Editor:
Re: Strong economy, not more officials, more of a help in alleviating poverty, Publisher's Perspective, July 10
Hungry and underprivileged children in our society are not a joke. Comparing low-income people living in basement suites to bats and raccoons is unacceptable.
Inadequate income levels may not always be the problem for children being hungry; some families make poor choices over their spending patterns. I agree most problems ought to be handled at the provincial or federal level, but the stark reality is that they are not.
Maybe a revision of our pitiful minimum wage or having more social workers (not the totally overburdened kind), who would have time to identify and assist families in difficulty, are solutions.
Government cutbacks have taken such a toll on our social services, but this is no reason to shift all the responsibilities to municipalities. Perhaps the very well intentioned Canadian Federation of University Women could also use its powers to lobby the higher levels of government.
That said, I am not totally opposed to the municipality hiring a social planner. Such a person would be well positioned to identify local needs and advocate for them to other levels of government.
It is hard to see how a strengthened economy is the solution, based on performance over the past few decades. During that time we have had periods of substantial abundance only to see the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. Does anyone still really believe the "trickle down" effect?
I am not mad about Chardonnay either.
Angela Emsley
