Back with the gang this afternoon at another meeting trying to reduce and then eliminate poverty. There is a blizzard of initials--groups, projects, programs--evidence of a great deal of concern and energy for a better province. Then there are ninety-seven of the present MPPs standing in the way (the total of Liberals and Conservatives). Frustrating isn't the word for it. We can find millions and billions for warfighting equipment and high tech combat in distant places, but we can't seem to make our neighbours' well being a priority. What does that say about us?
John came by the church again this afternoon. He loses his trailer home tomorrow, and there is nothing to be done about it. He has a lease agreement for $450/month, but he has been forced to pay $600, plus another $100 for heat not called for in his agreement, so the landlord is already in violation of the Tenant Protection Act, but John's being evicted, and there is no help. The shelters are full, the wait for rent-geared-to-income housing in York Region is 11-15 years the social worker from the Housing Help Centre just told me, and a new place in the Newmarket-Aurora area will take 75-80% of John's $1100/month income. So my frustration pales in comparison with John's. John is smart, funny, well-informed, a banker in a former life. He admits that booze got the better of him during a difficult period, and now he is a casualty of a badly torn safety net. He's not the only one. There are tens of thousands of Ontarians in what is sometimes called "deep" poverty.
The Liberal plan to get a 25% reduction of families living in poverty in 5 years got sidelined by the recession. It won't be achieving its goal by 2013. New Democrats will keep fighting for decent, affordable housing for John, and a comprehensive response to the scandal of poverty in the province no matter how the election turns out, but it would be so much simpler if we formed the government!
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