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Religious Leaders' Forum
ISARC Social Audit
a
provincial gathering to hear and discuss the initial findings from our
community hearings on poverty - the 2010 Social Audit
10:00 - 4:00 on Wednesday, June 2, at Sam Sorbara Auditorium in Brennan Hall,
University of St. Michael's College, In The University of Toronto
 Articles
Hope and Resilience in the Face of Unthinkable Challenges
Social audit shines light on people in poverty
Other
Never Give Up! Theological Reflections For ISARC’s Religious Leaders’ Forum
June 2 Resolution to
Eliminate Poverty in Ontario
June 7 News Release
Media coverage
Audit shines light on the struggles of living in poverty
New poor a 'disturbing phenomenon'
Pictures
Pictures of the day
Hope and Resilience in the Face of Unthinkable Challenges
by Mira Dineen
On June 2, nearly 130 people from 20 communities across Ontario gathered for ISARC’s Religious Leaders Forum at the University of St. Michael's College, University of Toronto. The focus of the gathering was ISARC’s Social Audit, conducted in over 25 communities across the province during the spring of 2010.
Following a welcome by Susan Eagle, ISARC Chair, David Pfrimmer, Principal Dean of Waterloo Lutheran Seminary, provided participants with a theological reflection, Never Give Up!.
Mira Dineen then presented a summary of the preliminary findings from the local social audit reports. An overarching theme is the stark contrast of severe poverty existing amidst wealth. All of the reports have revealed that housing is not affordable, utility bills have soared beyond the financial means of those living on social assistance, and the rates for OW and ODSP are simply not high enough for basic survival. Other key issues include the cost of nutritious food, the lack of affordable transportation, and the many “stupid rules” of the social assistance system.
Following Dineen’s update, forum participants broke into lively round table discussions about what else was heard in the audits and what can be done to break the cycle of poverty.
After this round table session, Toby Barrett, Progressive Conservative MPP and the opposition environment critic, spoke about a private members bill that he submitted: Bill 23 - Enhancing the Ability of Income Support Recipients to be Financially Independent. It would enable recipients of ODSP to retain more financial assets. Barrett stated, “There are shysters and we deal with that. We don’t penalize everyone with blanket... policies.”
Michael Prue, NDP MPP, spoke next and declared, “I don’t believe in reducing poverty, I believe in eliminating it!” Prue commended Barrett for his work on Bill 23, but suggested that all poor must be seen as deserving, not only those receiving ODSP. Prue stated that claw backs need to end, and voiced his support for the issuance of a farm tax credit so that surplus produce can be donated to Ontario’s food banks. He wrapped up his address by proclaiming, “It is going to take people telling the government it is not good enough. ‘If you aren’t going to do something about it, we’ll find someone who will.’”
After lunch, participants viewed a short film clip that emerged from the York Region Social Audit, set to acoustic music written by one of the audit participants. Individuals shared stories of the challenges of living on a low income or on social assistance. One participant commented that a few years ago, he would have laughed at the thought of ever ending up on social assistance.
This is another clear theme that has arisen from social audits: no one is immune to poverty. Accidents, poor health, financial misfortune, the breakup of a relationship – these circumstances can befall the least suspecting person and can cause them to fall into a cycle of poverty. This cycle, as evidenced by the stories heard at the audits, can be near impossible to escape.
Tawnia Healy, the social audit convenor from North Bay, shared the steps that the North Bay team will be taking in the coming months as they move forward from the social audit. These steps include sharing the social audit reports with those who participated in the process, meeting with local MPPs and municipal politicians, and keeping poverty on the political agenda by continuing to talk to others about the stories heard at the audits.
The group broke into a second session of roundtable discussions to respond to a draft of ISARC’s Resolution to Eliminate Poverty in Ontario and to address the question: “Where do we go from here?”
The Hon, Laurel Broten, the Minister of Children and Youth and Chairperson of the Ontario Child Poverty Reduction cabinet, was unable to attend the forum at the last minute. Glen Murray, Liberal MPP, attended in her place.
Recognizing our ongoing economic struggles, Murray commented, “We have to look to you [the faith community and advocacy groups] for leadership because we are coming into a crisis.” Pointing to a significant challenge facing ISARC and other poverty advocacy groups, Murray suggested that more work needs to be done to raise awareness amongst middle class voters of the extent of poverty in order for it to be seen as an important election issue.
The stories from the social audits, along with the feedback and insights of those who attended ISARC’s Religious Leaders Forum, demonstrate that significant work must still be done to eliminate poverty in Ontario. However, the social audits also revealed stories of hope and resilience in the face of unthinkable challenges.
 Persistent Poverty: Dispatches from the Margins, the book to be published this Fall as a final report on the findings of ISARC’s 2010 Social Audit, will strive to represent the diverse voices heard in the social audits as thoroughly as possible, using these compelling narratives to put a face on poverty and to lobby the government for change.
Stay tuned for the release of this book this fall.
[Mira Dineen is one of the authors, with Brice
Balmer and Jamie Swift, of Persistent
Poverty: Dispatches from the Margins.]
Pictures of the
day
                 
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