The resources that appear in this section are meant to challenge
our conventional thinking about Community-based Poverty Reduction.
That means it could offer a different solution to poverty reduction, or it could say the conventional thinking is flat-out
wrong. We just want to know about all the thinking in this
field, not just from people who agree with our view.
Debunking the Myths about Poverty in Canada
This power point presentation by Rob Rainer, Executive Director, Canada without Poverty discussed the links between work, education and family and poverty. It looks at the persistence of poverty in Canada, the growing gap between rich and poor and the relationship between poverty and welfare. Finally, it debunks the myth that poverty is too expensive to fix. Access the slides here.
Defining
& Re-defining Poverty: A CCSD Perspective (Canada)
The Canadian Council on Social Development (CCSD)
is Canada’s most prolific research group on poverty
issues. This document
provides a very good overview of the different perspectives
of poverty and the history of the ‘poverty definition’
debate.
Measuring Poverty in Canada The Fraser
Institute critiques the standard measurement of poverty
in this report.
Most agencies use an informal measure called the “Low-Income
Cut-Off” to determine the poverty line, but The Fraser
Institute says this method exaggerates the number of people
living in poverty. If the poverty line were lowered, they
say, fewer people would be poor. It’s not a position
we agree with, but The Fraser Institute has a lot of influence
in Canada.
Can
Communities Reduce Poverty? Yes they can, according to
Sherri Torjman of the Caledon Institute of Social Policy.
This framework
describes the various areas or issues a community can focus
on to ensure residents are not living in poverty. This paper
was prepared for the Opportunities
2000 project in Waterloo Region to help guide that multisectoral
initiative’s efforts to reduce poverty to the lowest
level in Canada.
Women in Transition out
of Poverty (Canada)
This report
from the Canadian Women's Foundation suggests how women can
escape poverty by building a set of “assets,”
which include financial security, emotional and spiritual
support, and employability. An important resource, designed
and tailored for women’s’ experience with poverty.
It is revolutionary in the sense that it focuses on building
a person’s various assets for a sustainable livelihood
rather than simply just trying to improve their income. This
is a must read.
Have we missed something? Know a great resource
we should include here? Email us at tamarack@tamarackcommunity.ca.
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