Editor:
Re: “Ingredient missed in prescription to reduce poverty,” Editorial, July 16.
Your review of the recent report on action to reduce local poverty prompted me to revisit the paper. In the editorial, John Gleeson acknowledges that the uniqueness of this report is its emphasis on a collaborative approach, so it is worth mentioning that one of the four priorities recommended by its authors is the creation of a social planning council. The report goes on to link this coordinating body with a regional housing planning table. The following statement in the conclusion underlines the importance of establishing these organizations: “without more coordinated strategic interventions, the crises described here will continue to escalate, further eroding the quality of life in Lower Sunshine Coast communities.”
The report deals with many aspects of the community, including housing, child care, living wage policy, and transportation. The most startling image is contained in this fact: “18 per cent of residents live in poverty, many of them working at low paid jobs.” The report is available on the website of the Community Resource Centre (resourcecentre.ca) and I would encourage everyone to read it.
Robert Wotton, Roberts Creek