The fight to reduce poverty and help people overcome social barriers continues with an invitation for Manitobans to provide feedback on the government’s poverty reduction and social inclusion strategy known as ALL Aboard. This announcement was made by Housing and Community Development Minister Kerri Irvin-Ross.
“The Manitoba government recognizes that more needs to be done to reduce poverty and help people overcome social barriers,” said Irvin-Ross. “Economic uncertainty is the reality facing economies around the world and it’s important that we keep working to tackle poverty and social exclusion. That’s why I invite Manitobans to work with us and have their say.”
Regardless of which measure of low income is used, there are fewer Manitobans living in low income now than in 2000, the minister said. In 2010, Manitoba’s low-income rate was 8.7 per cent, a decrease of over 19 per cent from 2000. This means there were 16,000 fewer Manitobans living in low income in 2010 than in 2000. In 2010, the low-income rate for children was 10.9 per cent, compared with 15.1 per cent in 2000, a decrease of 28 per cent, she said.
The province’s commitment to poverty reduction became law last year in the Poverty Reduction Strategy Act. This will be the first round of public consultations since the act was passed.
“Poverty reduction and supporting socially marginalized people is all of our responsibility,” said Charles Loewen, a business owner and All Aboard committee member. “We know helping citizens who experience disadvantages is the right thing to do. With the shared experience of Manitobans, we will help chart the way forward to address deep-rooted inequities that cannot be ignored.”
Manitobans from across the province are invited to share their insight either online or in person as the ALL Aboard strategy moves into the consultation phase. Meetings will be held across the province from March 4 to 22 and are scheduled for Winnipeg, Brandon, Gimli, Dauphin, The Pas and Thompson.
The public will have the opportunity to offer suggestions that will help the province develop initiatives in the following areas:
- building blocks for employment,
- targeted supports for those most in need,
- food security,
- housing,
- closing the gap for Aboriginal Manitobans,
- creating opportunities for youth, and
- early childhood development and parenting supports.
“We place a high priority on poverty reduction and supporting socially marginalized people,” Irvin-Ross said. “We know helping citizens who experience disadvantages is the right thing to do. With the shared experience of Manitobans, we will help chart the way forward to address deep-rooted inequities that cannot be ignored.”
For further information, or to provide feedback on the ALL Aboard Strategy visit www.gov.mb.ca/fs/allaboard.
