign,” added Spence.  “We hope that all the major parties participate in that discussion.”

On Thursday, September 13th, the OAFB will be launching an engagement campaign to ensure that hunger and poverty are a priority during the election, and to continue the discussion towards the development and implementation of a poverty reduction strategy.  This campaign will include election awareness activities and the release of a discussion paper outlining our framework for reducing hunger and poverty in Ontario.

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.  Over 330,000 Ontarians are served by food banks every month, and 40 per cent of those served are children.  For more information about the OAFB, and 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
Sandy Singers, Chair, Ontario Association of Food Bank (OAFB)
w. 613.544.4534, c: 613.539.0389

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