Recent Publications

Ontario Poverty Progress Profile

    Attached for your perusal is the Poverty Progress Profile for the province of Ontario published by Canada Without Poverty on May 2012. This Progress Profile looks at the current status of poverty, effectiveness of the poverty action plan (PAP), and details on specific thematic areas related to poverty (such as housing, welfare, employment support, and early childhood education and care).    
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Ontario's Poverty Reduction Strategy

  Below is Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy, which is guided by the vision of a province where every person has the opportunity to achieve his or her full potential, and contribute to and participate in a prosperous and healthy Ontario.  
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Surrey Poverty Reduction Plan

Moving to Eradicate Poverty in Surrey
Vibrant Surrey and other community partners recently launched a poverty reduction plan.  The Plan was developed through consultaton with stakeholders at the Poverty Dialogue, Friday March 30, 2012, when over 100 people gathered at the Bollywood Banquet Hall to learn about the findings of the Collaborative Research on Poverty in Surrey. Vibrant Surrey partnered with Surrey Homelessness and Housing Task Force and Surrey Homelessness and Housing Society to undertake a comprehensive resarch project looking at poverty in Surrey. We worked closely with Surrey City staff, representatives of Fraser Health and with SPARC BC to compile existing data from a wide variety of statistics.THIS is how we end poverty in Surrey examined poverty and made recommendations for action along four key policy areas: Transportation, Housing, Income and Supports. Access the full plan here: http://www.vibrantsurrey.ca/  
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Hamilton's Social Landscape

Resource Type: Report | Author: Hamilton SPRC
The Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton launched a new bulletin series, called Hamilton’s Social Landscape. The first topic is Trends in Basic Needs and examines recent data on adequate income, healthy food and affordable housing in a short two-page report. Access the report here.
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Caledon Provincial Policy Monitor

June 2012
  The Caledon Institute of Social Policy regularly scans provincial and territorial government websites in order to follow policy developments related to our core work and interests.  These include: Disability, Education, Health, Housing, Income Security, Poverty Reduction, Recreation, Seniors and Youth.  This tracking is intended to inform our analysis of policy trends. Visit the Caledon site to view archived summaries; first posting June 2008.
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Prospering Together: ADDRESSING INEQUALITY AND POVERTY TO SUCCEED IN THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED ECONOMY

Resource Type: Publication | Author: Action Canada Task Force
A report from Action Canada's Task Force on Inequality, Poverty and the Knowledge-Based Economy. An excerpt from the introduction reads as follows:  "Canada needs a shift in thinking. As this report demonstrates, Canadians need to think about inequality and poverty as obstacles to – rather than consequences of – economic growth. We need to understand that prosperity is not the only solution to inequality and poverty, and realize that alleviating these social problems is crucial to our long-term prosperity. The Task Force’s policy recommendation will start Canada down a path toward developing a 21st century economy that is competitive because it is inclusive." Find the entire report here.      
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Municipal Living Wage 101

Implementing a municipal living wage policy is a way local governments can directly improve residents lives and put widely held community values into practice. This document provides facts, figures and resources to get you started in developing a living wage policy at the municipal or school board level.
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Community Information Tool Kit

Resource Type: Publication | Author: Knight Foundation
One year after the release of Knight's Community Information Toolkit, foundations putting the guide to use say it has been critical in identifying community needs, creating collaborations and helping push for important change. The Information Toolkit is a five-step guide to helping communities take better stock of their community information flows. Where do people go for information? Where are the gaps and areas for improvement? And how can the data gathered help lay groundwork for action? The aim: Strengthening communities by strengthening their information systems.  "We should all think about ourselves as being in the business of helping communities have conversations with itself," said Mayur Patel, Knight's Vice President for Strategic Assessment. Patel led a panel of community foundations speaking about how the toolkit has helped advance their missions.  Some key insights:  The toolkit helps create connections, conversations and collaborations. Several groups using parts of the toolkit report that reaching out to assess community information has has helped connect individuals to each other and connect those individuals to larger community conversations.
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Peel Region's Summer Job Challenge

This Caledon 'community story' details an expansion of regular summer hiring practices that quickly moved from concept to pilot project to line item.  
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Poverty Cost: An Economic Case for a Preventative Poverty Reduction Strategy in Alberta

Resource Type: Publication | Authors: Vibrant Communities Calgary & Action to End Poverty in Alberta
Poverty Costs is a ground-breaking report, developed by Vibrant Communities Calgary and Action to End Poverty in Alberta, identifies that it cost Albertan taxpayers between $7.1 billion and $9.5 billion every year to maintain persistent levels of poverty.  These costs include direct benefits to families living in poverty as well as health, crime and other related cost.  The Poverty Costs report also details the societal cost of 148,000 families and 73,000 children living in poverty.  For children living in poverty, the challenges are immense.   A Poverty Costs infograph is also available.
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