Mohandas Gandhi said, “Poverty is the worst form of violence.” It is a form of violence that can tear apart individual lives, destroy families, and create unhealthy communities. It is the worst form of violence because often the damage it causes can be silent and subtle, grinding down hopes and ambitions over time, creating feelings of shame and isolation, and passing on despair and hopelessness from one generation to the next. When our communities are broken it affects everyone of us.
Poverty affects too many people in our city. According to Statistics Canada, in 2006 15.7% of Winnipeggers were living in poverty. That translates into almost 100,000 people in our city being affected every day by not having enough to eat, a proper place to sleep, nor the freedom to live their lives with dignity. For people under eighteen, the percentage is even higher – 21% fall below the Low Income Cutoff indicator. Though we are no longer known as “the child poverty capital of Canada”, those numbers are still cause for alarm as too often it is the children who are the victims of poverty. While there is cause for alarm, there is also cause for hope as there are signs of a growing consensus in our city that something needs to be done about the dismal situation that these statistics portray.
The fight against poverty is too large an issue for government to handle alone. It requires leadership from every sector of our community, from business owners, those working for social service agencies, and educators. This realization led United Way of Winnipeg to establish the Winnipeg Poverty Reduction Council (WPRC) two years ago. The WPRC has engaged senior leaders from all sectors in what is anticipated will be a strategic and sustained effort to address poverty in Winnipeg. Over the past year the WPRC has been able to establish solid partnerships and collaborations with several community groups who are doing outstanding work in our inner city. While the jury is still out, the potential is promising as the broad-based consensus to do something about poverty in our community takes hold.
It is noteworthy that last month the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce chose to make poverty the first topic for its “We Believe in Winnipeg” breakfast series. The first speaker, the President and CEO of the Business Council of Manitoba, a group of 65 Chief Executive Officers of Manitoba’s leading companies, had a clear and concise message: poverty is everyone’s business. The work of the Business Council is commendable as it is actively engaged in combating poverty. Of particular note is the Business Council’s scholarship program through which to date some 1000 Aboriginal youth have received awards totalling $2.8 million, Some recipients have also been provided with job opportunities which can go a long way to provide the kind of assistance needed to break the cycle of generational stagnation and poverty that affects so many in our Aboriginal community.
The City of Winnipeg must be recognized for its leadership in deciding to collaborate with United Way, Make Poverty History Manitoba and the Winnipeg Poverty Reduction Council and hold a roundtable discussion on poverty last month as part of its “Speak Up Winnipeg” initiative. The issue was deemed important enough to hold a separate roundtable as part of the City’s consultations in drafting its most important policy document, “Our Winnipeg”. With 70 people in attendance; more than double the number for any of the City’s previous seven roundtables, the turnout demonstrated how important the issue of poverty is to the community.
The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce also needs to be recognized for their leadership as a year ago they signed on to the “Raise the Rates” campaign to increase payment levels for people on welfare and social assistance.
Another cause for hope is the Manitoba Government’s commitment to the ALL Aboard Strategy to reduce poverty. A commitment which comes with $212 million in new funding.
All who are concerned about poverty would have been both impressed, and gratified by the leadership forum on poverty which was held at the University of Winnipeg earlier this month. Impressed by the strong response for such a critical issue as the Eckhardt-Gramatte Hall was filled to the rafters. And gratified that both Steve Ashton and Greg Selinger the men who are vying to be our next premier, spoke so passionately about their commitment to reducing poverty. A key recurring theme for the evening was that regardless of where you live in Manitoba, or your own personal circumstances, fighting poverty is everyone’s business.
So there is hope. Our leaders are showing their support. Business owners and legislators and educators are involved. But we are far from having won the war on poverty. We must continue to work together to make Winnipeg a city where everyone belongs. For that to happen, everyone needs to play a part. Not just government. Not just social service agencies. Not just the business community. Because the issue is so invasive, so intricate, and so insidious, it requires a strong commitment from every one of us. Everyone has a role to play. Your part can be as simple as volunteering your time at an inner city school. It can be mentoring a young person. It can be donating cash. It can be lobbying your elected representatives so all political parties see this issue as a priority.
Many of our leaders have shown their commitment to reduce poverty. It is time now for all to get involved because poverty, “the worst form of violence”, is everyone’s business.
Harry Finnigan
Managing Director
Winnipeg Poverty Reduction Council
October 15, 2009
The mission of the Winnipeg Poverty Reduction Council is to significantly reduce poverty in Winnipeg in hopes of creating A City Where Everyone Belongs.
The WPRC Framework for Action was finalized and formally approved by the WPRC in December 2008. It is not the intention of the WPRC to view this document as static or final. On the contrary, the Framework for Action is a working, living document that will assist and guide the actions and strategies of the WPRC. As the WPRC continues to learn from its experiences, as well as the experiences of others, the Framework for Action will change and evolve as required over time.
WPRC Membership
Posted On: November 25, 2008
The mission of the Winnipeg Poverty Reduction Council is to significantly reduce poverty in Winnipeg in hopes of creating “A City Where Everyone Belongs”.
We are a city where everyone is valued, and we want to ensure all Winnipeggers have the opportunity to realize their potential.
Recognizing that many of Winnipeg’s most challenging social issues are rooted in poverty, a group of community leaders from across the city formed the Winnipeg Poverty Reduction Council in 2007.
